Merchants BPO - General Manager: Operations - Gauteng at Dimension Data

Job description

The purpose of this position is to take overall responsibility for the relevant Business Unit to meet it’s contractual and commercial targets and budgets, whilst ensuring the strategic aims of our People and Customers First are met and advanced in all activity within the Business Unit. In addition, the position is a key member of the Operations Leadership Team, working with other senior leaders to ensure the South African BPO Operations meets its overall contractual, commercial and strategic goals.

KEY PERFORMANCE AREAS

Financial Management

• Establishes budgets for the Business Unit
• Directs the Business Unit to meet budget and other financial goals
• Develops and maintains the Business Unit’s financial/budget plans
• Ensures that financial targets and plans are communicated
• Distributes and manages the allocation of budgets within the Business Unit with appropriate financial controls
• Ensures tracking, monitoring and reporting on the Business Unit’s financial activities

Operational Management

• Directs short and long term planning to meet contractual and operational targets and financial budgets
• Establishes performance goals across all operations
• Directs support areas to allocate resources and assesses utilisation to ensure optimal usage
• Directs & monitors support areas to deliver required support services to Operations and where appropriate to the wider Business Unit
• Develops, establishes and directs implementation of operating policies and standards in operations, ensuring they are either innovative or aligned to current global best practice
• Works with Business Development and Consulting/Transition areas to support the development of new opportunities, whilst ensuring any secured growth activities seamlessly transition from implementation to stable operational delivery

Stakeholder Management

• Directs the change control processes across the business unit to mitigate contractual risk
• Manages senior business stakeholders through appropriate direct engagement to ensure that all risk and control issues are properly transparent and managed
• Chairs relevant Programme and Project Steering Committees as required
• Acts as the senior point of entry for escalated client queries and for queries from other stakeholders
• Takes personal accountability for ensuring the resolution of complaints directed at the Business Unit operations

Leadership

• Leads by example in living the values of the organisation
• Ensures the department is fully equipped to handle the work load and distribute work flow
• Coaches to ensure a full understanding of consequences of errors
• Creates an environment that fosters team work and co-operation amongst team members
• Creates awareness of Merchants strategic objectives and their alignment to the department and company objectives
• Communicates effectively, building and maintaining relationships
• Ensures consistent compliance to company policies and procedures, corporate governance and relevant legislation

Attraction & Selection

• Ensures appropriate staffing and action accordingly
• Identifies need for creation of position and forward recommendation to direct manager and HR
• Ensures appointments are in line with EE targets / strategy
• Selects and places candidates in terms of agreed recruitment and selection process

Retention

• Develops and empowers people, recognizing and rewarding value-added performance

Training and Development

• Continually strives to up-skill and motivate staff through effective leadership, mentoring, coaching, performance improvement and the creation and implementation of individual development plans
• Monitors implementation of training needs as per individual development plans

Career Pathing and Succession Planning

• Identifies, manages and develops talent

Performance Management

• Sets direct reports quantitative and qualitative performance objectives and ensures individual performance objectives are in place and reviewed to meet organisational and individual needs
• Ensures bi-annual performance reviews take place with direct reports, identifies poor performance and takes corrective action

Here's what we are looking for in candidates for this job:

Knowledge

• 8 years related business experience
• Minimum 5 years’ experience in the Contact Centre/BPO industry, including at least 2 years leading an operation of at least 300 seats.

Skills

• Leadership (L4)
• Planning and Organising (L4)
• Change Initiation (L4)
• Customer Service Orientation (L4)
• Oral and Written Communication (L4)
• Technical Expertise (L4)
• Concern for Excellence (L4)

Attributes

• Impact
• Initiative
• Innovation (L4)