Associate Lead, Customer Operations

This role involves supporting the Customer Operations Manager in translating strategic goals into daily operational outcomes. The Associate Lead will be responsible for establishing clear targets, maintaining team organization, and fostering the development of Senior Associates who oversee daily operations. Working closely with the Customer Operations Manager, this position shares ownership of critical metrics such as qualification, booking, confirmation, and show-up rates, and will step in to assist or represent the manager in significant decisions, reviews, and strategic planning as needed.

1. Partner with the Customer Operations Manager to develop long-term strategy, determine team hiring needs, and optimize processes.
2. Manage daily, weekly, and monthly routines to keep the team on track, including weekly performance reviews with Senior Associates and regular syncs with the Customer Operations Manager and wider team.
3. Collaborate with the Customer Operations Manager to set pod targets and provide Senior Associates with necessary tools and support.
4. Address high-stakes issues on the floor to understand frontline operations.
5. Determine overall staffing levels across pods to ensure Senior Associates can manage daily coverage and real-time queues effectively.
6. Oversee performance reviews for Senior Associates, working with the Customer Operations Manager to address underperformance, plan promotions, and establish clear career paths.
7. Lead the hiring process for pods, including defining roles, conducting interviews, and making final recommendations.
8. Maintain a talent pipeline to ensure succession plans are in place for all teams.
9. Define coaching standards for team members on handling objections, qualifying buyers and sellers, and converting interactions into bookings.
10. Monitor the entire funnel across all pods, specifically focusing on Qualification Accuracy, booking rate, confirmation rate, and show rate.
11. Produce daily and weekly reports on conversion rates, QA trends, and agent productivity to provide clear visibility into team performance.
12. Proactively identify system glitches, data errors, and operational bottlenecks before they impact service levels or customer experience.
13. Handle second-line escalations, establishing clear guidelines for Senior Associates to resolve routine issues independently.
14. Manage complex customer cases, high-value seller disputes, and cross-team blockers.
15. Represent Customer Operations and collaborate with other departments like Sales, Yard Operations, Marketing, Product, and Finance to resolve shared challenges.
16. Identify friction points in the buyer and seller journey and work with the Customer Operations Manager to implement scalable improvements, new tools, and updated playbooks.

1. Possess 4+ years of experience in customer operations, customer experience, and contact centers.
2. Have 2+ years of experience managing senior associates or multiple teams, including performance reviews, target setting, and team development.
3. Demonstrate proven ability to analyze sales/conversion funnels, plan staffing, and collaborate with senior management on operational plans.
4. Exhibit strong reporting and data analysis skills.
5. Possess practical experience using CRMs, call center tools, workforce management software, and reporting dashboards.
6. Display excellent communication skills and a calm, decisive approach when handling urgent issues.
7. A background in high-volume marketplaces, automotive retail, or fast-paced startups is beneficial.
8. Experience with Zoho CRM is a plus.