Sally Smith

Director of Engineering

Nashville, Tennessee, United States19 yrs 2 mos experience
Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Led AWS Global Services with $7B+ revenue.
  • Designed Amazon's WorkingWell safety program.
  • Achieved 29% OPEX reduction during transformation.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Cloud Computing and Health & Safety Operations Leader.

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Skills

Core Skills

StrategyOperational ExcellenceBusiness TransformationSystems EngineeringOrganizational LeadershipBusiness IntegrationStrategic PartnershipsCustomer ExperienceOperational EfficiencyContinuous ImprovementChange ManagementEnvironment, Health, And Safety (ehs)

Other Skills

Strategic Partnership DevelopmentAnalytical SkillsLarge Scale Change ManagementGlobal Cross-Functional Team LeadershipCustomer ServiceExecutive ManagementQuality ControlOperational PlanningStakeholder ManagementBusiness DevelopmentCommunicationProcess ExcellenceOPEXOperations ManagementPeople Management

About

MIT-trained engineer and strategist who builds and scales operational systems for high-complexity, global organizations. As a Senior Operations Executive at AWS, I've spent the past 9+ years building strategy and operations functions from the ground up, leading large-scale transformations, and driving operational excellence across organizations spanning tens of thousands of employees. My background combines deep technical training (MIT MS in Engineering Systems/Supply Chain, MIT MBA) with hands-on operational leadership across Amazon and Boeing, giving me a unique lens on how to design systems that scale while maintaining rigor and quality. Recent Work: - Created AWS Global Services' central strategy and operations function, establishing frameworks to support 26K employees across five business units generating $7B+ in revenue. Led a team of 650+ global employees managing a $150M+ annual budget, and drove a major reorganization that delivered 29% YoY OPEX reduction while maintaining service quality during rapid business growth. - Managed AWS global technical support operations with 2.2K+ employees, then was selected to take on an additional directorship overseeing frontline services operations supporting 16K employees and $2.2B in revenue. - Designed Amazon's WorkingWell safety program (featured in Jeff Bezos's 2020 shareholder letter), achieving 20-25% injury reduction and recognition as one of Ragan's Top Women in Wellness & HR. - Previously at Boeing, led a $150M+ production transformation for 777/777X manufacturing. My Approach: I thrive in ambiguous, high-stakes environments where building the right operating model is as important as executing it. I'm energized by global teams, cross-functional complexity, and the challenge of scaling operations while maintaining quality and culture. My leadership style centers on building systems that outlast my direct involvement - creating frameworks, developing talent, and establishing operational rigor that scales. Based in Nashville with extensive experience leading remote and globally distributed teams.

Experience

Amazon

5 roles

Director, AWS Industries Strategy & Operations

Feb 2026Present · 1 mo

  • I lead Strategy and Operations for AWS Industries (AWSI), a multi-billion dollar business serving global customers across several industry verticals that drive significant economic activity. My team drives operational excellence and strategic planning for an organization experiencing significant growth, supporting thousands of builders across the globe as we scale industry-specific cloud and AI solutions. This role sits at the intersection of AWS's ambitious growth trajectory and the AI-first transformation of the world's most important industries, ensuring we have the operational infrastructure, forecasting capabilities, and strategic frameworks that best serve our customers and help run our business.
StrategyOperational ExcellenceBusiness Integration

Director, AWS Global Services Strategy & Operations Leader

Oct 2022Feb 2026 · 3 yrs 4 mos

  • As the founding leader of AWS Global Services' central strategy and operations function, I oversee strategic planning, operational excellence, and business integration for five business units representing $7B+ in annual revenue and 26K+ employees worldwide. I built this organization to serve as the strategic backbone across the customer lifecycle - from training and technical design through ongoing support and expansion - managing a $150M+ annual budget and leading 650+ global employees.
  • My team established the first-ever long-term strategy framework and operating model for AWS Global Services, defining strategic direction through mechanisms like three-year planning cycles, annual operational plans, and business planning processes. Most recently, I led a high-stakes transformation of this organization, redesigning the operating model to create specialized teams for central strategy, capacity planning, analytics, deals strategy, and product management. This reorganization delivered 29% YoY OPEX reduction through data-driven workforce optimization while successfully transitioning key functions to newly-formed business units.
  • Beyond internal operations, I'm driving enterprise-wide transformation of foundational AWS systems through complex multi-year initiatives affecting multiple business lines. This includes orchestrating the unification of billing systems through AWS's Commerce Platform, leading the migration of AWS Professional Services to consolidated platforms, and architecting the first consolidated business intelligence capabilities for Global Services. I also led strategic partnership development with Workday, championing a $5M+ investment and serving as the pan-Amazon advocate for co-innovation initiatives.
  • Direct leadership: 650+ global employees | Budget: $150M+ | Strategic support: 26K employees, $7B revenue, 5 business units
Business TransformationSystems EngineeringOrganizational Leadership

