Country Operations Head - Visa Application Centre, Ethiopia

About the role

VAS Global Services is looking for an experienced Country Operations Head to lead and oversee its Visa Application Centre (VAC) operations across Ethiopia. The role covers operational excellence, service quality, regulatory and process compliance, and strong relationships with diplomatic missions and business partners. It also involves driving financial and operational performance, developing centre management teams and supporting the growth of VAS services in Ethiopia.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee all Visa Application Centre operations across Ethiopia, ensuring service standards, quality, turnaround times and operational targets are met.
• Manage operational and financial performance, including revenue, costs, budgets and productivity, with the Country Finance Head.
• Lead, develop and manage Centre Operations Heads, covering workforce planning, performance management, succession planning and team development.
• Ensure centres comply with company policies, SOPs, quality standards, client requirements and local regulations.
• Maintain physical and information security controls, manage operational risks and handle incident reporting and resolution.
• Build relationships with embassies, consulates, government authorities, business partners and other stakeholders.
• Drive customer experience, service quality, efficiency and continuous improvement, and identify new value-added services and revenue streams.
• Support the opening of new centres and implement new processes and service rollouts.
• Monitor performance through KPIs and management reporting, taking corrective action where needed.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Operations Management, Hospitality Management or a related field; a postgraduate qualification is an advantage.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in visa services, BPO, travel, hospitality or a comparable customer-facing industry.
• At least 5 years in a management or senior leadership role overseeing operational teams and business performance.
• Proven experience managing multi-site operations and in budget management, cost control and revenue performance.
• Fluency in English; knowledge of Amharic is an advantage. Regular travel to centres across Ethiopia is required.