Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Lead Operations Representative

🎯 Role Definition

The Lead Operations Representative is a frontline operational leader who owns day-to-day execution, process reliability, and continuous improvement across customer-facing and/or fulfillment operations. This role blends tactical delivery (escalation management, schedule and capacity coordination, quality control) with strategic improvement (SOP development, automation initiatives, KPI reporting) and requires strong stakeholder communication, coaching ability, and data-driven decision making.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Operations Representative / Operations Coordinator
Customer Service Supervisor / Team Lead
Logistic Specialist / Fulfillment Associate

Advancement To:

Operations Manager / Senior Operations Manager
Program Manager, Operations Excellence
Director of Operations / Head of Site Operations

Lateral Moves:

Account / Client Success Manager
Supply Chain Analyst / Logistics Planner
Project Manager, Process Improvement

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Own day-to-day operational delivery for assigned queues, sites, or product lines, ensuring SLAs and KPIs (e.g., throughput, cycle time, accuracy, first contact resolution) are consistently met and improved.
Lead operational escalations end-to-end by diagnosing root cause, coordinating cross-functional response, communicating status to stakeholders, and driving timely resolution with clear postmortem and preventive actions.
Develop, document, and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), playbooks, and decision trees to ensure consistent execution across teams and to reduce onboarding time for new hires.
Monitor, analyze, and report weekly and monthly performance metrics using dashboards and scorecards (e.g., Excel, Tableau, Power BI), translating data into actionable recommendations to improve capacity, quality, and cost.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives (Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen) to streamline workflows, reduce waste, and lower operational expenses while increasing throughput and customer satisfaction.
Coordinate workforce planning, scheduling, and capacity management in collaboration with Workforce Management to match staffing levels to demand forecasts and minimize backlog and overtime.
Mentor, coach, and develop frontline operations representatives by conducting regular 1:1s, performance reviews, on-the-job training, and skills assessments to build a high-performance team.
Lead and execute pilot projects for new processes, tools, or system integrations; define success criteria, measure impact, and scale successful pilots cross-functionally.
Manage vendor and third-party relationships including onboarding, SLA negotiation, performance reviews, and remediation plans to ensure service quality and contractual compliance.
Own quality assurance programs by setting QA standards, conducting audits, delivering feedback loops, and driving corrective action plans to improve accuracy and reduce rework.
Collaborate with product, engineering, and IT teams to define business requirements, test operational impacts of product changes, and participate in user acceptance testing (UAT).
Implement and champion automation opportunities (RPA, workflow automation, macros) to remove manual tasks and improve speed and accuracy.
Perform root cause analysis for recurring issues using structured problem-solving techniques and present findings and recommendations to leadership with quantifiable benefits.
Manage operational budget components such as headcount forecasting, overtime spend, and vendor costs; recommend efficiency opportunities to achieve cost targets.
Ensure regulatory, compliance, and audit readiness by maintaining documentation, attending audits, and implementing required process controls and evidence trails.
Serve as the primary liaison between operations and cross-functional partners (sales, customer success, finance, legal) to align priorities, manage risk, and escalate blockers.
Drive onboarding and ramp programs for new hires, including curriculum development, training plans, shadowing schedules, and competency sign-offs.
Prioritize backlog and tactical work by balancing urgent escalations with longer-term improvement projects to maximize business impact.
Create and deliver regular stakeholder communications — operational reviews, business reviews, trend analysis, and executive summaries — tailored to the audience.
Implement and monitor customer experience metrics, spearheading initiatives to increase satisfaction scores (NPS/CSAT) and reduce complaints or returns.
Maintain high standards for data integrity by validating reports, reconciling discrepancies, and building controls to prevent data drift and reporting errors.
Drive cross-functional change management, ensuring new processes are adopted through stakeholder alignment, training, and clear success metrics.
Lead contingency and incident response plans during outages, peak events, or unexpected demand surges, coordinating resources and communicating impact and resolution timelines.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Maintain and update internal knowledge base articles and FAQs to reduce repeat questions and increase self-service.
Assist in contract renewals, vendor RFPs, and performance benchmarking for third-party services.
Participate in hiring interviews and selection to scale the operations team with high-quality talent.
Support product launches and operational readiness assessments by validating workflows, training materials, and risk mitigation plans.
Facilitate cross-training programs to build redundancy and flexibility within the operations team.
Help prepare and present materials for executive or board-level operational reviews when needed.
Coordinate end-of-day / end-of-month reconciliations and exception management processes with finance or billing teams.
Help prioritize and scope technical tickets or feature requests that impact operational efficiency.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Operations management and SLA governance — proven ability to own and continuously improve SLA-driven operations.
Process improvement methodologies — Lean, Six Sigma, Kaizen or equivalent structured problem solving.
Advanced Excel — pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, complex formulas, macros for analysis and reporting.
Data visualization & reporting — experience with Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or similar BI platforms to create dashboards and insights.
SQL — ability to query operational databases for ad-hoc analysis and data validation.
CRM and ticketing tools — experience with Salesforce, Zendesk, Freshdesk, or similar case management systems.
Workforce management fundamentals — forecasting, scheduling, and capacity planning tools and techniques.
Project management — experience planning and executing cross-functional projects, including use of Jira, Asana, or Trello.
Automation tools — familiarity with RPA, Zapier, Workato, or native workflow automation solutions.
Quality assurance frameworks — designing and running QA programs and generating actionable feedback.
Vendor & contract management — negotiating SLAs, managing vendor performance, and handling vendor escalations.
ERP or operational systems — exposure to Netsuite, Oracle, SAP, or bespoke order/fulfillment systems.
Regulatory and compliance knowledge relevant to the industry (e.g., data privacy, SOC2, ISO procedures) where applicable.
Basic financial literacy — budgeting, cost analysis, and understanding P&L impacts of operational changes.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management — coaching, feedback, and performance management experience.
Excellent written and verbal communication — able to tailor messaging to executives, peers, and frontline staff.
Analytical and data-driven mindset — comfort turning metrics into prioritised action plans.
Problem-solving under pressure — calm, structured approach during incidents and peak demand.
Stakeholder management and influencing — build alignment without direct authority.
Prioritization and time management — balancing strategic projects with tactical daily needs.
Customer empathy — frame operational decisions through the lens of customer experience.
Adaptability and resilience — comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change.
Attention to detail — precise execution in documentation, reporting, and compliance.
Facilitation and training — ability to lead workshops, training sessions, and cross-functional meetings.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, or related field, OR equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree plus Lean/Six Sigma certification (Green/Black Belt) or a Master's degree (MBA or MS in Operations/Industrial Engineering).

Relevant Fields of Study:

Operations Management
Supply Chain / Logistics
Industrial / Systems Engineering
Business Administration
Data Analytics / Information Systems

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years in operations, customer service, logistics, or fulfillment roles with progressive responsibility.

Preferred: 5+ years of operations experience including 1–3 years managing or leading teams, demonstrated track record of process improvement, KPI ownership, and cross-functional project delivery.