Sr. Director – India Center of Excellence

Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale — unleashing the potential of businesses and people. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By taking advantage of all structured and unstructured data — securing and protecting private information more effectively — Elastic's complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.

Elastic is searching for a leader to establish, scale, and lead our new India-based Global Services Center of Excellence (CoE). This role will be responsible for building an extraordinary offshore delivery team, deeply rooted in Elastic's core technologies, to expertly implement Observability, Search, and Security engagements globally.

You will be the driving force behind the CoE's technical direction, ensuring implementation excellence, fostering a culture of innovation, and integrating pioneering Elastic solutions into our global delivery framework. While strategic business acumen is essential, your main focus will be on elevating our technical delivery capabilities, ensuring the highest levels of solution quality, and accelerating time-to-value for our customers worldwide.

Technical Vision & Strategy:

• Define and implement the CoE's technical vision, aligning it with Elastic's product roadmap and global services objectives.
• Drive the adoption of standard processes for Elastic Stack implementations, focusing on performance, scalability, and security across Observability, Enterprise Search, and Security solutions.
• Lead the technical evolution of offshore delivery, pushing for innovative solutions, advanced automation, and deeper expertise in Elastic's offerings.

Implementation Excellence & Solution Delivery:

• Establish and enforce meticulous technical delivery methodologies and quality standards for all CoE engagements.
• Lead all aspects of the technical architecture and delivery of complex Elastic solutions, ensuring robust, high-performance, and customer-centric outcomes.
• Build and lead specialized, technically deep delivery teams focused on Elastic's Observability (APM, Logs, Metrics), Enterprise Search (Elasticsearch, App Search, Workplace Search), and Security (SIEM, Endpoint Security) solution areas.
• Implement "follow-the-sun" models to provide continuous technical support and delivery capabilities for global customers.

Technical Talent & Mentorship:

• Develop a comprehensive multi-year plan to attract, hire, and nurture credible Elastic engineers, architects, and technical consultants.
• Foster a high-performance technical culture that emphasizes continuous learning, problem-solving, and deep expertise in Elastic technologies.
• Design and implement structured technical onboarding, advanced enablement, and certification programs focused on Elastic's latest features and solution patterns.
• Mentor and grow the technical leadership within the CoE, empowering them to drive technical excellence.

Innovation & Automation:

• Champion the development and adoption of technical accelerators, reusable code, automation tools, and reference architectures built on the Elastic Stack to enhance delivery efficiency and quality.
• Drive a culture of technical innovation within the CoE, exploring new ways to demonstrate Elastic's capabilities for customer success.
• Oversee robust technical quality assurance, performance testing, and solution validation to ensure superior delivery outcomes.

Multi-functional Technical Collaboration:

• Partner closely with Elastic's Product, Engineering, and Solutions Architecture teams to ensure the CoE's technical capabilities are aligned with Elastic's product evolution and best practices.
• Collaborate with GEO delivery leaders to ensure seamless technical handoffs and consistent solution delivery globally.
• Manage the CoE's technical budget, focusing on optimizing technical resource utilization and delivery efficiency.
• Establish and track key technical performance indicators (KPIs) related to solution quality, innovation, and technical team proficiency.

Experience:

• 15+ years in professional services delivery leadership, with at least 5 years explicitly running large-scale offshore/nearshore technical operations for enterprise software.
• Proven track record of building and scaling global delivery centers in India or similar markets, with a strong emphasis on technical depth and complex solution implementation.
• Deep, hands-on understanding and experience with the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, Logstash) and its application in Observability, Enterprise Search, and/or Security domains.
• Demonstrated experience managing highly technical, multi-functional teams across multiple geographies and time zones, fostering a deep technical community.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes) in the context of Elastic deployments.

Skills:

• Exceptional technical leadership – ability to inspire, guide, and empower highly skilled technical teams.
• Profound strategic technical thinking with the ability to translate Elastic product vision into actionable, high-quality delivery outcomes.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with a track record of resolving complex technical challenges in customer environments.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of articulating complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, including executive stakeholders.
• Solid understanding of technical project lifecycle, agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (Master's preferred).
• Relevant certifications in Elastic Stack (e.g., Elastic Certified Engineer), cloud platforms, or specific technical domains are highly valued.

• Technical Delivery Excellence: CSAT ≥ 4.7/5 driven by technical solution quality;