How to apply for Director of Professional Services (OTE $215,000/year CAD), @Sparkrock

About Ionicpartners

Sparkrock builds ERP and SaaS solutions on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central specifically for nonprofits, school boards, and government agencies, so your work directly helps social benefit organizations spend less time on administration and more time on their missions. As a 100% remote, best-in-class organization, Sparkrock attracts top talent globally and offers the rare combination of high-impact social purpose and enterprise-grade technology delivery.

About the role

As Director of Professional Services, you will own the P&L and book of business for a $3–5M portfolio of ERP/SaaS implementations, deciding how the delivery organization is resourced, priced, and run to protect a healthy margin. You will lead a team of consultants, business analysts, and project managers, set the quality bar and delivery model, and serve as the senior escalation point for key customers. Rather than following a rigid methodology, you will shape a delivery approach around what customers actually need, turning underperforming engagements into profitable, high-performing accounts and building the operating model that lets delivery scale.

A typical day

You might start your day with a remote stand-up with your delivery leads, reviewing margin dashboards and pipeline health for your $3–5M portfolio. Later, you could jump into a senior escalation call with a key nonprofit customer to resolve a critical implementation issue, then work on refining the delivery model or pricing strategy for an upcoming engagement. You'll also spend time coaching consultants and project managers, ensuring they have what they need to deliver high-quality ERP/SaaS implementations that help social benefit organizations focus on their missions.

Who Ionicpartners is looking for

• A high-performing Senior Delivery Manager or Director with proven P&L ownership of a $3–5M professional services portfolio, ideally in ERP/SaaS implementations (Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central strongly preferred).
• Demonstrated ability to turn around underperforming engagements into profitable, high-performing accounts while maintaining strong customer relationships as a senior escalation point.
• Experience leading and scaling remote teams of consultants, business analysts, and project managers, with a track record of building delivery models that are flexible and customer-centric rather than rigidly methodology-driven.
• A mission-driven leader who is energized by driving innovation in service delivery for social benefit organizations and thrives in a 100% remote, globally distributed, best-in-class environment.

Tips for this application

• Quantify your P&L ownership in your resume and cover letter—explicitly state the size of the book of business you managed (e.g., '$4.2M portfolio') and the margins you protected or improved, since Sparkrock is hiring for a $3–5M portfolio.
• Highlight any experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central or similar ERP/SaaS platforms for nonprofits, school boards, or government agencies; even if not required, it signals you understand their customer base and delivery complexity.
• Show how you've turned around underperforming engagements—use a specific example with metrics (e.g., 'converted a $500K at-risk implementation into a referenceable account with 35% margin') because this is a core expectation of the role.
• Emphasize your approach to building delivery models that are tailored to customer needs, not rigid methodologies; Sparkrock explicitly values shaping a delivery approach around what customers actually need, so share an example of how you've done this.
• Since Sparkrock is 100% remote and globally distributed, demonstrate your ability to lead remote teams effectively—mention specific tools, rituals, or outcomes that show you can drive performance and engagement in a fully remote setting.

What to cover in your cover letter

In your cover letter, focus on: (1) your direct experience owning a P&L for a $3–5M professional services portfolio, including how you resourced, priced, and ran delivery to protect margin; (2) a concrete example of turning around an underperforming ERP/SaaS engagement into a profitable, high-performing account; (3) your ability to lead and scale remote teams of consultants, BAs, and PMs while serving as a senior escalation point; and (4) your genuine motivation to apply your delivery leadership to social benefit organizations like nonprofits, school boards, and government agencies, ideally tying it to Sparkrock's mission and Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central focus.

Research before applying

• Study Sparkrock's product suite built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, including specific modules for nonprofits, school boards, and government agencies, so you can speak credibly about the delivery challenges and opportunities unique to their customers.
• Research Sparkrock's recent client success stories, case studies, and any public information about their delivery model or professional services organization to understand their current scale and where you could add value.
• Look into the professional services landscape for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partners, including common pricing models, margin benchmarks, and delivery challenges, to benchmark your own experience and prepare for P&L discussions.
• Investigate Sparkrock's culture and remote-first practices (e.g., via Glassdoor, LinkedIn, or their careers page) to understand how they operate as a 100% remote, globally distributed organization and to tailor your examples of remote leadership.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through how you've managed a $3–5M P&L for professional services—how did you decide on resourcing, pricing, and delivery model to protect margin?
• Describe a time you turned around an underperforming ERP/SaaS engagement. What was the situation, what actions did you take, and what were the financial and customer outcomes?
• How do you build a delivery model that is tailored to customer needs rather than following a rigid methodology? Give an example of how you've shaped delivery for a nonprofit, school board, or government client.
• How do you lead and scale a remote team of consultants, business analysts, and project managers? What operating rhythms, metrics, and tools do you use to drive performance and engagement?
• Tell us about a time you served as the senior escalation point for a key customer. How did you handle the situation and what was the result?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Avoid generic leadership language without quantifiable P&L or delivery outcomes—this role demands specific numbers around portfolio size, margin improvement, and turnaround results, so vague claims like 'managed a large team' will not stand out.
• Do not focus solely on methodology (e.g., Agile, Waterfall) without showing how you adapt delivery to customer needs; Sparkrock explicitly values shaping a delivery approach around what customers actually need, so rigid methodology-first answers are a turnoff.
• Avoid ignoring the social benefit context or treating it as an afterthought—Sparkrock serves nonprofits, school boards, and government agencies, so failing to connect your motivation to their mission or to show understanding of these sectors will make you seem like a poor cultural fit.