General Manager - OS Platform Business Unit

About Shakudo

Shakudo is the operating system for data and AI, providing enterprises with production-ready AI and data infrastructure that combines the flexibility of custom-built stacks with the reliability of managed platforms. Founded in 2021, our Toronto-based company has raised $11.1M in funding and serves enterprise customers across aerospace, automotive, financial services, healthcare, and technology sectors.

We're executing a strategic pivot from small-account software licensing to enterprise-scale platform deployments, targeting $10M+ ARR within 24 months. Our platform integrates 200+ best-in-class data and AI tools, enabling organizations to transition from notebook to production with zero DevOps overhead.

The Opportunity

As our OS Platform General Manager , you'll lead the core business unit representing Shakudo's primary value proposition - the Data & AI Operating System itself. This is the flagship business unit in our NVIDIA-inspired organizational structure, where each GM operates with full P&L responsibility and autonomous decision-making authority.

The OS Platform business unit focuses on core Shakudo Data & AI Operating System licensing and infrastructure , targeting enterprise customers requiring full platform capabilities for comprehensive data and AI operations. This represents the largest revenue opportunity and strategic foundation for all other business units.

Key Responsibilities

P&L Management

- Own complete P&L responsibility for the core OS Platform business unit

- Drive the majority of company revenue through platform licensing and infrastructure

- Manage enterprise customer relationships for $100K-$300K annual contract values

- Report directly to CEO with full autonomy over platform business decisions

Platform Strategy & Product Leadership

- Define and execute product strategy for the core Shakudo Data & AI Operating System

- Drive platform roadmap decisions based on enterprise customer requirements

- Ensure platform capabilities support and enable other business unit offerings

- Balance innovation with enterprise stability and reliability requirements

Enterprise Customer Success

- Own relationships with enterprise customers requiring full platform capabilities

- Ensure successful deployments in on-premises and air-gapped environments

- Drive platform adoption metrics: active users, stack component utilization, production use cases

- Establish customer success frameworks measuring time-to-value improvements

Technical Leadership & Architecture

- Collaborate closely Principal Engineers on platform architecture

- Ensure platform scalability, security, and performance for enterprise deployments

- Drive integration capabilities that support Stack and Professional Services units

- Maintain competitive positioning against major cloud providers and data platforms

Market Leadership

- Position Shakudo as the leading Data & AI Operating System in the enterprise market

- Develop competitive strategies against Databricks, Snowflake, and major cloud platforms

- Build thought leadership in data and AI platform modernization

- Drive enterprise market expansion and strategic customer acquisition

Cross-Unit Coordination

- Collaborate with other GMs to ensure platform supports their service offerings

- Provide platform capabilities that enable Applications and Professional Services success

- Maintain platform integrity while allowing business unit customization and extension

- Balance resource allocation between core platform and enabling other units

Required Qualifications

Ex-Founder Preferred

We strongly prioritize candidates who are ex-founders with either:

- Raised $1M+ in venture funding, OR

- Generated $500K+ in revenue for their company

Ex-founders align perfectly with our GM strategy because they're naturally autonomous problem-solvers accustomed to full P&L responsibility, experienced building from zero with limited resources, and understand the urgency required in venture-scale growth.

Core Requirements

- 8+ years of experience in enterprise data platforms, infrastructure software, or operating systems

- Proven track record of building and scaling platform businesses with $10M+ ARR

- Deep understanding of data and AI infrastructure, modern data stacks, and enterprise requirements

- Experience with enterprise software sales cycles, customer success, and platform adoption

- Strong technical background with ability to engage with engineering and customer technical teams

Platform & Infrastructure Expertise

- Understanding of Kubernetes, container orchestration, and cloud-native architectures

- Experience with data platforms, data lakes, data warehouses, and modern data stack technologies

- Knowledge of AI/ML infrastructure, MLOps, and production AI deployment requirements

- Familiarity with enterprise security, compliance, and on-premises deployment models

- Experience with platform APIs, extensibility, and ecosystem development

Business & Leadership Skills

- Demonstrated ability to operate independently with full P&L responsibility for $10M+ business units

- Experience managing complex enterprise customer relationships and deployments

- Strong communication skills for C-level executives and technical decision makers

- Proven ability to build and manage cross-functional teams including engineering, sales, and customer success

- Track record of scaling platform businesses in competitive enterprise markets

Preferred Qualifications

- Previous experience at major data platform companies (Databricks, Snowflake, Palantir, etc.)

- Background in enterprise infrastructure software or developer platform companies

- Experience with air-gapped and on-premises enterprise deployments

- MBA or equivalent business strategy experience in technology platforms

- International market expansion experience with enterprise software

- Background in open-source platform development and ecosystem building

Industry Experience

- Financial services, healthcare, aerospace, or other highly regulated industries

- Understanding of data governance, privacy, and compliance in enterprise environments

- Experience with digital transformation initiatives and enterprise technology adoption

- Background in DevOps, SRE, or infrastructure operations

What Success Looks Like

90 Days

- Complete comprehensive analysis of current platform business performance and opportunities

- Define platform strategy and competitive positioning against major market players

- Establish relationships with key enterprise customers and strategic prospects

- Align with engineering leadership on platform roadmap and investment priorities

6 Months

- Drive measurable improvement in platform adoption metrics across customer base

- Launch major platform capabilities that differentiate against competitive alternatives

- Build dedicated platform team including product management, customer success, and technical resources

- Achieve consistent quarter-over-quarter growth in platform-driven revenue

12 Months

- Scale OS Platform business unit to $5M+ ARR with healthy unit economics

- Establish Shakudo as recognized leader in data and AI operating system market

- Build scalable platform business with repeatable sales processes and customer success

- Enable successful growth of Applications and Professional Services through platform capabilities

Platform Focus Areas

Core Platform Capabilities

- Data & AI Operating System: Core platform licensing, deployment, and enterprise infrastructure

- Stack Component Ecosystem: Management and optimization of 200+ integrated data and AI tools

- Enterprise Security & Compliance: On-premises, air-gapped, and regulated industry deployments

- Platform APIs & Extensibility: Developer experience and platform customization capabilities

Customer Success Metrics

- Platform Utilization: Active users per environment (targeting 50% by H1 2026)

- Stack Component Adoption: Number of compone