Operations Manager

Sage; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life Insurance: 2x annual salary

Income Protection: 75% of monthly risk

Critical Illness cover

Funeral Assistance

Provident fund

Medical aid subsidy

Sage Academy leave

Hybrid working

Volunteer days

Job summary

Sage in Johannesburg is seeking an Operations Manager to lead Customer Support across multiple channels, translating strategy into concrete plans and driving performance. You will manage Team Managers, coach leaders, and collaborate with Product, Finance and People to improve customer experience and efficiency.

Location requires 3 days weekly in the Johannesburg office with hybrid work and a focus on continuous improvement, coaching, and cross-functional delivery.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership experience within Customer Support or contact centre operations.
• Experience leading through Team Managers or other people leaders.
• Strong understanding of customer experience and service delivery metrics.
• Experience in workforce planning, forecasting or capacity management.
• Ability to interpret operational data and translate insights into action.
• Proven coaching, performance management and talent development experience.
• Strong stakeholders management and influencing skills.
• Ability to lead change and manage competing priorities.
• Sound judgement and accountability in leadership roles.

Responsibilities

• Leads Customer Support Team Managers and their teams to achieve customer, colleague and operational outcomes.
• Translates strategy and priorities into operational plans, measures and accountabilities.
• Drives performance across TNPS, CSAT, FCR, service levels and backlog management.
• Uses data and feedback to identify risks and improvement opportunities.
• Ensures workforce planning, forecasting, scheduling and resource deployment in partnership with WFM.
• Coaches leaders, supports succession planning and development.
• Create a high-performance culture focused on accountability and inclusion.
• Champions customer-centered support practices while reducing repeat contacts.
• Leads on escalations, service recovery and critical operational issues.
• Partners with cross-functional teams to deliver priorities and productivity improvements.

Skills

Leadership

People leadership

CX metrics

Workforce planning

Data interpretation

Coaching

Stakeholder management

Change leadership

Accountability

Education

NQF6 qualification

Job description

Job Description

The purpose of the role is to lead Customer Support operations and ensure the consistent delivery of customer, colleague and business outcomes across assigned products and support channels. The Operations Manager translates business strategy into operational plans, leads Team Managers and their teams, and creates the conditions for high performance through clear accountability, effective coaching, workforce planning, customer insight and continuous improvement. The role works collaboratively across Customer Support, Product, Finance, People, Workforce Management, Digital and other stakeholders to improve customer experience, service performance, colleague capability and operational efficiency.

Location - 3 days per week out of our Johannesburg office

Key Responsibilities

• Leads Customer Support Team Managers and their teams to achieve agreed customer, colleague and operational outcomes.
• Translates Customer Support strategy, annual objectives and product priorities into clear operational plans, measures and accountabilities.
• Drives performance against key measures including TNPS, CSAT, First Contact Resolution, service levels, quality, productivity, case turnaround time and backlog management.
• Uses operational data, customer feedback and root-cause analysis to identify performance risks, recurring demand and improvement opportunities.
• Ensures effective workforce planning, forecasting, scheduling, capacity management and resource deployment in partnership with Workforce Management.
• Builds leadership capability through structured coaching, performance management, succession planning and development of Team Managers.
• Creates a high-performance culture that promotes accountability, colleague engagement, inclusion, recognition and continuous learning.
• Champions customer-centred support practices that make interactions right, easy and personal while reducing repeat contact and customer effort.
• Provides leadership on customer escalations, service recovery and customer-impacting operational issues.
• Leads continuous improvement, process simplification, digital adoption, automation and AI-enabled support initiatives where these improve customer and colleague outcomes.
• Partners with Product, Digital, Finance, People, Learning and Development, Quality, Workforce Management and Operational Excellence to deliver cross-functional priorities. Supports budget planning and identifies opportunities to improve productivity and cost-to-serve without compromising customer outcomes.
• Ensures adherence to the Customer Support Playbook, standard operating procedures, internal controls, company policies and applicable legal requirements.
• Provides clear operational reporting, customer insight, risks and recommendations to senior leadership and other relevant stakeholders.
• Ensures mandatory training and agreed people processes are completed within required timelines.

Skills, know-how and experience

• Proven leadership experience within Customer Support, Customer Services, contact centre operations or a comparable service environment.
• Experience leading through Team Managers or other people leaders.
• Strong understanding of customer experience, operational performance management and service delivery measures.
• Experience in workforce planning, capacity management, forecasting or resource optimisation.
• Ability to interpret operational data, identify root causes and translate insights into measurable action.
• Proven experience in coaching, performance management, talent development and succession planning.
• Strong stakeholder management, written communication, verbal communication and influencing skills.
• Ability to lead change, manage competing priorities and maintain operational stability.
• Sound judgement, integrity and the ability to hold leaders and teams accountable for agreed outcomes.

Technical Competencies

• Operational planning and performance governance
• Customer experience and service delivery management
• Workforce and capacity management
• Data analysis and insight-led decision-making
• Financial awareness and cost-to-serve management
• Change, continuous improvement and digital enablement
• Customer escalation and operational risk management
• Leadership coaching and talent development

Behavioural Competencies

• Action oriented
• Being resilient
• Communicates effectively
• Customer centric
• Demonstrates self-awareness
• Ensures accountability
• Instils trust
• Resourcefulness
• Situational adaptability
• Values differences
• Growth mindset
• Innovation

Qualifications and Experience

• Relevant degree or equivalent NQF6 qualification preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years’ experience within a Customer Services function, with demonstrated people-leadership responsibility.
• Experience in a multichannel software, SaaS or technical-support environment would be an advantage.
• Experience managing internal and outsourced service-delivery teams would be an advantage.

What's in it for you

• Work away scheme for up to 10 weeks a year.
• Life Insurance: 2x annual salary covered with the option to flex up cover at own cost up to a maximum of 6X annual salary.
• Income Protection: 75% of the monthly risk salary is paid to the colleague in the event of long-term sickness, provided they are unable to perform their duties.
• Critical Illness cover: Provides colleague with lump sum payment at critical illness diagnosis.
• Funeral Assistance: A benefit payable upon the death of a colleague's spouse or children, or to a colleague's dependents in the event of the colleague's death.
• Provident fund: a retirement fund where colleagues have an option to increase contributions of 5% minimum to a maximum of 15% in 2.5% increments.
• Medical aid subsidy: Discovery and Bonitas are offered on selected plans, colleagues receive R2,760 pm.
• Sage Academy leave: On-going training and professional development + 5 paid days per year to engage in learning opportunities.
• 15 days annual leave for fixed term colleagues and 20 annual leave days for permanent colleagues. The annual leave entitlement for permanent colleagues will increases with seniority. 30 days sick leave in a 3 year cycle, 6 days of Family responsibility leave and Religious leave combined, and 5 or 10 days of sports leave based on representation.
• Paid 5 days yearly to volunteer through our Sage Foundation.
• Employee Assistance Program: free, 24/7 short-term counselling, practical support and coaching for you and your family.
• Flexible work patterns and hybrid working.