Manager: Workforce Management

Wns; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Wns in Cape Town seeks a Group Manager – WFM to lead workforce planning, scheduling, and real-time operations for inbound contact center functions. You will drive capacity planning, forecasting, and staffing to achieve SLAs and cost efficiency.

The role requires strong analytics, leadership of planners and RTA analysts, and proficiency with WFM tools such as NICE, Genesys, Verint, IEX, and Excel/Power BI. You will partner with operations, HR, and finance to optimize performance.

Qualifications

• Experience leading WFM in large contact centers.
• Strong forecasting and capacity planning skills.
• Proven stakeholder management and financial acumen.
• Advanced analytics capability and leadership experience.
• Expertise with WFM tools: NICE, Genesys, Verint, IEX, and Excel/Power BI.

Responsibilities

• Lead capacity planning and long-/short-term forecasting for inbound centers.
• Oversee scheduling and real-time workforce optimization to meet SLAs.
• Manage budgeting, headcount, and cost optimization for WFM.
• Provide reporting, analytics, and insights to leadership.
• Mentor a team of planners, schedulers, and RTA analysts.

Skills

WFM

Forecasting

Capacity planning

Stakeholder management

Analytics

Leadership

Tools

NICE

Genesys

Aspect

IEX

Verint

Excel

Power BI

Job description

Job Description

Role Overview

The Group Manager – WFM is responsible for leading workforce planning, scheduling, and real-time operations for inbound contact center functions.

This role ensures optimal staffing, cost efficiency, and service level achievement through data-driven capacity planning, forecasting, and strategic workforce optimization.

Key Responsibilities

1. Capacity Planning & Forecasting

• Develop short-term and long-term workload forecasts (call volume, AHT, shrinkage).
• Build and maintain capacity plans aligned with business demand and growth projections.
• Collaborate with business teams to align hiring plans with capacity requirements.
• Ensure optimal staffing models to meet SLAs (Service Level, ASA, Abandonment).

2. Scheduling & Workforce Optimization

• Oversee creation and governance of efficient schedules to maximize coverage and productivity.
• Ensure adherence to workforce management tools (e.g., NICE, Genesys, Aspect)
• Breaks, leaves, and training
• Skill-based routing requirements
• Drive continuous improvement in schedule efficiency and adherence.
• Supervise real-time queue management and intraday performance.
• Drive immediate corrective actions (re-skilling, overtime, VTO) during demand-supply gaps.
• Monitor KPIs such as:
• Define and execute WFM strategy aligned to business goals and customer experience.
• Introduce process improvements and automation for better efficiency.
• Implement best practices in forecasting accuracy and workforce optimization
• Drive digital transformation initiatives within WFM (analytics, AI, automation).
• Manage headcount budgeting and cost optimization for WFM.
• Analyze financial metrics:
• Productivity ratios
• Provide insights for cost-saving opportunities without impacting service quality.
• Support budgeting cycles and financial planning with data-backed projections.

6. Stakeholder Management

• Partner with operations, HR, finance, and client stakeholders.
• Present capacity plans, forecasts, and performance insights to leadership.
• Provide actionable recommendations for business growth and efficiency.

7. Reporting & Analytics

• Forecast accuracy
• Schedule adherence
• Leverage analytics to identify trends and improvement areas.
• Maintain data integrity and governance across WFM systems.
• Lead and mentor a team of planners, schedulers, and RTA analysts.
• Build capability in forecasting, analytics, and strategic thinking.
• Drive performance culture and continuous learning.
• Strong expertise in WFM tools (NICE, IEX, Verint, Genesys, Aspect)
• Advanced knowledge of: Forecasting models
• Capacity planning techniques
• Excellent analytical and financial acumen
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving ability
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills
• Proficiency in Excel, Power BI, or other analytics tools

KPIs / Success Metrics

• Occupancy and utilization rates

Preferred Experience

• Experience in large inbound contact centers (BPO / captive)
• Exposure to financial planning and budgeting cycles
• Knowledge of automation / AI in WFM

Qualifications

• 8–12+ years of experience in WFM within a contact center environment
• Prior experience in leadership or managerial role preferred