Director, Customer Support

Technical Support | Gainesville, FL United States

SumTotal Systems, LLC, a Skillsoft Company, is the only HR software provider to deliver Talent Expansion™ solutions that help organizations discover, develop and unleash the hidden potential within their workforce and entire business ecosystem. SumTotal goes beyond traditional talent management and HCM applications, offering contextual and pervasive HR solutions that actually help improve employee performance in real time. Through the SumTotal elixHR® platform, we offer our customers a virtual system of record for all talent applications, providing a unique ability to link performance management, compensation and succession planning processes to learning management systems (LMS) and workforce management data to provide the HR metrics and workforce analytics they need.

SumTotal Systems is seeking a dynamic leader to join its leadership team as Director, Customer Support. This is a leadership position reporting to the Sr Director, Customer Support.

This role is located in Gainesville, FL.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Responsibilities include managing second tier support managers and direct management of subject matter experts. A working knowledge of cloud and premise enterprise applications is a must.

• As a Director you will be accountable for meeting the strategic, operational performance, quality and budgetary objectives set for the entire business unit or cost center, while assuring the highest level of customer satisfaction.
• You will work closely with managers to ensure proper utilization and performance goals are met, while being accountable for overall organization success.

Operational Management

• Manage a team of individual contributors and managers.
• Maintain holistic view of how other organizations interact with and utilize support. Coordinate cross-organizational activities
• Ensure proper resource utilization including recruiting, hiring and training; ensures work environment, including equipment and facilities, is sufficient to meet work plan objectives; responsible for overall cost center budget and expenses.
• Contribute to development of the Global Customer Support management operating model and consistent business practices including team readiness to support new product releases or functionality, continue to build and evolve knowledge base; maintain relationships and provide input into Product Management/Strategy and Development teams to improve customer product satisfaction and ensures business continuity.
• Lead regular team and direct report meetings; communicate company goals, team goals and individual objectives to management teams. Continual monitoring and evaluation of metrics to ensure that team follows the right course of action to meet desired goals.
• Interacts seamlessly with executive level management within SumTotal Systems and customer companies requiring negotiation and influence on matters of significance. Leading all aspects of escalation management and tiger teams.

Strategic Management

• Set long-term strategic departmental goals based on company objectives.
• Conduct headcount gap analysis and resource planning.
• Partner with next level manager to drive collaboration with global teams on projects and initiatives for process improvements increasing quality and productivity.

Customer Management

• Committed to the delivery of outstanding service to customers.
• Maintain a holistic view of customer base.
• Meet with customers to better understand service issues and proactively develop better service delivery plans and drives outreach programs.
• Respond to critical customer situations decisively, coordinate with department managers to redirect resources as necessary; maintain ownership of customer escalations for several product groups until final resolution.

Employee Management

• Focus on succession planning and the development of support group managers’ leadership capabilities. Encourage employees to self-develop core competencies and technical skills through career planning, coaching, training and creation of applicable development plans.
• Obtain team feedback to develop process improvement plans to improve productivity
• Prepare and deliver employee work plans and development plans. Plan and communicate performance appraisals, compensation increases, awards and recognition programs. Approve employee time off requests, overtime requests, timecards and expense reports in accordance with local labor laws and HR policies while staying within budget.
• Maintain high departmental morale and is focused on retaining talent.

Required Qualifications / Skills:

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Ten or more years of technical or professional experience (support preferred) in addition to six or more years of successful management experience (recommended two or more years as a second level manager).
• Assists in the development of short, medium, and long term plans to achieve strategic objectives. Regularly interacts across functional areas with senior management or executives to ensure unit objectives are met.
• Experience working within a global environment supporting multiple regions and time zones.
• Ability to effectively communicate both written and verbally, to various levels within the organizations.
• Must be able to travel occasionally both domestically and internationally.