Overview
Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Nutun Jobs in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa at Trending Talent Solutions
Title: Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Nutun
Company: Trending Talent Solutions
Location: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Purpose of the Role
As the Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Nutun International, you will hold ultimate accountability for the operational delivery, structural efficiency, and strategic transformation of the global BPO and collections business. You will lead the execution of our target operating model, transitioning the business from a traditional BPO structure into a highly standardised, technology-led, and data-driven platform.
You will oversee the entire operational ecosystem, ensuring that frontline delivery (led by Regional MDs) is seamlessly supported by centralised, high-performance shared services in Ops Intelligence and People. Your mandate is to drive commercial viability by optimising the payroll-to-revenue ratio, embedding a culture of accountability and transparency, and ensuring consistent, world-class service delivery for our international clients in the UK, USA, and beyond.
Key Responsibilities
1. Executive Operational Leadership & Strategy Execution
- Lead the operational execution of the Nutun International strategy, ensuring alignment with broader Group objectives and commercial targets.
- Drive the implementation of the target operating model, flattening the organisational structure and embedding a culture of end-to-end commercial accountability at the campaign leadership level.
- Take ultimate accountability for the operational P&L, focusing relentlessly on cost-to-serve, effective utilisation, and reducing the payroll-to-revenue ratio to industry-leading benchmarks.
- Foster a high-performance, data-led culture that prioritises transparency, standardisation, and accountability across all operational sites and campaigns.
2. Frontline Delivery & Regional Management
- Provide executive oversight and strategic direction to the Regional MDs, ensuring consistent, high-quality service delivery across all geographic locations (Johannesburg, Durban, UK, USA).
- Ensure that operational ratios (e.g., Agent to Team Manager, Agent to Coach) are strictly adhered to and optimised through technology and AI enablement.
- Act as the senior operational sponsor for major international clients, participating in Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) and strategic partnership discussions.
- Drive the standardisation of the Nutun Way across all campaigns, eliminating bespoke, fragmented operating practices.
3. Operational Intelligence & Shared Services Integration
- Oversee the SVP Ops Intelligence to ensure that Workforce Management (WFM), Quality Assurance (QA), Business Intelligence (BI), and Continuous Improvement (CI) operate as a cohesive, high-value shared service.
- Ensure that operational leaders consume and act upon the data and insights generated by the Ops Intelligence platform, moving the business from reactive management to predictive orchestration.
- Champion the integration of AI and automation into the operational workflow, including AI-enabled capacity planning, scheduling, and agent coaching engines.
4. People Strategy & Workforce Optimisation
- Partner with the VP People to ensure the HR, Recruitment, and Learning & Development functions directly support the operational strategy and high-performance mandate.
- Oversee the implementation of structured onboarding models and strict performance management frameworks to drive speed-to-proficiency and operational excellence.
- Ensure the organisational design remains lean, agile, and free of unnecessary non-revenue-generating management layers.
5. Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Ensure all operational activities comply with relevant international regulations, client contractual obligations, and internal governance standards.
- Proactively identify and mitigate operational risks, including those related to technology disruption, client concentration, and workforce stability.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Finance, or a related discipline.
- Postgraduate qualification (MBA or equivalent) strongly preferred.
- Minimum 15 years of progressive operational leadership experience, with at least 5–7 years at an Executive or C-Suite level.
- Extensive experience in the global BPO, contact centre, or collections industry, with a proven track record of managing large-scale operations (3,000+ headcount) servicing international markets (UK/USA).
- Demonstrated success in driving large-scale organisational transformation, operating model redesign, and cost-optimisation programmes.
- Deep commercial acumen with experience managing complex P&Ls and driving profitability in a margin-sensitive environment.
- Strong understanding of modern contact centre technologies, AI orchestration platforms, WFM, and data analytics.
Key Competencies
Leadership & Strategic Competencies
- Visionary and transformational leadership
- Commercial acumen and relentless focus on efficiency
- Systems-level thinking and operating model design
- Executive stakeholder management and client partnership
- Change management and organisational agility
Behavioural Attributes
- High integrity and sound professional judgment
- Resilient under pressure with a strong bias for action
- Credible, direct, and authoritative communicator
- Data-driven and evidence-led decision maker
- Commercially pragmatic and solution-focused
Location and Working Conditions
This role can be based in Johannesburg or Durban, with frequent travel required between the South African sites. Due to the global nature of the business and the international markets serviced, significant flexibility is required to accommodate client time zones (UK/USA) and undertake international travel as necessary.
This position description is intended to convey information essential to understanding the scope of the role and is not exhaustive. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or be supplemented at any time with or without notice in line with business requirements.
- The organisation is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. We encourage applications from all suitably qualified and experienced individuals, including people from designated groups as defined under the Employment Equity Act.
Durban
Johannesburg
Published Date: 04 May 2026
Closing Date: 13 May 2026