Sr. Director, Workforce Transformation

Company: Smartsheet
Location: Bellevue
Posted on: April 1, 2026

Job Description:

For over 20 years, Smartsheet has helped people and teams achieve–well, anything. From seamless work management to smart, scalable solutions, we’ve always worked with flow. We’re building tools that empower teams to automate the manual, uncover insights, and scale smarter. But more than that, we’re creating space– space to think big, take action, and unlock the kind of work that truly matters. Because when challenge meets purpose, and passion turns into progress, that’s magic at work, and it’s what we show up for everyday. Smartsheet is a leading enterprise platform for dynamic work, empowering organizations to plan, execute, and report on work at scale. Backed by multiple private equity firms, Smartsheet operates with the rigor, discipline, and growth orientation of a world-class PE-backed SaaS company. We are at a pivotal moment — accelerating our AI capabilities, evolving our operating model, and building the organizational infrastructure to scale intelligently. The Opportunity Smartsheet is in the midst of a profound product and business transformation. The company’s AI roadmap is fundamentally reshaping how Smartsheet delivers value. These innovations aren’t just changing the product; they’re reshaping the work itself — across every function, from professional services to customer success to engineering. As Sr. Director, Workforce Transformation, you will own an incredibly strategic organizational question facing Smartsheet today: how do we evolve our organizational model in response to AI? This is a newly created, first-of-its-kind role at Smartsheet, built to ensure that as our AI product capabilities advance, our organization is ahead of it — not reacting to it. This role reports directly to the Chief Business Officer and operates at the intersection of AI strategy, people, financial planning, and organizational design. It is a transformation executive role that requires the analytical rigor of a management consultant, the organizational fluency of a business leader, and the strategic vision to see around corners in a rapidly evolving AI landscape in order to continue empowering Smartsheet as an enterprise market leader. This is an individual contributor role with outsized strategic influence. The right candidate is a corporate athlete — someone who can learn fast, operate across functions, and drive enterprise-wide change at PE pace. What You Will Own Workforce Strategy & Planning Define and execute a comprehensive workforce transformation strategy that prepares Smartsheet for an AI-enabled future, spanning role redesign, capability building, and organizational readiness across all functions. Partner with Finance, People & Culture, and business unit leaders to build forward-looking workforce planning models — covering headcount, skills, cost structure, and organizational ratios — that anticipate how AI adoption will reshape team structures and skill requirements over 12–36 month horizons. Translate roadmap milestones into actionable workforce planning decisions. Role Redefinition Work closely with People & Culture and functional leaders to proactively shape job architecture and responsibilities as the product evolves — ensuring role design precedes capability launches rather than responding to them after the fact. Champion the initiative to strategically adapt roles as AI enriches, enhances, and reshapes existing workflows, partnering with Product, Engineering, and IT teams to translate technical roadmaps into exciting workforce opportunities. Geographic Talent Strategy Partner with People & Culture and functional leaders to design a sustainable global talent model. Change Management Champion and drive organizational change management strategies and communications, helping Smartsheet's workforce embrace transformation with clear understanding and enthusiasm. This involves fostering strong stakeholder collaboration, proactively addressing concerns, and boosting employee engagement. Act as a trusted strategic advisor and catalyst for positive change with C-suite leaders, offering insights, data, and conviction to inspire a move toward faster, more confident adoption of AI-enabled operating models. Cultivate the internal capacity for sustained, positive evolution, moving beyond one-off initiatives. Executive Reporting Serve as a credible, trusted voice on workforce strategy at the executive level. Provide regular, data-driven updates to the CBO and Senior Leadership Team on transformation progress, workforce metrics, risk, and opportunity. Establish reporting frameworks that demonstrate measurable impact to the Senior Leadership Team and the Board. How You Will Drive Business Value The Sr. Director, Workforce Transformation is accountable for delivering measurable, structural change to the business — not just managing a program. The expectation is that this role produces outcomes that are visible and supports Smartsheet's capacity to scale with AI: Amplify Capacity through AI : Identify and execute on opportunities to grow output and capability faster than we grow our cost base — translating AI adoption into tangible productivity gains Deep partnership with Finance and People & Culture : Partner with Finance and People & Culture to build a globally optimized talent model — strategically aligning talent to where Smartsheet is growing, including deepening our capabilities in key markets in a way that is financially disciplined and operationally sound Role architecture that scales : Partner with People & Culture to inform and evolve job