Operations Lead

Job Description - Team Lead Operations

Location: Hyderabad

Experience: 8-10 Years

Role Overview

The Tier 1 Team Lead is the operational heartbeat of FMG’s operational pod — responsible for leading a team of 4–5 Operations Analysts to deliver consistent, high-quality P2P transaction processing across global markets. The role will be the first escalation point within the pod, the coach who develops talent, and the person who ensures seamless cross-time zone handoffs keep the 24x6 operation running without a hitch. This role bridges operational execution with performance management, making it critical to FMG’s ability to scale efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

Pod Leadership & Performance

• Lead a pod of 4–5 Tier 1 Operations Analysts, setting daily priorities, managing workload distribution, and ensuring SLA targets are met
• Monitor individual and pod-level KPIs (volume, accuracy, cycle time, escalation rates) and take corrective action where performance drifts
• Conduct regular 1:1s, provide real-time coaching, and run brief daily stand-ups to align the pod on priorities and blockers

Operational Execution

• Process transactions alongside the team during peak periods, maintaining hands-on capability across all E2E P2P processes
• Serve as the first escalation point for exceptions that are borderline between Tier 1 SOP scope and Tier 2 specialist escalation
• Make judgment calls on whether an exception can be resolved within the pod or must be escalated, ensuring accurate categorization

Shift Handoff Governance

• Own the quality and completeness of shift handoff documentation, ensuring incoming pods have full context on open and in-progress items
• Coordinate with Team Leads in other time zones to maintain continuity, flag trends, and resolve recurring handoff friction points
• Establish and enforce handoff protocols that prevent task drops and information loss across the 24x6 cycle

Quality Assurance & SOP Compliance

• Conduct spot checks and quality audits on transactions processed by the pod to ensure adherence to SOPs and data governance standards
• Identify SOP gaps or ambiguities based on team feedback and exception patterns, and raise change requests to Tier 2/Tier 3 for SOP improvement
• Ensure the pod is trained on and compliant with updated SOPs and best practices pushed down from Tier 3

Talent Development & Career Pathing

• Onboard new Tier 1 team members, guiding them through initial training on the tech platform and FMG’s operational processes
• Identify high-potential team members and support their development toward Tier 2 or Tier 3 progression within the 12–18 month framework
• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and collaboration within the pod

Reporting & Communication

• Produce daily/weekly operational reports for Tier 2 specialists and management, highlighting volumes, exceptions, SLA adherence, and emerging risks
• Participate in regular operational reviews with Tier 2 Vanguards to discuss service health, recurring issues, and improvement opportunities

Requirements & Qualifications

Essential

• Bachelor’s Degree in a finance, economics or supply chain management related discipline
• 8-10 years’ experience in operations, supply chain, procurement, or shared services environments — ideally in a team lead or senior analyst capacity
• Demonstrated ability to lead small teams in a fast-paced, process-driven setting
• Strong understanding of P2P processes (PO management, invoice matching, goods receipts, payments)
• Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret KPI dashboards and take data-driven action
• Clear, structured communication skills — both written (handoff documentation, reports) and verbal (stand-ups, coaching, escalations)
• Comfortable working rotating shifts in a 24x7 follow-the-sun model
• Proficiency with enterprise platforms; ability to become a power user of the Ascend system quickly

Desirable

• Prior experience in food & beverage supply chain, QSR, or FMCG sectors
• Experience managing geographically distributed or remote teams