Regional Business Operations Manager, SEA

JD Sports SEA; Petaling Jaya; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading sports retailer is seeking a Regional Business Operations Manager to oversee the business operations across Southeast Asia. This role involves defining and governing business processes and ensuring effective operational standards across franchise partnerships. The ideal candidate will have strong retail experience, a focus on process improvement, and the ability to influence stakeholders across multiple regions. This position offers an opportunity to drive operational excellence and scalable growth.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in retail or omnichannel business operations.
• Proven background in process improvement and business analysis.
• Experience working with franchise-operated markets.
• Comfortable operating across multiple countries and stakeholders.
• Able to influence and drive change without direct line authority.

Responsibilities

• Own regional business operations governance across SEA markets.
• Establish and maintain operating cadence and decision governance.
• Define and enforce standard ways of working across owned and franchise markets.
• Own the creation and maintenance of SOPs across SEA.
• Lead process mapping and drive process standardisation.

Skills

Experience in retail or omnichannel business operations

Process improvement

Business analysis

Experience with franchise-operated markets

Ability to influence and drive change

Job description

Position Purpose:

The Regional Business Operations Manager is responsible for defining, standardising, and governing how the business operates across JD Sports Southeast Asia, covering JD-owned markets and franchise partners.

This role is the primary owner of business processes, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and Business Requirement Documents (BRDs), ensuring JD standards and ways of working are clearly defined, documented, and embedded. The role plays a critical part in franchise partner governance, operational stabilisation, and enabling scalable growth across the region.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Operations & Governance

• Own regional business operations governance across SEA markets, including franchise partners
• Establish and maintain operating cadence, escalation frameworks, and decision governance
• Define and enforce standard ways of working across owned and franchise markets

SOP & Process Ownership

• Own the creation, maintenance, and governance of SOPs across SEA
• Lead process mapping, current-state assessments, and target-state design
• Drive process standardisation and continuous improvement initiatives
• Ensure SOP adoption, clarity of ownership, and operational alignment

Business Analysis & Requirements (BRD Ownership)

• Own Business Requirement Documents (BRDs) for operational and system initiatives
• Define business problems, objectives, scope, and success measures
• Translate operational needs into clear, structured business requirements
• Validate requirements with markets and franchise partners prior to delivery
• Ensure alignment between BRDs, SOPs, and target operating models

Franchise Partner Governance

• Own operational governance for franchise partners, including onboarding, due diligence, stabilisation, and reset initiatives
• Conduct operational readiness and capability assessments for new franchise partners
• Lead corrective actions and recovery plans where execution or standards are not met
• Act as primary escalation owner for franchise-related operational risks and issues

Systems & Change Ownership

• Act as business owner for operational systems (POS, ERP, OMS, eCommerce)
• Partner with IT and Business Project Managers on solution delivery
• Retain ownership of business definition, SOPs, and post-implementation adoption

Stakeholder Management & Reporting

• Partner closely with cross functional teams to deliver BRDs and gain partnership participation on projects requiring.
• Provide structured reporting, governance packs, and decision papers to leadership
• Reduce dependency on senior leadership through clear ownership and discipline

Candidate Profile

• Strong experience in retail or omnichannel business operations
• Proven background in process improvement and business analysis
• Experience working with franchise-operated markets
• Comfortable operating across multiple countries and stakeholders
• Structured, pragmatic, and confident enforcing standards
• Able to influence and drive change without direct line authority

First 90 Days Success Plan (Summary)

• Establish clear SOP and BRD ownership across SEA
• Diagnose operational gaps and franchise partner risks
• Stabilise governance cadence and issue visibility
• Deliver priority SOPs and BRDs to support business initiatives