Customer Support Operations Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE -

Alex and Ani is an American jewelry brand rooted in purpose, positivity, and self-expression. Founded in Rhode Island in 2004, we design expandable wire bangles, charm bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and rings that are intended to do more than adorn — they enlighten the mind and empower the spirit. Our eco-friendly, American-made pieces carry meaning, and so does the experience we create for every customer who wears them.

As we continue to grow and invest in our direct-to-consumer operations, we are building a best-in-class customer support function from the ground up. We are looking for a Customer Support Operations Manager to be the architect of that effort — someone who will establish the infrastructure, assemble the team, and embed a culture of genuine service and continuous improvement into everything we do.

This is a high-impact, highly autonomous role. You will report directly to the SVP of Operations and serve as the operational lead for all things customer support. This is not a BPO management position — you will be a core member of our internal operations leadership team, with full ownership of strategy, people, process, and performance.

If you are energized by building things from scratch, thrive in ambiguity, and genuinely love developing people and teams, this role was made for you.


RESPONSIBILITIES -

Team Building & Leadership:
*Build the customer support team from the ground up, including defining team structure, headcount planning, role design, and hiring.
*Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop support agents and team leads, fostering a high-performance culture grounded in accountability and growth.
*Conduct regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development conversations that genuinely invest in each tea ---------- mber's trajectory.
*Lead by example — model the communication standards, customer empathy, and operational rigor you expect from your team.

Operations, Infrastructure & Process Design:
*Design and implement all foundational support infrastructure: workflows, escalation paths, ticketing configurations, knowledge bases, SOPs, and communication templates.
*Build and maintain a Quality Assurance (QA) program, including calibration sessions, scoring rubrics, and feedback loops to continuously raise service standards.
*Develop, document, and iterate on policies and procedures that ensure consistency, compliance, and a seamless customer experience across all channels.
*Establish and maintain agent and team-level KPIs, dashboards, and reporting frameworks that provide real-time visibility into performance and emerging trends.
*Proactively identify operational gaps and implement scalable solutions before they become systemic issues.

Performance Management & Continuous Improvement:
*Own all team performance metrics including CSAT, first response time, resolution time, quality scores, and productivity benchmarks.
*Analyze performance data to surface patterns, identify root causes, and drive targeted coaching or process improvements.
*Lead regular team reviews, QA calibrations, and retrospectives to ensure the team is improving consistently and collaboratively.
*Serve as the primary escalation point for complex, sensitive, or high-priority customer issues, resolving them with professionalism and care.


REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS -

*Minimum 5 years of experience in customer support or customer experience roles, with at least 2–3 years in a management or team leadership capacity.
*Demonstrated experience building a support team from the ground up — not inheriting an existing operation, but genuinely starting from scratch.
*Proven track record of scaling support teams across different growth stages, adjusting processes, structures, and tooling as the team evolves.
*Strong expertise in KPI design, reporting dashboards, and the metrics that matter most for a high-performing support organization.
*Experience developing and owning QA programs, coaching frameworks, and structured performance management processes.
*Deep familiarity with customer support tooling (e.g., Zendesk, Gorgias, Freshdesk, or similar platforms).
*Exceptional written and verbal communication in English, with the ability to engage clearly and professionally across all levels.
*Experience supporting an e-commerce, retail, or direct-to-consumer brand is strongly preferred.


WHO YOU ARE -

*A builder: You are energized by creating structure where there is none, and you know how to prioritize ruthlessly when everything feels urgent.
*Autonomous and self-directed: You don’t need to be told what to do next. You identify the gaps, make a plan, and execute.
*A genuine people developer: You invest in your team not because it’s on the checklist, but because it’s the most important thing you do.
*Highly adaptable: You pick things up fast, adjust when the landscape changes, and never stop learning.
*A multitasker with range: You can wear many hats — strategist, coach, analyst, escalation handler — and make it look seamless.
*Data-informed but human-centered: You know your numbers and you also know that behind every ticket is a real person who deserves a real answer.


TO APPLY -

Please include a cover letter and your resume.