Vice President of Delivery

About Climb

Climb is a consultancy specializing in Data and Artificial Intelligence, partnering with enterprises to architect, develop, and operationalize cutting-edge data platforms and AI systems focused on production over proof of concept. As a Databricks partner, we emphasize lakehouse architectures, machine learning, and applied AI, delivering measurable business impact.

Role Overview

The Vice President of Delivery leads Climb’s delivery function, overseeing quality, staffing, utilization, and financial performance across delivery teams (pods). This executive role is vital for ensuring successful client outcomes, protecting margins, reputation, and enabling growth as the delivery organization expands beyond 75 practitioners. The VP also pioneers and manages our proprietary agentic delivery operating system—an internal platform of automation, accelerators, and workflows boosting consulting throughput.

Key Responsibilities

• Guarantee delivery excellence portfolio-wide, focusing on quality, client satisfaction, timely completion, and engagement profitability.
• Manage capacity planning, resource allocation, and utilization to optimize balance between billable leverage and sustainable workload.
• Develop, own, and enhance the agentic delivery operating system, setting its roadmap and driving continuous improvement.
• Establish robust metrics instrumentation to track margin, revenue per practitioner, predictability, and cycle time, using data to guide management decisions.
• Implement quality assurance systems including health reviews, QA gates, and escalation protocols to proactively address issues.
• Collaborate with sales teams on project scoping, estimation, and pricing to ensure profitable wins.
• Recruit and mentor engagement leads, technical leads, and practitioners, creating advancement pathways that avoid unnecessary managerial layers.
• Standardize delivery methodology and develop reusable intellectual property to elevate engagement baseline quality.
• Act as executive sponsor and ultimate escalation contact for key strategic accounts.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years’ experience in professional services or consulting delivery, with at least 5 years leading delivery organizations accountable for P&L.
• Proven expertise managing services economics at scale, including utilization, realization, and gross margin across multiple projects valued over $20M or involving 50+ practitioners.
• Strong technical background in data and AI, with hands-on delivery experience in data platforms, machine learning, or applied AI capable of engaging with senior engineers.
• History of developing internal tools, delivery platforms, or enablement systems, treating delivery capability as a product.
• Practical knowledge of AI-assisted development and agentic tooling, with informed perspectives from usage within delivery settings.
• Experience scaling service organizations rapidly without sacrificing quality or margin.

Preferred Experience

• Familiarity with Databricks platform or its partner network.
• Background in private equity or growth-stage services firms, understanding value creation and executive reporting.
• Past responsibility for internal software product ownership, including roadmap development and user engagement.
• Awareness of metrics frameworks used in delivery and developer experience (e.g., DORA, DevEx, SPACE) adapted for consultancy operations.

Additional Information

While Databricks and Anthropic certifications are valued, they are not required at the time of hire but expected to be attained thereafter.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Focuses on metrics like margin, predictability, and client impact over mere activity.
• Approaches delivery as an engineered system seeking leverage rather than adding headcount.
• Maintains high professional standards conveyed with kindness, attracting top talent.
• Comfortable presenting to boards and participating in technical architecture discussions alike.

Why Join Climb?

• Early-stage opportunity with experienced founders, enabling you to help craft the company’s playbook.
• Business results-driven environment valuing outcomes over hours worked, with advancement based on impact.
• Small teams of skilled practitioners with AI leverage and no heavy middle management.
• Reusable intellectual property that compounds value with every engagement.
• Direct engagement with enterprise leadership and private equity portfolio companies guiding AI transformations.

Benefits

• Competitive base salary coupled with performance bonuses and significant executive equity.
• Provision of MacBook Pro and branded gear for effective remote work.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Generous holidays, flexible paid time off, with a remote-first work setup.
• Budget for professional development including AI and cloud certifications.
• Spot bonuses awarded for relevant certifications earned.
• Opportunities to attend industry conferences and contribute thought leadership.
• Collaborative, low-hierarchy culture with direct leadership accessibility.
• Chance to influence and grow an emerging practice from its earliest stage.

Diversity & Inclusion

Climb is committed to equal opportunity employment, fostering an inclusive workplace regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.