architecture in a way that reflects the realities of an AI-augmented workforce — ensuring roles are positioned for the next three to five years, not the last three to five Faster organizational response to AI launches : Reduce the lag between product capability releases and internal role adoption — ensuring the organization captures the value of new AI tools quickly and systematically Workforce risk mitigation : Provide leadership with clear, data-driven visibility into workforce risk — skills gaps, role evolutions, retention exposure — so decisions are proactive rather than reactive What You Will Bring Required 12-15 years of experience in management consulting, organizational transformation, or workforce strategy, with significant time spent at a top-tier consulting firm (McKinsey, Bain, BCG, or equivalent) Deep understanding of AI and its future implications for organizational design, workforce planning, and job architecture Demonstrated experience leading large-scale organizational or workforce transformation initiatives, including stakeholder management, change communications, and executive reporting Strong financial acumen — able to build workforce models, partner with Finance, and frame workforce decisions in terms of cost, efficiency, and ROI Exceptional cross-functional leadership skills — this role will work across Business Operations, People & Culture, Finance, and Product and requires the credibility and influence to lead without direct authority Outstanding communication and executive presence — able to synthesize complex, ambiguous situations into clear, compelling recommendations for senior audiences Bachelor's degree required; MBA or advanced degree strongly preferred Preferred Experience in a PE-backed or sponsor-backed environment, with familiarity operating at the pace, rigor, and accountability PE ownership demands Familiarity with global talent models and geographic staffing strategy, including COE structures Background in AI enablement, digital transformation, or future-of-work strategy — particularly in organizations actively deploying AI/ML into core products or operations Prior experience in SaaS or enterprise software companies that have undergone significant business model or go-to-market transitions Why This Role Direct report to the Chief Business Officer with visibility and access at the most senior levels of the organization A blank-sheet-of-paper opportunity to build a new function and define what workforce transformation looks like at Smartsheet The chance to lead the most strategically important organizational initiative at an AI-forward, PE-backed enterprise SaaS company A clear mandate with defined scope, measurable outcomes, and the organizational support to execute at pace Unique positioning at the intersection of Business Operations, People & Culture, Finance, and Product — with the cross-functional authority to drive real change Direct partnership with the Business Operations function, which sits within the same CBO remit, providing immediate access to executive communications, strategic planning, and cross-functional visibility that accelerates the pace and impact of transformation work Current US Perks & Benefits: Medical/vision and dental coverage options for full-time employees 401k Match to help you save for your future (50% of your contribution up to the first 6% of your eligible pay) Monthly stipend to support your work and productivity Flexible Time Away Program, plus Sick Time Off US employees are automatically covered under Smartsheet-sponsored life insurance, short-term, and long-term disability plans US employees receive 12 paid holidays per year Up to 24 weeks of Parental Leave Personal paid Volunteer Day to support our community Opportunities for professional growth and development including access to Udemy online courses Company Funded Perks, including a counseling membership, local retail discounts, and your own personal Smartsheet account Teleworking options from any registered location in the U.S. (role specific) Smartsheet provides a competitive base salary range for roles that may be hired in different geographic areas we are licensed to operate our business from. Actual compensation is determined by several factors including, but not limited to, level of professional, educational experience, skills, and specific candidate location. In addition, this role will be eligible for a market competitive incentive opportunity. US Base Salary Pay Range $285,000 - $315,000 USD Get to Know Us: At Smartsheet, your ideas are heard, your potential is supported, and your contributions have real impact. You’ll have the freedom to explore, push boundaries, and grow beyond your role. We welcome diverse perspectives and nontraditional paths—because we know that impact comes from individuals who care deeply and challenge thoughtfully. When you’re doing work that stretches you, excites you, and connects you to something bigger, that’s magic at work. Let’s build what’s next, together. Equal Opportunity Employer: Smartsheet is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer committed to fostering an inclusive environment with the best employees. It is our policy to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants in accordance with applicable laws in the US, UK, Australia, Germany, Costa Rica, Japan, Bulgaria, and India. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information. If there are preparations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please let us know. LI-Remote

Keywords: Smartsheet, Seattle , Sr. Director, Workforce Transformation, IT / Software / Systems , Bellevue, Washington