Zehava Vardy
Sunnyvale
Summary
Engineering executive with 15+ years of experience leading high-impact teams and delivering scalable, distributed systems across cloud infrastructure, AI/ML, and SaaS platforms. Proven track record in architecting and modernizing hybrid environments, spanning on-premises and public cloud, and with deep expertise in networking, computing, and storage. Spearheaded multi-cloud platform initiatives and large-scale Kubernetes deployments across AWS, Azure, and private cloud environments. Drove infrastructure transformation efforts at companies like VMware and EMC, blending technical depth with strategic leadership. Adept at scaling engineering orgs (1 to 50+), fostering innovation, and aligning infrastructure execution with product vision. Passionate about solving complex systems challenges in fast-paced, mission-critical environments. Seasoned Director of Engineering with background in overseeing complex engineering projects from concept to completion. Strengths lie in strategic planning, team leadership and process optimization. Proud track record of driving efficiency and productivity through innovative solutions and problem-solving abilities. Innovative Director of Engineering with proven ability to lead teams in high-pressure environments while maintaining productivity and efficiency. Specialize in process optimization, project management, and strategic planning. Excel in communication, leadership, and problem-solving, ensuring seamless collaboration and timely completion of engineering projects.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director of Engineering/Advisor
Control Plan Cooperation
Remote
12.2024 - Current
- Recruited by the CEO to scale the engineering organization and support business growth. Spearheaded the architecture and identifying new business opportunities and partnering closely with CEO and the team to deliver scalable, secure solutions.
Director of Engineering, Tanzu Mission Control Platform
VMware
Palo Alto
02.2018 - 07.2024
- Led technical strategy for Tanzu Mission Control platform enablement, including integration with open-source Kubernetes, cloud-native/AI/ML capabilities, and CI/CD infrastructure for secure, scalable deployments and billing options.
- Expanded platform capabilities to include security, data management, identity and access management, APIs, Terraform support, and seamless onboarding with billing integration.
- Scaled the team from 18 to 50 across the U.S. and India, cultivating a culture of innovation that led to multiple patents.
- Transformed Tanzu Mission Control (TMC) infrastructure by optimizing user cluster operations and resolving system bottlenecks. Improved system reliability and user experience, and reduced mean time to recovery (MTTR) by 30% through observability tool integration and AI-driven automation.
- Evaluated and defined tools, frameworks, and technologies to enhance the engineering processes and improve productivity by 35%. Solved security vulnerabilities, decreasing patch deployment times by 30%.
Director of Engineering, Subscription Billing Platform
VMware
Palo Alto
11.2016 - 12.2017
- Built the foundation of the billing system for SaaS offerings (including its core platform), enabled its revenue to increase from $500M to $3.2B and enabled it to reduce billing infrastructure costs by 50%.
- Developed and drove its strategy, roadmap, and execution. Built the cloud experience for subscription billing, and transitioned clients to the new platform within nine months.
- Directed the transformation of the billing system from a monolithic to a microservices-based architecture.
- Led large cross-functional execution and large-scale system modernization with 30% performance improvements.
Head of Engineering Delivery
Elementum
Mountain View
11.2016 - 12.2017
- Joined company that makes cloud-based AI supply chain automation software when it needed to release a new platform, and delivered it on schedule, enabling company to land several new Fortune 500 customers.
- Managed the transformation of the Elementum.R9 platform from POC to production, including data pipeline robustness features (including GPS). Updated and optimized its architecture and scale the platform by 40%.
Senior Director of Big Data & Infrastructure
EMC
Santa Clara
02.2009 - 10.2016
- Directed development of big data and infrastructure platforms with deep integration into hardware and storage acceleration systems. Partnered with OEMs—including Red Hat, Hortonworks, Cloudera and EMC to optimize performance, ensure systems compatibility, and enable 10x customer growth.
- Began with 3 SW engineers and built team to 50 developers and QA engineers. Worked closely with users to customize products to their needs and provide first-rate experiences, and pioneered technologies that led the industry in flexibility and performance. Subsequently awarded two patents.
- Increased product development velocity by 40% and quality by 60% by implementing a robust roadmap and quality strategy.
- Pivotal is subsidiary of EMC
Director of System Software and Infrastructure
EMC
Santa Clara
02.2009 - 10.2016
- Joined as senior manager and earned promotion to director within six months; helped boost revenue from $300 million to $2 billion by driving the development of industry-leading big data platforms, system software, and infrastructure.
- Subsequently chosen after EMC buy-out to lead the build of the platform that integrated company's products and third-party technologies.
- Data Domain / EMC
Director Engineering
Azul System
Mountain View
06.2006 - 12.2008
- Managed development, QA, testing, and release engineering, and delivered company’s first product, which provided platform for executing Java-based applications
- Built, trained, and managed team of 20+ engineers in Mountain View and India.
Staff Engineering
CosmoCom
Huntington
11.2000 - 05.2006
- Led the architecture for the VoIP multimedia development team, enabling successful releases that introduced key features such as email, chat, video management, database integration, predictive dialing, and recording solutions.
Software Developer
Nice Systems
01.1998 - 10.2000
- Joined during a critical period when multiple customers were unable to install the company’s call-logging product (CLS); redesigned and deliver the software to simplify deployment, improve reliability, and redesigned the architecture and scale it by 5x.
Education
BSC - Mathematics and Computer Science
Tel Aviv University
IsraelMBA -
Heriot Watt University
Scotland, UKSkills
- Leadership & Strategy: Team Scaling Talent Development Technical Roadmaps Cross-functional Leadership OKRs & KPIs
- Infrastructure & Systems: Distributed Systems Kubernetes Multi-Cloud Architecture AI/ML Infrastructure DevOps & CI/CD Microservices
- Operational Execution: SaaS Platform Delivery Process Optimization Security & Compliance Agile Execution Observability
- Business Impact: Product Innovation Revenue Enablement Cost Reduction Stakeholder Engagement
- Growth-Driven Leadership: Scaled engineering teams from 1 to 50 while enabling 100% YoY revenue growth and contributing to EMC’s $2B revenue milestone through strategic platform delivery and ecosystem integration
- Technology Innovator: Built scalable, cloud-native platforms supporting multi-cloud Kubernetes, AI/ML, DevOps, secure compute environments, and full-stack observability laying the groundwork for modern AI infrastructure
- Strategic Visionary: Championed enterprise AI/ML adoption through cross-functional collaboration, advanced infrastructure design, and ecosystem alignment, driving innovation at the convergence of hardware acceleration and cloud-native platforms
- People-Centric Leader: Cultivated high-performing global teams across the US, India, and EMEA Designed engineering career frameworks, sustained
Websites
Certification
- Digital Transformation by Stanford University
- Generative AI: Introduction and Applications by IBM - https://bit.ly/42WCGu5
Timeline
Director of Engineering/Advisor
Control Plan Cooperation
12.2024 - Current
Director of Engineering, Tanzu Mission Control Platform
VMware
02.2018 - 07.2024
Director of Engineering, Subscription Billing Platform
VMware
11.2016 - 12.2017
Head of Engineering Delivery
Elementum
11.2016 - 12.2017
Senior Director of Big Data & Infrastructure
EMC
02.2009 - 10.2016
Director of System Software and Infrastructure
EMC
02.2009 - 10.2016
Director Engineering
Azul System
06.2006 - 12.2008
Staff Engineering
CosmoCom
11.2000 - 05.2006
Software Developer
Nice Systems
01.1998 - 10.2000
BSC - Mathematics and Computer Science
Tel Aviv University
MBA -
Heriot Watt University
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