Director, Business Systems Analysis & Portfolio Management

Why N-able

At N-able, we’re not just helping businesses be secure —we’re redefining what it means to be cyber resilient. Our end-to-end platform blends AI-powered capabilities and flexible tech stacks, so customers can manage, secure, and recover with confidence. But the real power behind it all? Our people. We’re a global crew of N-ablites, who love solving complex problems, sharing knowledge, and delivering solutions that actually make a difference. If you're into meaningful work, fast growth, and a team that’s got your back, you’ll be surrounded by people who believe in what they do—and in you.

We're seeking a Director, Business Systems Analysis & Portfolio Management based in Ottawa, Canada to lead a team of 5 responsible for the Plan phase of Bus Apps' Plan → Build → Sustain service model. Hands-on experience and proficiency across most of our core SaaS stack — Salesforce (SFDC), Marketo, Zuora, Boomi, and Snowflake, as well as billing/quote-to-cash platform experience are especially important skills.

Reporting directly to the VP, Chief Information Officer, the Director, Business Analysis & Portfolio Management sits alongside peer functional leaders (, Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, AI Strategy). Portfolio intake and prioritization decisions are made through shared, negotiated authority with those peers rather than unilaterally — this Director drives the process, brings the business case and the data, and is expected to influence and align, not dictate.

This is a hybrid role. Eligible candidates must be able to work on-site in our Ottawa, Canada or Burlington, MA Collaboration Hub.

What You'll Do

Business Partnership & Domain Ownership

• Engage the business directly to understand priorities, needs, and pain points, building deep working knowledge of the business domains this team supports across the full Lead-to-Customer-Support journey.
• Act as a strategic advisor and embedded partner — present in the decisions that matter before decisions get made, not an order-taking IT function.
• Challenge convention constructively: push back on assumptions and low-value requests, and advocate for the right business outcome even when it isn't the easiest one to deliver.
• Own outcomes end to end within the Plan phase — from problem framing through handoff to Build — with no gaps and no “that's not our lane.”

Portfolio Governance & Reporting

• Own intake and prioritization for the portfolio, negotiating and aligning priorities jointly with peer leaders (Enterprise Architecture, Engineering, and others) rather than deciding in isolation.
• Build and maintain portfolio reporting frameworks that give leadership clear, timely visibility into intake volume, prioritization decisions, capacity, business value and Plan-phase health.
• Apply lean and agile practice to how intake, requirements, and roadmap work move through the team, removing waste and improving flow into Build

Team Leadership & Talent

• Lead, grow, and develop team, building a practice that pairs strong portfolio management discipline with deepening business analysis capability — including, in the first 90–180 days, assessing current team strengths across both disciplines and closing gaps as the team's scope evolves.
• Coach and mentor team members on stakeholder engagement, domain expertise, requirements discipline, and consulting skills.
• Drive talent development, including performance management, succession planning, and building a bench as the team and its scope grow.

AI-Native & Technology Fluency

• Operate as an AI-native leader: actively use agentic and AI tooling to give the team back time and capacity, and to raise the quality and speed of analysis and decision-making — not just enable AI for others.
• Maintain fluency in a 100% third-party SaaS technology landscape, understanding platform capabilities, integration boundaries, and vendor management considerations well enough to shape sound business cases and roadmaps.
• Align with corporate AI governance standards and guardrails as they evolve.

Stakeholder Management

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across every G&A and GTM function the team supports.
• Communicate with transparency: surface risks and problems early, loop in the right people, and ask for help rather than going it alone.
• Represent the Business Analysis function on the Bus Apps leadership team and in cross-functional planning forums.

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years of progressive experience spanning both business analysis and portfolio/project management, including demonstrated success partnering directly with business stakeholders to shape priorities and roadmaps, and running structured intake and delivery governance.
• 7+ years in a people-leadership role, with a track record of building, developing, and reshaping teams — including diagnosing skill gaps and growing team members into new capability areas.
• Hands-on experience across our core SaaS stack — Salesforce (SFDC), Marketo, Zuora, Boomi, and Snowflake. Candidates aren’t expected to be an expert in every platform but should be proficient in the majority; hands-on Salesforce and billing/quote-to-cash platform experience is especially important.
• Proven, hands-on experience with Lean and Agile practices; relevant certification in business analysis and/or project or portfolio management (, PMP, SAFe, CSM/CSPO) preferred.
• Experience in a B2B SaaS or technology commercialization environment, with working knowledge of the end-to-end customer journey from Lead to Customer Support.
• Demonstrated experience operating in a technology environment composed of third-party SaaS platforms — vendor management, platform selection, and integration awareness rather than custom/on-prem systems.
• A genuine “AI-native” practitioner: hands-on experience applying AI or agentic tools to improve team output, not just familiarity with the concept.
• Strong executive stakeholder management and communication skills, with the credibility to negotiate priorities and decision rights with peer leaders as equals.
• Demonstrated ability to challenge convention diplomatically — pushing back on scope or assumptions while maintaining trust and partnership.
• Experience designing and running portfolio governance and reporting frameworks (intake, prioritization, capacity, investment).
• A bias to action and comfort with ambiguity; a transformational mindset that treats current performance as a floor, not a ceiling.

Purple Perks

Canada

• Medical, dental and vision – for employee, partner, and children!
• Generous PTO and observed holidays
• 2 Paid VoluNteer Days per year
• Pension Plan with company-contribution
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• Discounted gym access at several local facilities
• FuN-raising opportunities as part of our giving program
• N-ablite Learning – custom learning experience as part of our investment in you
• The Way We Work – our hybrid working model based on trust and flexibility

United States

• Fully covered medical, dental and vision – for employee and eligible dependents!
• Generous PTO and observed holidays
• 2 Paid VoluNteer Days per year
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401(k) with company-match and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Employee Stock Purchase Program
• On-site gym access at select Collaboration Hubs
• Wellness rewards
• FuN-raising opportunities as part of our giving program
• N-ablite Learning – custom learning experience as part of our investment in you
• The Way We Work – our hybrid working model based on trust and flexibility

This position has a starting base salary range of CAD $144, to CAD $181, for candidates based in Canada and USD $154,400/Yr. to USD $193,400/Yr. for candidates based in the United States. Actual starting pay is determined by a number of factors, including relevant skills, qualifications, and experience. This position is also eligible for bonus.

About N-able

At N-able, our mission is to protect businesses against evolving cyberthreats with an end-to-end cyber resilience platform to manage, secure, and recover. Our scalable technology infrastructure includes AI-powered capabilities, market-leading third-party integrations, and the flexibility to employ technologies of choice—to transform workflows and deliver critical security outcomes. Our partner-first approach combines our products with experts, training, and peer-led events that empower our customers to be secure, resilient, and successful.

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