Role purpose

The Service Delivery Director is accountable for end-to-end service delivery excellence across assigned regions and clients within a global media localization environment. This role is designed for a senior leader who drives accountability, builds strong leadership benches, and scales delivery through effective delegation and clear ownership, rather than personal execution.

The Director is expected to lead managers, ensuring sustainable performance, predictable delivery, and continuous development of Service Delivery teams. The Director will lead the Client Service Delivery teams, collaborating with Account Management and Operations colleagues, maintaining high standards of service and driving continuous improvement in processes and performance.

Responsibilities

Operations leadership:

• Own end‑to‑end service delivery performance across assigned regions and clients, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and to agreed quality standards.
• Establish and enforce clear accountability for delivery outcomes, with defined KPIs, escalation paths, and decision ownership at each role level.
• Lead planning, execution, and prioritization of localization projects across multiple languages, clients, and time zones.
• Ensure client requirements are translated into standardized, systemized delivery processes that scale efficiently.
• Partner closely with Operations, Technology, and Finance to ensure appropriate resourcing, cost control, and delivery predictability.
• Use data, reporting, and performance trends to proactively identify risks and drive corrective action.

Team Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, and develop Service Delivery teams focusing on leadership maturity rather than task execution.
• Build a culture of ownership, delegation, and accountability, ensuring managers take responsibility for decisions and outcomes.
• Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and decision rights to reduce dependency on senior leadership and prevent micromanagement.
• Drive succession planning, talent development, and career paths within Service Delivery teams.
• Address performance issues directly and constructively, ensuring consistent standards across regions.
• Create an engaged, high‑performance environment where teams are empowered to deliver without constant escalation.

Client Relationship Management:

• Act as a senior Service Delivery counterpart for key client accounts in close collaboration with Account Management.
• Ensure teams fully understand client priorities, delivery expectations, and risk tolerance across all projects.
• Lead structured, transparent communication during escalations, focusing on resolution, prevention, and long‑term improvement.
• Balance client satisfaction with operational sustainability, team capacity, and quality standards.
• Represent Service Delivery in senior internal and external stakeholder discussions related to delivery performance.

Quality & Improvement:

• Take ownership of delivery quality, defect reduction, and continuous improvement initiatives across the service organization.
• Ensure consistent use of quality standards, workflows, and reporting across all regions.
• Drive improvements in efficiency, predictability, and scalability through process optimization and standardization.
• Use KPI trends and root‑cause analysis to reduce recurring issues and prevent firefighting.
• Champion a mindset of learning, improvement, and operational excellence within Service Delivery teams.

Skills and experience required

• 8–12+ years of progressive experience in Service Delivery, Operations, or Production Leadership, preferably in the media localization industry
• Demonstrated experience leading large, multi‑team organizations (30+ teams).
• Experience managing multi‑site, multi‑language delivery environments with complex client portfolios
• Demonstrated accountability for delivery performance, financial outcomes, and client satisfaction at a regional or global level.
• Demonstrated experience driving process standardization, systemization, and continuous improvement initiatives
• Comfortable operating in international, multicultural environments.

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