He's 41, and before he went to Seattle he was 26. So whatever he did prior to Seattle is really not that relevant. 15 years between Seattle and Indy.
He was a teenage intern for Oakland and Al Davis. Story has it Dodds was the only staffer Davis would allow in the weight room, took a liking to the kid. He's known Ballard for over 20 years, since days at Texas A&M Kingsville. Ballard vowed that if he ever got into a position of authority, he was bringing Dodds along. That's how he eventually poached Dodds.
Dodds, from all accounts, is a brilliant talent evaluator (a Scout at heart), no nonsense, intense personality that just wants to win super bowls. Apparently he's great at communicating with coaches and seeing the fit of a player.
Basically he's someone this franchise has never had.