AI Operations Squad Lead

Welo Data works with technology companies to provide datasets that are high-quality, ethically sourced, relevant, diverse, and scalable to supercharge their AI models. As a Welocalize brand, WeloData leverages over 25 years of experience in partnering with the world’s most innovative companies and brings together a curated global community of over 500,000 AI training and domain experts to offer services that span:
ANNOTATION & LABELLING: Transcription, summarization, image and video classification and labeling. ENHANCING LLMs: Prompt engineering, SFT, RLHF, red teaming and adversarial model training, model output ranking. DATA COLLECTION & GENERATION: From institutional languages to remote field audio collection. RELEVANCE & INTENT: Culturally nuanced and aware, ranking, relevance, and evaluation to train models for search, ads, and LLM output.
Want to join our Welo Data team? We bring practical, applied AI expertise to projects. We have both strong academic experience and a deep working knowledge of state-of-the-art AI tools, frameworks, and best practices. Help us elevate our clients' Data at Welo Data.
The Squad Group Lead is responsible for delivering services and solutions to Welocalize customers. The Squad Lead will be accountable for a group of squads and manages or directs a team of Squad Leads. The Squad Group leader main objective is to ensure the Squads in their group understand their client requirements, engage the global team in the fulfilment of those requirements, and craft and deliver client solutions. These solutions are based on the Welocalize Four Pillars of Customer Service, Quality, Innovation and Global Teamwork. The Squad Group Lead is accountable for achieving assigned Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) and achieving and exceeding financial performance of their Squad Group.

Main Duties

• In concert with Operations leadership and Squad leads, define quarterly Squad OKRs in alignment with the company OKRs. 
• Ensure the Squads in their group are balanced in terms of revenue, workload and resources.
• Assist Squad Leads in measuring and reporting OKR result progress on a weekly basis; proactively identify actions and opportunities to achieve and exceed objectives.
• Ensure process, knowledge and process efficiencies are cross pollinated across the different Squads in their group.
• Ensure the Squads in their group are aligned on strategies to achieve their OKRs.
• Responsible for performance management (supervision, coaching, career development, and people activities such as time off and expense approval) of Squad leads in their group.
• Utilize business intelligence to monitor squads performance and assist Squad Leads to improve performance with regular cadence.
• Monitor financial and operational metrics (KPIs).  Support Squad Leads on implementation and execution of production process improvements resulting in increased customer satisfaction, operational leverage, project profitability, and resource productivity.
• Along with Squad leads, drive the adoption of existing and new production tools (e.g. Relay, PBI, WD) in compliance with defined processes and procedures.
• Point of Escalation for Squad Leads.
• Adopt, implement, and govern agile processes and practices.
• Responsible for owning and auditing, at least, a global process (i.e. reporting, DSO follow up procedures, etc.) to ensure standardization across all global Squad groups.
• Partner with the Sales and Solutions Teams in developing new business opportunities; provide RFP response support, pricing, staffing assignments and any other service delivery obligations required to nurture and win new business opportunities.
• In RFP processes, ownership of pricing, staffing assignments and any other service delivery obligations required to nurture and win new business opportunities.
• Identify and establish the most efficient processes for new service lines, specifically for those that involve other services such as MM, Testing, etc and that can affect several squads within a group.

Skills

• Operations Reporting Management
• Revenue management: assist Squad Leads in budgeting, forecasting, measuring and proactively implement operational efficiencies to correct or improve revenue performance including attrition forecasting.
• Productivity and Efficiency Reporting: Assist Squad Leads in monitoring, weekly reporting and implementing efficiency initiatives to improve and/or achieve cost targets.


• Team management
• Motivate Squad Leads while supporting their growth and development through active engagement with the Career Framework & Organization Model.
• Drive the adoption of existing and new production tools (e.g. Relay, PBI, WD) and implement adoption monitoring mechanisms.
• Supervision, mentoring and coaching of Squad Leads on Agile (including internal and external, direct, and indirect reports).

Key Competencies

• Ability to think strategically and articulate ideas and plans with the professional maturity to participate at senior management level.
• Knowledge and awareness of business trends.
• Cross Cultural Leadership.
• Experience of standing up a modern, effective delivery program.
• Can develop a program plan and sequence of events.
• Can lead customer meetings and capture requirements and set success factors.
• Can drive change on an existing program, across processes, roles and expectations.
• Drives collaboration among the different Squads – facilitates decision making and actions in the context of delivery to the customers.
• Actively drives their programs and teams and has an positive Impact.
• Shows good negotiation skills and situational awareness.
• Can establish & develop processes and procedures as part of a client program in alignment with Welocalize tools and systems.
• Provides mentoring & coaching to all Squad Leads.
• Requires customer centric approach and attitude to managing all aspects of the business.

Experience

• Proven program management experience in a fast-paced, client-centric environment, ideally in the translation or localization industry.
• Proven ability to lead large diverse teams, both local and remote.
• Knowledge of the language services industry and a keen interest in its technology, process, competitive landscape, and emerging trends.
• Demonstrated success at managing large accounts and/or programs.
• Curiosity and creativity to question existing processes and approaches and innovate new ones.
• Proven experience in development of processes and ideas.
• Experience in financial and operational management. 
• Customer relationship management.
• Must be available to travel for work related commitments.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws.
• Responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; appraising performance; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems.
• Availability to travel for work commitments is a must.

Other Relevant Skills

• Passion for serving customers required.
• Strong working knowledge of localization/translation software is an advantage.
• Strong competency in data analytics and developing data driven operating procedures.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence.
• Excellent literacy skills both written and verbal.
• Strong sense of ownership of the designated client accounts(s).
• Ability to adapt in a changing work environment.
• Ability to consider multiple perspectives to devise the most suitable customer and account strategies.
• Ability to think creatively.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced, time-sensitive, and deadline-driven work environment.
• Positive attitude towards automation and new technologies.
• Is a strong Listener. Encourages Empowerment of the Squad Leads. Effectively Manages Escalation from their team in times when standard operating procedures are not able to address customer dissatisfaction.
• Actively Drives Performance of assigned Squad group and Delivers Results.
• Understands the importance of OKRs and is Results Orientated.
• Can establish & Develop Processes and procedures to improve Operational Efficiency.
• Regularly exhibits Empathetic Leadership Skills and has a passion for Mentoring & Coaching of team members.
• Develops excellent Followership across the company through Sphere of Influence.

List of Benefits: - Medical Insurance- Telemedicine Benefit- Dental Insurance- Vision Insurance- FSA and HSA- Life and Disability Insurance- Vacation Time: unlimited- Sick Time: 6 days per year- Paid Holidays: 8 days per year- Employee Assistance Program- 401 (k) Retirement Plan- Paid Maternity Leave- Paid Adoption Leave
Salary Range: $125 - $140K.