The Helpline Operations Lead oversees Intellect’s helpline and crisis intervention services from strategy to execution, directly managing both Helpline & Ranger Operations teams to drive effective planning, seamless service delivery, and continuous improvement. This role is responsible for leading efforts to strengthen helpline readiness, service reliability, and quality at scale, build and maintain a resilient and high-performing ranger workforce, and advance operational excellence through insights, governance, and best practices. The ideal candidate combines strategic and operational leadership, team management, quality governance, workforce planning, and cross-functional collaboration to deliver best-in-class, compliant, and reliable crisis support services.
Key Responsibilities:
Team Management & Strategic Leadership
- Lead and manage Helpline & Ranger Operations teams, providing strategic and operational guidance, setting priorities aligned with company goals, and overseeing day-to-day operations across all levels
- Directly manage, coach, and mentor team members, fostering a high-performing, accountable, and service-focused culture that drives business objectives and delivery standards
- Set and monitor operational goals, KPIs, and SLAs, taking proactive measures to uphold helpline readiness, service excellence, and compliance standards
- Oversee the full ranger lifecycle, including recruitment, onboarding, training, engagement, performance management, retention and offboarding processes, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery
- Drive workforce planning and scalability, optimizing shift coverage, resource allocation, and long-term operational planning to align with strategic priorities
- Serve as the primary escalation point for operational risks, service delivery issues, and workforce concerns, facilitating timely resolution and cross-team problem solving
Performance Monitoring & SLA Governance
- Oversee end-to-end performance monitoring across helpline and ranger operations, tracking SLAs including pickup time, call handling time, protocol adherence, client satisfaction and issue resolution rates
- Lead deep-dive analysis into operational metrics and performance trends to identify risks, gaps, and opportunities for improvement
- Conduct root cause analyses for SLA or quality breaches, translating findings into clear corrective and preventive action plans, and driving follow-through and cross-team execution for effective resolution
- Manage regular quality audits, including line monitoring and ranger quality testing, to ensure consistent adherence to service standards and operational protocols
- Partner with Clinical and Delivery teams to embed quality insights into training, supervision, and operational improvement initiatives
- Provide timely reporting and updates to leadership, including Monthly Business Reviews (MBRs), client escalation readbacks, and operational performance insights, supporting data-driven decision-making
Quality Governance & Management
- Develop, evolve and own the quality assurance framework for helpline and crisis intervention services, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery globally
- Define, enforce and govern service standards, quality benchmarks, and operational protocols, ensuring team members understand expectations for client care, professionalism and service outcomes
- Align quality standards with Clinical Excellence, internal policies, data privacy, regulatory requirements, and market-specific considerations to ensure full compliance across all regions
- Champion a “quality-by-design” approach, embedding quality, safety, and protocol adherence into systems, training, tools, and workflows, enabling rangers to consistently deliver compliant, high-quality support
- Continuously review and enhance quality standards and guidelines, leveraging operational insights, audit findings, client feedback and industry best practices to drive ongoing improvement
System, Process & SOP Ownership
- Own and maintain helpline and ranger policies, procedures, and protocols, ensuring they are current, auditable, aligned with regulatory requirements and industry best practices
- Develop, review, and refine processes based on feedback, quality findings, and evolving service needs, embedding standardization and scalability across helpline and ranger operations
- Oversee helpline infrastructure setup and vendor management, ensuring reliable systems, tools, and partnerships that support high-quality service delivery
- Monitor and optimize the effectiveness of systems and workflows, including telephony, CRM, QA and scheduling platforms, identifying opportunities for automation and efficiency gains
- Partner with Product and Tech teams to prioritize system and workflow enhancements, drive implementation, and lead automation and optimisation initiatives from planning through execution and monitoring
- Maintain a centralized repository of SOPs, guidelines, reports, and quality resources, ensuring transparency, audit readiness, and consistent operational practices
Capacity Planning & Operational Readiness
- Lead helpline and ranger capacity planning, including supply-demand alignment, hub modelling and resourcing strategies, in partnership with Network Expansion & Delivery teams to support global expansion and service scalability
- Oversee periodic review of helpline and crisis support delivery model, including budgeting, cost optimisation, expense tracking and forecasting to ensure sustainable, high-quality service delivery
