Senior Workforce Manager

Ignition CX; Umhlanga Rocks; On-site; ZAR 80 000 - 120 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading customer experience firm is seeking a Senior Workforce Manager in Umhlanga Rocks, South Africa. This position focuses on strategically managing staffing to optimize call center performance through effective forecasting and scheduling. The ideal candidate will have at least 9 years of relevant experience, strong leadership skills, and a background in workforce management systems. Responsibilities include leading a workforce planning team, ensuring adherence to budget constraints, and utilizing analytics for operational improvements. International hours may be required.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 9 years relevant experience in a similar role.
• Expertise in workforce planning and scheduling.
• Excellent analytical skills for data and forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Strategically plan staffing to meet customer demand.
• Lead and mentor a team of workforce professionals.
• Develop accurate budget forecasts related to workforce management.

Skills

Workforce planning

Real-time monitoring

Data-driven decision-making

Communication skills

People management

Education

Professional certification in workforce management (CWPP, WMP, CCWFM)

Tools

Workforce management software

Job description

The Senior Workforce Manager is responsible for strategically planning and optimising staffing to meet customer demand, enhance agent productivity, and deliver exceptional service efficiently.

This role leads and guides forecasting, scheduling, real-time monitoring, and improvement initiatives to ensure the call centre operates effectively and maintains high-quality customer interactions.

Workforce Planning and Staffing

• Develop and implement workforce management strategies to ensure optimal staffing levels, including forecasting call volumes, transactional data, and trends.
• Manages creation and maintenance of accurate long‑term and short‑term staffing plans to meet service level and customer satisfaction targets.
• Work across multiple areas to manage recruitment, hiring, and onboarding processes to ensure an adequate pool of qualified candidates.
• Build and manage an optimal workforce planning team

Forecasting and Budgeting

• Work closely with finance and operations teams to develop accurate budget forecasts related to workforce management.
• Contribute to budget planning and ensure adherence to budgetary constraints while maintaining operational excellence.
• Drive short, medium and long‑term forecasting to ensure financial targets are met.
• Ensure the achievement of projected financial targets for the business.

Team Leadership and Development

• Lead, mentor, and motivate a team of workforce scheduling management professionals.
• Foster a positive work environment that encourages collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Ensure the provision of training, coaching, and performance feedback to team members to enhance their skills and knowledge.

Communication and Collaboration

• Work closely with call centre managers, supervisors, and agents to align staffing plans with business needs.
• Communicate effectively with stakeholders about workforce performance, challenges, and recommended solutions.

Continuous Improvement

• Proactively identify opportunities to optimise processes, reduce costs, and enhance the customer experience.
• Drive initiatives to implement best practices and innovative strategies in workforce management.

Forecasting Accuracy Improvement

• Lead initiatives to refine forecasting methodologies and enhance the accuracy of call volume and staffing predictions.
• Ensure the implementation of advanced analytics and modelling techniques to improve forecast precision.

Change Management

• Drive change management initiatives related to workforce management processes and tools, ensuring smooth transitions and minimal disruption to operations.
• Partner with HR to manage the impact of changes on employees and address any concerns.

Business Continuity Planning

• Participate in the development and maintenance of business continuity plans that outline strategies for maintaining staffing levels and service quality during emergencies or disruptions.

Data Analysis and Insights

• Utilise data‑driven insights to recommend process improvements, cost‑saving measures, and performance optimisation strategies.
• Present regular reports and updates to senior management, highlighting workforce performance and key trends.

Regulatory Compliance

• Stay current with labour laws, industry regulations and compliance requirements to ensure workforce management practices are aligned.

Innovation and Technology Adoption

• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in workforce management.
• Leverage workforce management software and tools to optimise scheduling, forecasting, and performance tracking.
• Drive efforts to integrate new tools and technologies that enhance workforce optimisation and operational efficiency.

Knowledge, skills, and attributes

• Expertise in workforce planning, scheduling, and real‑time monitoring in a contact centre context
• Excellent understanding of contact centre operations processes, metrics, and industry standards.
• Excellent knowledge of workforce management tools and software
• Excellent data‑driven decision‑making and trend identification ability.
• Ability to develop long‑term workforce strategy aligned with business goals.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to collaborate effectively with various stakeholders.
• Excellent ability to work under pressure, adapt to changes, and make timely decisions.
• Skilful management and development of workforce professionals. Strong organisational, prioritisation and time‑management skills

Education and training

Professional certification in workforce management, such as

• Certified Workforce Planning Professional (CWPP)
• Workforce Management Professional (WMP)
• Contact Centre Workforce Management (CCWFM)

Experience

• Minimum 9 years relevant experience in a similar role
• Experience analysing data and using statistical modelling for forecasting and scheduling.
• Experience working in call centre operations.
• Experience in workforce management systems, policies, and procedures
• Proven experience with budgets and financial analysis

NB: This role will require the successful candidate to work international hours.