Senior Manager / Assistant Director (Operations and Service Excellence)

[What the role is]

The Senior Manager / Assistant Director (Operations and Service Excellence) plays a pivotal role in driving operational efficiency, service quality, and continuous improvement at SAA. You will lead end-to-end operations and service excellence initiatives, working across internal teams and external stakeholders to deliver seamless experiences for SAA's course participants, high-level visitors, guests, and alumni. This role requires a dynamic individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and brings both strategic thinking and hands-on execution.

[What you will be working on]

• Oversee the administration and optimisation of SAA's training and learning management systems

• Identify user pain points through usability testing and working with vendors to improve SAA's digital touchpoints

• Lead the requirements gathering, scoping of specifications, testing and implementation for new digital systems that support SAA’s future operations

• Serve as the primary point of contact for systems vendors, managing relationships, contracts, and KPIs to ensure consistent service quality and on-time delivery

• Apply design-thinking and process improvement methodologies to close operational gaps and drive workflow automation

• Work closely with internal stakeholders to lead change initiatives and cross-functional collaboration across teams

[What we are looking for]

• At least 8 years of experience in operations, service management, or a related field; experience in an IHL or CET environment is a plus

• Strong project management skills, with a track record of delivering multiple initiatives concurrently

• Hands-on experience with workflow automation and digitising manual processes

• Familiar with process improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma) and design-thinking frameworks

• A collaborative team player with strong stakeholder management and analytical skills

• Excellent communication and writing skills