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Operations Director

At Keywords Studios (KWS), we use our passion for games, technology and media to create a global services platform for video games and beyond. Our aim is to become the “go to” provider of technical services.

We enable leading content creators and publishers to leverage our expertise and capacity across the lifecycle of interactive content. In so doing we empower our clients to remain lean and agile, and to focus on creating the most engaging experiences.

KWS is trusted and relied upon by many of the world’s leading video game companies to work alongside them during concept, development and live operations by leveraging the breadth and depth of our industry leading service lines every step of the way.

www.keywordsstudios.com

Job Summary

The Operations Director oversees all operational aspects of KWS strategy, helps set strategic goals and is responsible for the flow of operations information to the COO and the Board of Directors.

The main purpose of the role is to direct all operational activities of the company to ensure that business objectives are met efficiently and effectively.

The Operations Director is part of our global Project Management Organization (PMO) and will play a key role in driving our strategic growth mission and our pursuit for operational excellence across KWS.

You will be responsible for identifying, planning and implementing operational growth, scale and streamlining best practices across Keywords, working in collaboration with the COO, the Global PMO Director as well as Service Lines, Global Support Functions and Global Business Development.

You will be the main evangelist and enabler of operational excellence and will be pivotal to supporting Keywords’ ongoing endeavours to becoming a truly lean and client-centric organization. You understand and are able to apply operational excellence methodologies to improve our organization's processes and services for sustained competitive advantage.

The role will be based in one of our studios but extensive travel is expected (post-pandemic) to Keywords Studios production sites and studios.

Key Responsibilities and Activities

• Collaborate with Service Line leadership on strategy development including: clustering strategies aimed towards organizational defragmentation and optimization, capacity planning and streamlining strategies aimed towards right-shoring our global operations, digital transformation and automation strategies aimed towards increased operational efficiency and freeing up transformational capacity

• Responsible for building and implementing an operational excellence strategy for KWS
• Identify a relevant operational excellence methodology to act as a framework for KWS
• Work with COO and PMO Leadership to direct operational activities and set strategic goals to ensure that the company achieves its short and long-term objectives
• Review, develop and implement policies and procedures to ensure that core operational functions achieve their business objectives and progress towards increased operational excellence
• Act as the company’s main adviser on all issues relating to operational excellence and keep abreast of latest developments to ensure that the company maintains its competitive position
• Support the development and evaluation of operational investment budgets to promote profitability/ROI and ensure the company has all the resources required to meet its objectives within agreed financial parameters
• Work with Service Lines and Global Support Functions to develop, implement and refine target operating models to support their strategic growth objectives
• Put in place data-gathering and data-analysis processes to quantify performance, and support the identification of improvement opportunities, both at an overall company and individual business unit levels
• Map fundamental structures and processes across the organization and build cost- and value maps to support the identification of efficiencies and scaling opportunities
• Support the wider PMO goal of providing a platform for organic growth
• Regularly provide reports for C-level executives and Service Line and Support Function leadership
• Build a collaborative network and maintain working relationships across the organisation to ensure effective co-ordination of strategic activities and objectives

Requirements

• Related University Degree or extensive suitable experience
• Extensive operations management or management consultancy experience
• A good knowledge of the videogames industry
• In depth knowledge of diverse business functions and principles including supply chain, customer services, and development and publishing services
• Strong data analysis skills and working knowledge of performance and operation metrics
• High competence in the use of Reporting Tools and data presentation
• Excellent time management skills
• Excellent decision-making skills

Core Competences

• Effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills
• Strong lean operational excellence skills
• Excellent analytical skills
• Experience of business intelligence/analytics platforms
• Expert in Six Sigma, EFQM or other Quality Framework Models
• Good working knowledge of business software (e.g. ERP, CRM)
• Excellent written and spoken English, ability to document strategic plans and projects in a structured way
• Strong reporting and presentation skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Strong collaborative spirit with a flexible work view and agile work style
• Ability to find ways of solving or pre-empting problems
• Knowledge of budgeting and resource allocation procedures