About Hugo

Hugo is a next-generation BPO built for today’s work. With a global team of over 4,500 people, we focus on high-complexity, judgment-led workflows where nuance matters and traditional outsourcing models fall short. Our teams support demanding digital operations, including AI and model evaluation, trust and safety, crisis and escalation workflows, and advanced customer experience programs.

Our workforce is designed to operate in ambiguity. University-trained teams work within AI-enabled workflows, combining analytical rigor with a strong culture of accuracy and ownership. Since 2017, we’ve scaled rapidly while maintaining strong retention and consistent execution quality.

We are enterprise-ready, but operate differently. Hugo meets the compliance, security, and operational standards of large global BPOs while maintaining the speed and adaptability of a modern, analytics-driven organization. Our teams think like consultants—pairing structured execution with thoughtful problem-solving—delivering enterprise-grade reliability to large organizations and sophisticated operational capability to smaller, underserved companies.

Our mission drives everything we do. Outsourcing creates significant global value, yet little of it reaches African communities. Hugo is changing that by channeling opportunity into Africa, building meaningful careers, and proving that African talent can help power the digital economy's future.

Role Summary

The Director, SMB Portfolio is a strategic delivery leader responsible for designing, scaling, and owning Hugo’s service delivery model for small to mid-sized business (SMB) clients. You will build repeatable, efficient, and profitable delivery frameworks that allow Hugo to serve clients with <20 agents while maintaining world-class quality and client experience.

Currently managing 20 SMB clients (~100 agents), this portfolio is expected to scale to 40 clients and 200+ agents in the first 12 months. You will combine portfolio strategy, operational leadership, client management, and go-to-market product development, creating Hugo’s SMB playbook and enabling profitable growth in this underserved segment.

The ideal candidate is entrepreneurial, operationally savvy, and thrives at the intersection of strategy and execution—designing scalable systems while ensuring flawless delivery.

Why Join Hugo?

• Build from scratch: Architect Hugo’s SMB delivery model with freedom to innovate

• End-to-end ownership: Strategy, delivery, client relationships, and financial performance

• Market opportunity: Capture the $XX billion SMB BPO market

• Autonomy & impact: Make decisions quickly and experiment in a nimble environment

• Scale impact: Enable Hugo to serve hundreds of SMB clients, creating thousands of jobs

• Executive visibility: Direct exposure to the SVP of Service Delivery, CEO, and leadership team

Key Responsibilities

SMB Delivery Model Design

• Create standardized, modular SOPs, workflows, quality frameworks, and service tiers

• Design repeatable, scalable client onboarding processes (target: 10–15 days to go-live)

• Build operational models balancing efficiency with flexibility and profitability

• Develop pricing, service catalogs, and commercial frameworks for SMB clients

• Establish governance frameworks appropriate for SMB portfolio scale

Portfolio Leadership & Operational Excellence

• Own delivery performance across all SMB clients, ensuring SLA, quality, and satisfaction targets

• Manage a frontline organization of 100+ agents, scaling efficiently as portfolio grows

• Optimize shared resources across multiple clients, balancing utilization and quality

• Implement portfolio-level metrics and dashboards for proactive performance management

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and centers of excellence for SMB operations

Client Relationship Management

• Serve as executive sponsor for all SMB accounts, building trusted client partnerships

• Define client engagement cadence and communication frameworks tailored to SMB needs

• Manage escalations with appropriate urgency, protecting both client experience and profitability

• Identify expansion opportunities and partner with Sales for upsell strategies

Go-to-Market & Product Development

• Translate operational capabilities into compelling SMB service offerings and value propositions

• Define SMB “product packages” with clear scope, SLAs, pricing, and implementation timelines

• Support Sales enablement and contribute operational input to RFPs, proposals, and pitches

• Monitor market trends and competitive offerings to refine SMB strategy

Workforce & Leadership Development

• Build a low-touch, high-autonomy workforce optimized for SMB economics

• Recruit, develop, and mentor Operations Managers and Team Leads for multi-client oversight

• Implement performance management, coaching, and self-service enablement tools

• Foster entrepreneurial, solutions-oriented culture across SMB delivery teams

Financial Management

• P&L ownership for SMB portfolio: revenue, costs, margins, and profitability

• Optimize unit economics (cost-per-contact, labor utilization, overhead)

• Balance service quality, client satisfaction, and profitability in operational decision-making

• Partner with Finance on budgeting, forecasting, and business case development

Innovation & Continuous Improvement

• Lead SMB-specific innovation initiatives including automation, AI, and alternative staffing models

• Apply Lean principles to drive efficiency, quality, and scalability

• Establish feedback loops to continuously refine delivery model

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred

• 10+ years in BPO/contact center leadership, with 5+ years managing multiple small/mid-sized client accounts

• Proven track record designing and scaling delivery models for multi-client portfolios (200+ agents)

• Experience in emerging markets with understanding of labor, cost, and infrastructure dynamics

• P&L ownership and accountability for revenue, margins, and portfolio profitability

Technical & Functional Skills

• Deep operational expertise: SOPs, quality frameworks, multi-client management, workforce optimization

• Commercial acumen: pricing, service tiering, cost-profit trade-offs

• Proficiency with CRM, contact center platforms, WFM tools, and analytics/reporting

• GTM experience: translating operational models into marketable offerings

Leadership & Strategic Competencies

• Entrepreneurial mindset with bias for action and innovation

• Portfolio thinking: manage multiple clients, identify patterns, balance priorities

• Strategic + operational balance: design systems and execute at the ground level

• Client-centric with commercial discipline

• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-cultural leadership

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• SLA Compliance: ≥95% across SMB portfolio

• Quality Scores: 88–92% (SMB tier)

• Client Satisfaction (CSAT/NPS): ≥85%

• Client Retention: ≥90% annually

• Onboarding Speed: 10–15 days to go-live

• Multi-Client Utilization: 75–85%

• Portfolio Growth: 100 → 200+ agents with <20% management overhead increase

• Process Standardization: 70%+ of processes standardized across clients

• Automation/Tech Initiatives: 3–5 per year to improve efficiency or quality

Compensation

Hugo offers a competitive compensation package, aligned with scope and impact, including base salary, performance bonus, equity participation, and comprehensive benefits.