Country Director, Nigeria

Hugo is transforming the future of a continent by re-envisioning the future of its work. We exist to provide BPO excellence to our customers by investing heavily in the very best of African talent.

African communities currently reap less than 2% of a BPO market worth a staggering $430 billion annually. We are changing this.

Specializing in digital and AI operations, omnichannel customer support, and trust and safety solutions for some of the world’s largest tech and media companies, we are providing the continent’s university-educated youth with the skills necessary to build a meaningful career in the global digital economy. All whilst delivering industry-beating excellence for our clients.

As a culture, we’re Silicon Valley meets ECOWAS — English et en Français. We’re smart, dynamic, and ambitious. And we’re on a mission to win for our clients and for our people

About Hugo

Hugo is a next-generation BPO built for today’s work. With a global team of over 4,500 people, we focus on high-complexity, judgment-led workflows where nuance matters and traditional outsourcing models fall short. Our teams support demanding digital operations, including AI and model evaluation, trust and safety, crisis and escalation workflows, and advanced customer experience programs.

Our workforce is designed to operate in ambiguity. University-trained teams work within AI-enabled workflows, combining analytical rigor with a strong culture of accuracy and ownership. Since 2017, we’ve scaled rapidly while maintaining strong retention and consistent execution quality.

We are enterprise-ready, but operate differently. Hugo meets the compliance, security, and operational standards of large global BPOs while maintaining the speed and adaptability of a modern, analytics-driven organization. Our teams think like consultants—pairing structured execution with thoughtful problem-solving—delivering enterprise-grade reliability to large organizations and sophisticated operational capability to smaller, underserved companies.

Our mission drives everything we do. Outsourcing creates significant global value, yet little of it reaches African communities. Hugo is changing that by channeling opportunity into Africa, building meaningful careers, and proving that African talent can help power the future of the digital economy.

Role Summary

The successful candidate will lead and scale Hugo’s Nigeria operations. You will oversee in-country client delivery, workforce management, legal and regulatory compliance, finance, IT and data security, facilities, and administration reporting into the CEO/Regional Head. Your focus will be on operational excellence, cost efficiency, and high client satisfaction. In addition, you will build a high‑performing local management team.

Core Responsibilities

• Workforce Management

  • Design and execute workforce strategy: staffing plans, recruiting, onboarding, rostering, performance management.

  • Own total rewards: compensation benchmarking, benefits design, payroll accuracy, and incentive plans.

  • Oversee learning & development to close skill gaps, reduce churn, and support career paths.

  • Manage tooling/platform selection, vendor relationships, and end‑user adoption.

• People Leadership

  • Build and lead a local senior team (ops, HR, finance, legal, IT); mentor leaders and drive performance culture.

  • Set clear objectives, conduct regular reviews, and manage succession planning.

• Finance & Controls

  • Drive cost optimization to meet target cost per billable agent.

  • Own country P&L, budgeting, forecasting, and cash management.

  • Ensure timely and clean audits (statutory, client, internal); implement strong internal controls and procurement discipline.

• Legal & Compliance

  • Ensure compliance with Nigerian labour law, tax, and sector regulations; prepare for and pass client and government audits.

  • Own contracts, local statutory filings, work permits/visas (if applicable), and engagement with external counsel.

  • Maintain up‑to‑date policies (HR, data protection, security) and lead internal compliance training.

• IT & Data Security

  • Partner with IT/security to implement and maintain SOC, network, endpoint protections, and business continuity/disaster recovery.

  • Ensure GDPR/DPD/NDPR and client data protection requirements are met; manage incident response and reporting.

• Facilities & Administration

  • Manage office/operational sites, workplace safety, vendor contracts, and remote/hybrid site strategies.

  • Optimize occupancy and workplace costs; ensure business continuity.

Required experience & skills

• 8–12+ years operational leadership in outsourcing/BPO, contact center, or service delivery; 5+ years senior management.

• Proven track record managing country operations in Nigeria or similar African markets.

• Strong P&L ownership, budgeting, and cost optimization experience.

• Deep knowledge of Nigerian employment law, tax, compliance, and audit processes.

• Experience with IT/security frameworks and compliance (NDPR, ISO 27001, SOC 2 desirable).

• Excellent client management, negotiation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

• Data‑driven, process oriented, strong change management capability.

• Relevant degree; MBA or professional qualification (CIPD, ACCA, CISSP) is a plus.

• Fluent in English; strong communication and presentation skills.

KPIs (primary)

• Cost per billable agent

• Client SLA adherence: >=98%

• People NPS: >=7/10

• Government relations: zero fines / zero material regulatory findings

• Revenue retention/client churn (supporting KPI)

• Agent utilization and shrinkage metrics

• Audit findings: zero material exceptions

Location & Travel

• Lagos, Nigeria (onsite; frequent client/partner travel as needed)

• Open to candidates in established BPO markets like South Africa, Egypt and India who are willing to relocate to Nigeria

What We Offer

• A flexible work environment with strong operational support

• Meaningful autonomy and ownership over high-impact deals

• Competitive compensation

• The opportunity to sell services that create long-term value for clients and their teams