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Manifest Global is building infrastructure for global human capital mobility across 50+ countries, with a portfolio spanning Cialfo (AI-powered college counseling, 2,000+ schools), BridgeU (university guidance for international schools), Kaaiser (study abroad counseling across India and Southeast Asia), and Explore (AI-powered university outreach, 1,000+ university partners).
The Head of Operations owns the student placements function—the commercial engine that converts Manifest's demand network (schools) and supply network (universities) into real student outcomes at scale. This is not a back-office role; it is the growth engine of the group.
You will own the full application lifecycle across all major study destinations (UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and beyond) and all source markets globally. You are responsible for ensuring every stage runs with speed, accuracy, and consistency during normal periods and at peak intake when the system is under maximum pressure. You will design and implement scalable workflows that absorb increasing application volumes without degrading quality or turnaround times, define SLAs and quality benchmarks across all destinations, and identify bottlenecks before they become crises.
Beyond day-to-day operations, you will design the central operations hub that serves all Manifest brands—shared workflows, systems, and standards—so that every new brand and business line plugs into proven infrastructure. You own the operational readiness and integration of new business lines, including the upcoming direct-to-consumer business, from process design through team structure and steady-state handover. You will partner directly with group leadership on capacity planning and the operational implications of expansion strategy.
A major mandate is leading the AI transformation of the operations unit. You own the transformation roadmap, define and prioritize what Product and Technology build for operations, and redesign roles, workflows, and team structure around AI rather than layering tools on top of legacy process. The target is an operation whose cost-to-serve and turnaround times improve as volume grows, instead of one that scales by adding headcount.
You will lead teams in this high-volume environment, setting operational culture through what gets measured, escalated, and ignored. You are metrics-driven—using data to identify where processes break and which lifecycle stages are constraints. You are comfortable with ambiguity and building; the infrastructure is still being actively shaped, and there is no finished playbook to inherit.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Proven experience building and leading operations in high-volume environments
- Deep understanding of operational systems, process design, and scalability
- Track record of leading teams and setting operational culture with clear accountability and performance expectations
- Experience managing complex, multi-stage workflows and identifying bottlenecks systematically
- Metrics-driven mindset: using data to make decisions, not just report performance
- Comfort with ambiguity and building infrastructure from the ground up
- Experience with AI/automation transformation or willingness to lead it
- Ability to partner with senior leadership on strategic expansion and capacity planning
- Background in high-volume, time-sensitive operations (e.g., logistics, marketplace, fintech, or similar) is a strong plus
