Country Director at Hugo Technologies

Role Summary

• The successful candidate will lead and scale Hugo’s Nigeria operations. You will oversee in-country client delivery, workforce management, legal and regulatory compliance, finance, IT and data security, facilities, and administration reporting into the CEO/Regional Head. Your focus will be on operational excellence, cost efficiency, and high client satisfaction. In addition, you will build a high‑performing local management team.

Core Responsibilities

Workforce Management

• Design and execute workforce strategy: staffing plans, recruiting, onboarding, rostering, performance management.
• Own total rewards: compensation benchmarking, benefits design, payroll accuracy, and incentive plans.
• Oversee learning & development to close skill gaps, reduce churn, and support career paths.
• Manage tooling/platform selection, vendor relationships, and end‑user adoption.

People Leadership

• Build and lead a local senior team (ops, HR, finance, legal, IT); mentor leaders and drive performance culture.
• Set clear objectives, conduct regular reviews, and manage succession planning.

Finance & Controls

• Drive cost optimization to meet target cost per billable agent.
• Own country P&L, budgeting, forecasting, and cash management.
• Ensure timely and clean audits (statutory, client, internal); implement strong internal controls and procurement discipline.

Legal & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with Nigerian labour law, tax, and sector regulations; prepare for and pass client and government audits.
• Own contracts, local statutory filings, work permits/visas (if applicable), and engagement with external counsel.
• Maintain up‑to‑date policies (HR, data protection, security) and lead internal compliance training.

IT & Data Security

• Partner with IT/security to implement and maintain SOC, network, endpoint protections, and business continuity/disaster recovery.
• Ensure GDPR/DPD/NDPR and client data protection requirements are met; manage incident response and reporting.

Facilities & Administration

• Manage office/operational sites, workplace safety, vendor contracts, and remote/hybrid site strategies.
• Optimize occupancy and workplace costs; ensure business continuity.

Required Experience & Skills

• 8–12+ years operational leadership in outsourcing/BPO, contact center, or service delivery; 5+ years senior management.
• Proven track record managing country operations in Nigeria or similar African markets.
• Strong P&L ownership, budgeting, and cost optimization experience.
• Deep knowledge of Nigerian employment law, tax, compliance, and audit processes.
• Experience with IT/security frameworks and compliance (NDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2 desirable).
• Excellent client management, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Data‑driven, process oriented, strong change management capability.
• Relevant degree; MBA or professional qualification (CIPD, ACCA, CISSP) is a plus.
• Fluent in English; strong communication and presentation skills.

KPIs (primary)

• Cost per billable agent: $450 (target)
• Client SLA adherence: >=98%
• People NPS: >=7/10
• Government relations: zero fines / zero material regulatory findings
• Revenue retention/client churn (supporting KPI)
• Agent utilization and shrinkage metrics
• Audit findings: zero material exceptions