Operations Officer at Axis Human Capital

Our client in the IT space seeks an accomplished, visionary and committed Chief Operations Officer (COO). The Chief Operations Officer (COO) will provide leadership in the development, implementation and monitoring of operations to ensure the seamless execution of projects and maintain high standards of service delivery to promote client satisfaction at all operational levels to achieve the company’s goals/objectives. He or she will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

KEY RESULT AREAS

• Strategy & Policy Development
• Service Delivery Management
• Complaints Management
• Monitoring & Evaluation
• Stakeholder Relations & Management
• Financial & Audit Management
• Information & Reporting
• People Management

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Strategy & Policy Development

• Provide technical expertise in the development and implementation of a strategy/business plan for the Operations Department as input into the overall strategy of the company.
• Provide leadership and direction in the development of policies, standards operating procedures (SOPs), work plans and other support systems including monitoring mechanisms in managing the Operations Department of the company to achieve targeted objectives.
• Provide technical expertise in the sourcing, sub-letting and execution of services/projects in line with the company’s overall business goals and objectives.

Operations Management

• Lead in the design/development of effective and efficient service delivery systems, processes and methodologies to ensure proper monitoring, control, adherence and support of service delivery operations of the company.
• Oversee the end-to-end activities of the integrated property tax management system deployment team.
• Provide leadership in the development of a comprehensive service schedule, scope and budget and direct appropriate teams in fulfilling the specifications to meet client and company objectives.
• Participate in the introduction of new business opportunities and provide technical guidance/support in the preparation of bids, RFP, RFI etc. to support the transition and implementation of new business and service offers.
• Participate in tender, evaluation, testing, installation and acceptance to ensure quality service delivery.

Monitoring & Evaluation

• Monitor to ensure that adequate resources, capabilities and capacity are available to meet both existing and new business demands.
• Monitor to ensure continuous improvement in productivity and enhance service effectiveness, efficiency and clients’ value/satisfaction.
• Manage to ensure effective monitoring and evaluation of projects/services delivered in line with approved standards and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor to ensure that post-completion inspection(s) including handing over of technical assessment of projects/services i.e. commissioning, acceptance testing, inspection and snags identification and correction(s) are conducted as per SLAs.
• Monitor and manage the allocation of resources, including personnel, equipment, and budget.

Stakeholder Relations & Management

• Initiate engagement and maintain professional relationships with external service providers and clients to ensure integration and monitoring of external service performance.
• Establish and maintain professional relationships with contractors, consultants, outsourced agencies, clients and other stakeholders vital to the success of ongoing projects and services to facilitate the operations of the Department and the company.
• Liaise with clients to identify opportunities to improve quality and establish feedback with the development Team.

Financial & Audit Management

• Lead the preparation of the annual budget for the Operations Department and monitor its implementation to ensure compliance.
• Liaise with relevant departments in the preparation of financial justifications for investments and other approved service deliveries to achieve the goals and objectives of the company.
• Participate in the negotiations and award of contracts to consultants and contractors.
• Assess, manage and communicate risks associated with technology-related service delivery to Management and undertake recovery actions as appropriate.
• Oversee all internal and external audit programmes at the department and follow up to ensure that audit queries are handled expeditiously.

Information & Reporting

• Stay abreast with legislations, rules/regulations, new developments and international best practices in service delivery and projects as well as customer service management to facilitate/enhance service quality and improvement to delight clients/customers.
• Responsible for the preparation of management and account performance reports for Management decision-making.
• Attend client service review meetings on performance, service improvements, quality and processes.
• Report on the status of all service deliveries and projects to Management and all stakeholders and initiate action to resolve major challenges and issues relating to modifications, cost, etc.
• Develop a comprehensive database of all services/projects delivered by the company and the client base to track and monitor ongoing services to ensure quality and continuous improvements.
• Prepare monthly, quarterly and consolidated annual report(s) on all projects and services delivered by the company.

People Management

• Maintain a professional staff with sufficient knowledge, skills, competencies, experience and professional certification to meet the requirements of the company.
• Hold direct reports accountable for managing their assignments to ensure the Department’s goals are achieved.
• Conduct performance appraisal and provide input for career development and recommend performance incentives for direct reports.
• Identify training needs and facilitate training for direct reports.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Master’s Degree in Project/Operations Management or a related field.
• Must be a member of a recognised professional body.
• At least twelve (12) years of working experience in a similar role.

Required Competencies

• Extensive knowledge and understanding of project/operations management.
• Proven experience in an operations management role within the IT industry, preferably in solutions deployment.
• Excellent experience in leading and managing teams (including matrix management) within an operational service delivery or shared services environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and deliver on time.
• Thorough understanding of customer’s business and market sector and ability to use that knowledge to anticipate how future service offers need to evolve to meet customer requirements.
• Strong leadership, managerial, coaching, mentoring and interpersonal skills in a "team" setting.
• Proven experience in contract negotiation and supplier management with proven ability to integrate customer and operational requirements into supplier relationships.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness, monitoring, coordination and budget ownership.
• Exceptional strategic orientation with competitive awareness and benchmarking.
• Exceptional analytical and decision-making abilities.
• Proven planning and organizing skills.
• Strong networking and influencing skills.
• Results-driven with good business judgment and mindset.
• Excellent communication presentation skills.
• Ability to work under pressure in a target-driven environment.
• Proven ability to set clear priorities between competing demands for resources and manage own tasks and priorities effectively.
• Ability to develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders in a complex working environment.
• Considerable knowledge and proficiency in the use of project management software/tools.