Senior Manager, Workforce Planning

Airbnb

4d•$176,000 - $220,000•Remote

About The Position

The Community Support org handles tens of millions of interactions yearly, engaging with one in five Airbnb customers by phone, messaging, chat, or social media channels. The group handles hundreds of issues across categories including Cancellations, Account Issues, Refunds, Payments, Reservations, Extenuating Circumstances, Booking & Listing issues, Safety & Claims. The organization is globally distributed with offices in San Francisco, Dublin, Montreal, Seattle, Singapore, Manila, Gurgaon and an extensive partner network serving all regions. We are looking for a Senior Manager of Workforce Management (WFM) on our Community Support (CS) team. The Senior Manager will be responsible for maximizing efficiency by ensuring optimal staffing levels, enhancing the quality of customer interactions through continuous monitoring and training, and driving service level performance with data-driven insights. This role also focuses on balancing cost control while meeting service level agreements (SLAs) and improving the overall customer experience through analytics and feedback. This role will be responsible for managing workforce planning and real-time monitoring.

Requirements

10+ years experience in workforce management, business operations or operations management roles supporting global contact center operations, with proven experience leading and developing a WFM team.
Must have deep functional domain expertise and knowledge in contact center operations and best practices with a comprehensive understanding of employee scheduling and process optimization.
In-depth knowledge and expertise in WFM software and tools: Proficiency in WFM software and tools (e.g., Aspect, NICE, Verint) is essential with an understanding of industry best practices. Must be committed to learning the emerging technologies in contact centers.
Experience with short range forecasting, scheduling, interval management, real-time adherence, provisioning and reporting is required.
Experience working in or closely with contact center operations with a deep understanding of the dynamics of customer service, contact volume fluctuations, and the impact of workforce management on service levels is key.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proven track record for using data to drive key business decisions. Must have the ability to interpret complex data and make informed decisions based on forecasts and real-time data.
Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously.
Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to build and lead a high performing team. Must be able to provide leadership, empowerment and motivation across teams and peers.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with senior management, frontline staff and various other CS teams.

Nice To Haves

Must be committed to learning the emerging technologies in contact centers.

Responsibilities

Oversee the creation and management of employee schedules to match forecasted demand.
Ensure that schedules optimize resource allocation, minimizing under- and over-staffing.
Coordinate with operations to adjust schedules based on real-time demand and unforeseen events.
Optimize labor costs while maintaining service quality through strategically leverage staffing levers.
Track and control shrinkage categories and ensure tight monitoring over overtime, absenteeism, and other factors that impact labor costs.
Partner with the real-time management team to monitor call volumes and agent availability, making on-the-fly adjustments to maintain service levels.
Design and implement contingency plans during peak times, or unexpected medium term increase in volume.
Communicate with operations leaders to address staffing issues and find solutions to mitigate risks.
Analyze performance data to identify trends, inefficiencies, and areas for improvement.
Report on key workforce metrics such as occupancy, adherence, shrinkage, and service levels.
Provide insights and recommendations to senior management based on workforce data analysis (i.e. Hours of Ops change).
Lead and mentor a workforce operations team, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability.
Ensure that the team is trained and utilizing the latest WFM practices and technologies.
Engage and partner with external vendors and partners to optimize workforce management solutions
Serve as a liaison between the workforce operations team and contact center management to ensure that workforce strategies support operational goals.
Collaborate with other departments, such as HR, Operations, and Product, to ensure that workforce operations align with broader business strategies.