Service Delivery Lead

ABOUT HUGO

Hugo is a next-generation BPO built for today’s work. With a global team of over 4,500 people, we focus on high-complexity, judgment-led workflows where nuance matters and traditional outsourcing models fall short. Our teams support demanding digital operations, including AI and model evaluation, trust and safety, crisis and escalation workflows, and advanced customer experience programs.

Our workforce is designed to operate in ambiguity. University-trained teams work within AI-enabled workflows, combining analytical rigor with a strong culture of accuracy and ownership. Since 2023, we’ve scaled rapidly while maintaining strong retention and consistent execution quality.

We are enterprise-ready, but operate differently. Hugo meets the compliance, security, and operational standards of large global BPOs while maintaining the speed and adaptability of a modern, analytics-driven organization. Our teams think like consultants—pairing structured execution with thoughtful problem-solving—delivering enterprise-grade reliability to large organizations and sophisticated operational capability to smaller, underserved companies.

Our mission drives everything we do. Outsourcing creates significant global value, yet little of it reaches African communities. Hugo is changing that by channeling opportunity into Africa, building meaningful careers, and proving that African talent can help power the future of the digital economy.

THE ROLE

We're looking for a strategic, execution-focused Senior Operations Leader to be the senior delivery presence across our South African programs. This person will own client outcomes across multiple programs, working through and alongside Project/Operations Managers to keep every engagement performing, spotting risks and optimization opportunities across the portfolio, and building the delivery capability, standards, and rhythms needed to scale quality as the business grows. The role suits someone who can operate at a portfolio level, seeing patterns across programs, while remaining close enough to execution to step in and drive results when it matters.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

Cross-Program Delivery Leadership & Client Outcomes

• Own client outcomes across all South Africa programs, ensuring every engagement consistently meets its commitments.
• Provide a senior, visible delivery presence across the portfolio, the person clients and internal leaders look to for delivery confidence.
• Set clear delivery standards, operating rhythms, and performance targets that apply consistently across programs.
• Track KPIs across programs, spot risks early, and drive corrective action when service levels are off track.
• Build a culture of accountability, urgency, and continuous improvement across the delivery organization.

Project Manager Support & Development

• Lead, support, and develop the Project Managers running individual client programs.
• Act as the escalation layer and thought partner for PMs, helping them navigate complex client situations, resourcing tensions, and performance challenges.
• Coach PMs on client management, performance management, service recovery, and team engagement.
• Create clear expectations, feedback loops, and development paths so the PM layer can scale with the business.
• Step into programs directly when senior weight is needed, without undermining PM ownership.

Client Service & Escalation Management

• Act as the senior point of contact for delivery-related client issues, escalations, and service reviews.
• Partner with clients and internal teams to resolve issues quickly and protect service quality.
• Strengthen client confidence through proactive communication, reporting, and follow-through.
• Identify opportunities to improve the client experience and deepen trust across accounts.

Cross-Program Optimization

• Look across programs to identify optimization opportunities—shared processes, tooling, staffing models, and best practices that lift the whole portfolio.
• Drive consistency across accounts, teams, and service lines while preserving what makes each program work.
• Improve processes, controls, and service workflows to increase quality and efficiency.
• Use data and cross-program trends to anticipate pressure points before they affect delivery.

Workforce, Capacity & Planning

• Work with PMs, HR, and country leadership to plan headcount, capacity, and team structure across programs.
• Ensure staffing levels align with forecasted demand, client volumes, and service commitments.
• Support resource planning, scheduling, and productivity optimization—including flexing capability between programs where it makes sense.
• Partner with the Country Manager, who owns the local operating environment and infrastructure, to ensure delivery teams have what they need to perform.

KEY REQUIREMENTS

• 8+ years of progressive leadership experience in BPO, contact centre, shared services, or a similar service delivery environment.
• Strong background in multi-program or multi-account delivery leadership, operations, or client service management.
• Experience leading managers or multi-layer teams—ideally including coaching project or operations managers – in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to manage client expectations, escalations, and SLA performance.
• Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate plans into execution.
• Experience with headcount planning, workforce coordination, and capacity thinking.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical skills and comfort working with performance dashboards and KPIs.
• A track record of finding and delivering optimization—process, cost, or quality—across teams or accounts.
• Experience in South Africa or a similar operating context is an advantage.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE: FIRST 90-120 DAYS

• Clear understanding of client commitments, program structures, PM capability, and delivery priorities across the portfolio.
• Strong relationships established with clients, PMs, the Country Manager, and internal stakeholders.
• A clear view of current delivery risks, capacity gaps, and performance trends, and where the biggest optimization opportunities sit.
• Improved reporting cadence and accountability across programs.
• Early wins in service quality, escalation handling, and PM support.
• A practical roadmap for stabilizing, optimizing, and scaling delivery across programs.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY STATEMENT

Diversity, equity and inclusion are part of our DNA. Promoting and, where possible, improving diversity, equity and inclusion are a value-based and commercial necessity. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of race, sex, gender identify, sexual orientation, neurodiversity, disability, or any other legally protected status