Operations Management Manager, Central Dispatch, Cox Automotive

Strong preference for candidates to live in Atlanta, GA area or Phoenix, AZ area.
Operations Management Manager, Central Dispatch, Cox Automotive
Job Summary:
The Operations Management Manager provides Operations Management support across broad areas of Central Dispatch and serves as project manager for critical and complex initiatives. The role researches and analyzes business problems that span multiple functions, technologies, and service providers, then develops plans, solution models, and recommendations that improve operational effectiveness and efficiency. The Manager gathers and documents requirements, develops project plans and costs, and leads cross-functional teams throughout the project lifecycle, including resource estimation, milestone identification, team facilitation, change management, and reporting. The role analyzes business processes from multiple aspects, including inputs, outputs, and user and client experience, and recommends process and systems changes that meet both near-term tactical and long-term strategic needs. The Manager also owns Central Dispatch's relationships with critical business process outsourcing (BPO) partners and is accountable for their performance, governance, and alignment to Central Dispatch standards. The role also influences client satisfaction and retention through the quality and performance of third-party partners. The role supports the organization's transformation priorities and may be assigned special projects as appropriate.
PRIMARY DUTIES/KEY RESPONSIBILITES
1. Third Party Partner Performance Management
Accountable for the performance of Central Dispatch's third party and operational third party partner workstreams including, but not limited to customer care, client outreach and sales, and back office functions. Sets and monitors vendor KPIs and contractual targets. Keeps vendor metric definitions aligned to the Central Dispatch standard, and leads performance improvement plans, corrective actions, and escalations.
2. Vendor Governance & Operations Oversight
Leads weekly operations reviews, monthly business reviews, and quarterly business reviews. Oversees vendor staffing models, forecasting, capacity planning, and surge response. Oversees vendor training, onboarding, and knowledge base updates, and directs quality calibration reviews with vendor & cross functional partners. Maintains escalation procedures along with vendor risk registers and business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
3. Contact Center Platform & IVR Business Ownership
Serves as the business owner of the contact center platform and call routing strategy, leading partnership with the cross functional team that owns the platform. Gathers and defines business requirements for call flows and routing logic. Leads change coordination with Product teams by managing requests, driving prioritization, validating requirements, and ensuring testing and rollback plans are in place before deployment. Monitors routing and platform performance, escalates incidents, and directs emergency routing during a vendor outage or site closure. Reviews user access and confirms call recording retention and PII handling meets business requirements.
4. Performance Measurement & Reporting
Develops metrics that provide data for process and vendor performance measurement and produces recurring scorecards and performance reports from the contact center platform and vendor portals. Collects and analyzes data to identify trends, root causes, and performance gaps, and aligns improvement recommendations to those gaps. Communicates findings and fact-based recommendations to leaders across the business.
5. Procedure & SLA Accuracy
Collaborates with all process owners across business functions to keep procedures and SLAs accurate, current, and consistent across teams and vendor partners, and to align vendor execution to each team's documented processes.
6. Continuous Improvement
Identifies, prioritizes, and manages improvement efforts that increase efficiency and quality across operations. Acts on the trends and gaps surfaced through performance reporting, researches root causes, develops solution models, and recommends process and system changes that meet both near-term tactical and long-term strategic needs, quantifying impact where possible.
7. Project Leadership & Transition Management
Serves as project manager for critical and complex initiatives. Gathers requirements, develops project plans and costs, identifies milestones and dependencies, leads cross-functional teams, and manages change and reporting. Leads large-scale vendor transitions from planning through wind down. Leads through influence across internal teams and third-party partners, without direct reporting authority.
8. Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Liaison
Builds and maintains effective working relationships with vendor leadership and with cross-functional leaders across the organization. Is consulted on at-risk client intervention and interaction quality standards and defines clear handoffs where vendor work overlaps with internal teams.
9. Documentation & Knowledge Continuity
Documents and maintains operational procedures, recurring reports, runbooks, process maps, vendor contacts, and key commitments to ensure business continuity. Partners with the Learning & Development team, which maintains shared knowledge repositories, by providing subject matter input and approving content. Supports onboarding and cross-training efforts and eliminates single points of failure by ensuring critical system and vendor access is not dependent on a single individual.
Required Experience & Specialized Knowledge and skills

• BA/BS degree and 6 years works related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and work related experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of experience in operations management, vendor or BPO management, or contact center operations.
• Demonstrated experience managing third party vendor performance and SLAs.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, cross-functional initiatives from requirements through delivery.
• Demonstrated experience driving continuous improvement efforts that measurably improve operational performance, client satisfaction, and client retention.
• Experience developing or maintaining procedures, SOPs, or best operational practices.
• Experience as a business owner or key stakeholder of a contact center platform and IVR routing is preferred.
• Experience with Lean Daily Management (LDM) is preferred

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Analytical Thinking: defines the issue, determines root cause, and systematically compares alternative solutions.
• Business Acumen: understands how operational decisions affect cost, client experience, and business results, and articulates the implications to leadership.
• Consulting: understands stakeholder objectives and scope, explains deliverables and costs, and keeps stakeholders informed on progress and issues.
• Managing Multiple Priorities: balances day-to-day operational demands with project work and re-prioritizes with stakeholders as needed.
• Project Administration and Management uses project tools for estimation, dependency tracking, status reporting, and cost-benefit analysis.
• Working knowledge of contact center metrics, workforce management, and quality assurance practices.
• Proficiency in collecting and analyzing operational data and presenting trends and metrics using Excel and reporting tools.
• Collaborates with intent, communicates with consideration, develops trust, engages others, and focuses on execution.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present findings and recommendations clearly to senior leaders.

USD 92,300.00 - 153,900.00 per year
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary in the range of $92,300.00 - $153,900.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
Benefits:
The Company offers eligible employees the flexibility to take as much vacation with pay as they deem consistent with their duties, the company's needs, and its obligations; seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year; and up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for their own wellness or that of family members. Employees are also eligible for additional paid time off in the form of bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, and parental leave.
Applicants must currently be authorized to work in the United States for any employer without current or future sponsorship.
EOE, including disability/vets