- Ensure operational readiness and business continuity planning for BAU operations, peak periods, and crisis surges, maintaining seamless service delivery under all conditions
- Drive helpline resilience testing, contingency planning, and workforce scenario simulations, preparing for incidents, high-risk clients, and volume spikes to mitigate operational risk
- Lead initiatives to optimize delivery models, automate workflows, and enhance operational efficiency while strengthening ranger support, workforce scalability, and operational effectiveness
- Monitor emerging trends in mental health and crisis service delivery, leveraging insights to inform forward-looking operational planning, improvements, and strategic decision-making
Data-Drive Insighting & Continuous Improvement
- Leverage operational metrics, client feedback, and data-driven insights to guide decision-making, operational planning and continuous improvement across helpline and ranger operations
- Lead quality improvement initiatives by analyzing data to identify gaps, implement corrective actions, and enhance operational efficiency and service delivery
- Drive operational-commercial training sessions to embed best practices, insights, and lessons learned across teams, supporting scalable, high-quality service delivery
- Foster a culture of continuous learning, encouraging teams to contribute ideas, share insights, and actively participate in operational excellence initiatives
- Prepare and share comprehensive reports on operational performance, quality trends, improvement initiatives, and compliance, ensuring transparency and accountability
- Lead periodic company-wide sharing of insights and lessons learned to strengthen cross-team alignment, operational understanding, and organizational learning
Cross-Functional Collaboration & Strategic Input
- Act as a key operational partner and liaison to Clinical, Product, Tech, Commercial and Delivery teams, driving operational excellence, quality improvements, and continuous enhancements across helpline and crisis support services
- Lead operational design and execution of helpline service launches, including protocols, tooling, and market expansion, ensuring seamless implementation and alignment with operational standards
- Provide strategic guidance on new programs, systems, or initiatives impacting helpline services and ranger experience, supporting rollout, optimization, and scalable operations
- Drive strategic planning efforts to scale helpline operations, optimize delivery models, strengthen ranger ecosystem maturity, and build in-house capabilities for priority markets (e.g., CISP, manager support)
- Represent helpline operations in cross-functional forums, leadership discussions, and client-facing initiatives, including RFP support, operational briefings, and stakeholder reporting
- Develop, implement, and maintain client feedback mechanisms, translating insights into actionable improvements, quality initiatives, and continuous improvement plans that inform training, operations, and workforce optimization
Requirements
- At least 5-6 years of direct experience in operations or service delivery leadership role, preferably in healthcare, mental health, EAP, crisis services
- Clinical experience in crisis intervention management is preferable but not mandatory
- Proven experience leading teams and managing complex, multi-stakeholder operations
- Strong analytical skills with demonstrated ability to leverage data to drive quality, performance, and operational decisions
- Expertise in SLA management, quality frameworks, and continuous improvement initiatives
- Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills, including cross-functional collaboration across stakeholders at all levels
- Ability to provide decisive leadership and support in fast-paced, high-stakes 24/7 operational environment, stepping in to manage escalations and critical issues as they arise
- Experience with workforce planning, capacity management, or large-scale service operations is a strong advantage
- Proficiency in data analysis and reporting, with the ability to lead data-driven initiatives that enhance service quality
- Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to resolving complex operational challenges
- Excellent project and stakeholder management skills, with proven ability to manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and drive operational excellence
- Ability to thrive in a dynamic and rapidly changing environment, adapting to new challenges and operational needs
- Fluent in English and local language, both written and spoken
Benefits
Why You’ll Love Working With Us:
- Global company – work in a diverse environment with people from nearly 20 countries
- Generous leave policy – time off to rest and recharge
- Christmas week off – company-wide break during Christmas, separate from annual leave
- Birthday leave – enjoy a day off on your birthday
- Quarterly mental health days – one day off every quarter to focus on your wellbeing
- Flexible work arrangements – work in a way that suits your lifestyle and goals
- Work-life balance – a culture that values personal time and long-term wellness
- Medical coverage – comprehensive insurance for peace of mind
- Performance bonus – high performance is recognised and rewarded
- Development budget - annual allowance to support your professional development
- Mental health support – premium coaching access to our mental health app and resources & dedicated budget for clinical and psychiatric care
- Socials and communities – regular non-work events/activities to connect and have fun together