Director, AWS Global Customer Service & Frontline Support

Jun 2021Oct 2022 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Led AWS's global technical customer support organization serving the entire AWS customer base, managing 2.2K+ technical professionals across multiple continents and building a culture centered on customer satisfaction and operational excellence. Midway through this role, I was selected to take on an additional directorship to provide strategy and operations support for Frontline Support's 16K+ technical employees and $2.2B in revenue operations across AWS's support and services ecosystem.
  • In this dual-director capacity, I revitalized organizational design, management practices, cross-AWS partnerships, and technology utilization - driving customer satisfaction scores to record levels year-over-year. My team cut case handling time by 26% while holding headcount flat against 14% case volume growth, providing strategic insights to C-level leadership that optimized the entire customer support structure. I designed and deployed the Tool Builder Academy, a technical development program that upskilled entry-level support professionals and delivered 190K hours in saved manual casework (1,100% above target ROI) with zero budget variance.
  • My focus on continuous improvement and data-driven capacity planning resulted in automating 2.7M+ cases, saving 500K+ manual work hours, and reducing $5M in annual OPEX. I also led the Choice-Based Workspace initiative, transitioning 9,000 employees worldwide to flexible remote work arrangements - saving 30% of facility spend while doubling our recruiting pipeline and significantly increasing applicant diversity.
  • Direct leadership: 2.2K+ global employees | Strategy & operations support: 16K+ employees, $2.2B revenue | Global 24/7 operations
Customer ExperienceContinuous ImprovementOperational Efficiency

Director, Wellness Services, Global Workplace Health & Safety

Promoted

Feb 2019Jun 2021 · 2 yrs 4 mos

  • Personally selected by Amazon's Consumer CEO to design and launch WorkingWell, Amazon's company-wide safety and wellness program that was featured in Jeff Bezos's 2020 Letter to Shareholders. Served as the enterprise subject matter expert on workplace health innovation and injury prevention, partnering with operations leaders across Amazon's global fulfillment network and corporate functions.
  • I built the program from concept to global deployment, launching to 850K+ associates across 27 languages, 20 countries, and 1,600+ fulfillment center sites. The program achieved a 20-25% reduction in musculoskeletal disorder risk and measurable improvements in both associate engagement and safety outcomes, positioning me among the top-performing director-level leaders company-wide. I also secured and led Amazon's strategic partnership with Crossover Health to launch a US network of 17 Neighborhood Health Centers, completing the initiative on time and 16% under budget while achieving patient satisfaction scores 113% ahead of objectives (earning a nomination for the 2020 Excellence in Healthcare Awards).
  • My work earned recognition as one of Ragan's Top Women in Wellness & HR, and I represented the program to government officials, industry conferences, and internal leadership forums - establishing myself as a thought leader in workplace health innovation at scale.
  • Enterprise scope: 850K+ associates | 1,600+ sites | 20 countries | 27 languages
Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS)Business TransformationAnalytical Skills

Director of Operations, Fulfillment (FC) Center General Manager

Feb 2017Feb 2019 · 2 yrs

  • Led operations for a 1M sq ft fulfillment center with 3K+ employees (including 150 managers), serving millions of customers while building a collaborative, customer-focused culture that consistently exceeded goals for quality, customer experience, and productivity. I drove the facility regarded as Amazon's "flagship FC," positioning it as a leadership training ground and technology test site - becoming the first to adopt cutting-edge systems including automated sorting and packing machines.
  • Through data-driven planning and process innovation, I delivered 17% YoY productivity improvements and consistently ranked as a top-three performing site company-wide. Most notably, the facility became the only site to simultaneously exceed both quality and customer experience metrics (on-time delivery) while processing 150M packages annually after incorporating new order management and shipping systems. I also served as an internal advisor to other facilities on productivity initiatives, sharing best practices across Amazon's fulfillment network.
  • Direct leadership: 3K+ employees (150 managers) | 1M sq ft facility | 150M packages annually

Boeing

Director (Acting), 777 Future Production System Leader

Jan 2012Jan 2017 · 5 yrs · Everett, Washington

  • Director (Acting), 777 Future Production System (2015-2017)
  • Sr. Manager, 787 Airplane Development Quality Engineering (2014-2015)
  • Manager, 787 Supplier Management Operations (2013-2014)
  • Sr. Manager (Acting), 787 Production (2012-2013)
  • Led progressively senior roles in manufacturing operations, quality engineering, and program management across Boeing's 787 and 777 programs. As Acting Director, supervised a $150M+ multi-phase production transformation for 777/777X manufacturing, delivering the program under budget while leading 70+ managers and individual contributors. Earlier achievements include leading the highly-visible 787 battery inspection, rework, and testing effort after the fleet grounding - achieving a perfect safety record and 0.3% defect rate - and developing robust quality strategies integrating AS9100 and ISO9001 standards across airplane development.
  • Peak scope: $150M+ program | 70+ team members | 777/777X production transformation

Amgen

Graduate Research Fellow

Jun 2011Dec 2011 · 6 mos · Thousand Oaks, CA

Raytheon missile systems

Lead Operations Engineer

Jul 2006May 2010 · 3 yrs 10 mos · Tucson, AZ

Washington university in st. louis

Nanotechnology Laboratory Assistant

May 2005Jan 2006 · 8 mos · St. Louis, MO

  • Collaborated with NASA-Glenn Research Center’s Microgravity Center to characterize lunar dust. Co-authored "Aerosol Measurements of the Fine and Ultrafine Particle Content of Lunar Regolith."

Education

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Master of Business Administration - MBA

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Master of Science - MS — Systems Engineering

University of Arizona

Master of Science - MS — Materials Science & Engineering

Washington University in St. Louis

BS — Mechanical Engineering

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