Strategic Operations Associate

ABOUT HUGO

Hugo is a Future-of-Work company. We build and manage remote teams in West Africa for some of the world’s largest technology and media companies. We specialize in end-to-end machine learning data annotation and customer support solutions that ultimately yield more inclusive outcomes for our clients and their customers.

As a company, we’re obsessed with excellence. We ask smart questions to build a thorough understanding of our customer's needs; then pour ourselves into delivering not just great work, but also a perfect user experience so that we stand out in what is a very crowded market.

The only commitment greater than the one we have to our customers is the one we have to our people. We are dedicated to carving out a place in the digital economy for young Africans, so we work tirelessly to equip them with the skills needed to build meaningful careers.

As a culture, we’re Silicon Valley meets ECOWAS. We’re youthful, sharp, dynamic, and fresh. We’re Lagos and Dakar, in English et en Français, and we’re on a mission to win for our communities and our clients!

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

As a Strategic Operations Associate, you will play a pivotal role in shaping and executing the company’s strategic agenda. You will partner directly with company leadership to translate complex business problems into clear strategies, develop robust financial and operational models, drive data-backed decisions, and ensure disciplined execution across key initiatives. This role requires strong analytical horsepower, structured thinking, and the ability to influence stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

Identify opportunities for operational efficiencies and process improvements; Work with cross-functional teams to design and implement scalable solutions to optimize business processes.

Develop and own strategic models (e.g., growth forecasts, cost-reduction models, workforce planning, performance simulations) that drive company-wide priorities.

Ensure strategic projects and initiatives are executed on time and deliver intended outcomes; establish tracking mechanisms and report progress to the Executive Team.

Facilitate information flow and alignment between the Executive team, and cross-functional leaders to maintain clarity on goals, priorities, and execution risks.

Build and maintain dashboards and reporting tools to monitor KPIs, detect trends, and proactively flag risks and opportunities.

Assist the leaders in addressing complex challenges and solving problems, providing structured thinking, sound judgement, and data-driven innovative recommendations on complex operational and strategic challenges that align with Hugo’s objectives.

WHAT QUALIFICATIONS YOU’LL NEED

We’ll look to you to be strategic, maintain a keen awareness of the interests and motivations of others, and act with integrity.

You’ll need;

Experience in a startup / scaling organization.

Advanced analytical capability with mastery of Excel / Sheets and strong experience building financial models (e.g., driver-based forecasting, sensitivity analyses, profitability models, and operational models).

Exceptional problem-solving skills, with the ability to break down ambiguous problems using structured frameworks and outstanding communication and synthesis skills to turn complex data into clear, concise insights and compelling presentations.

Demonstrated ability to manage multiple high-priority projects simultaneously with strong attention to detail.

Understanding of systems-level operations, organizational design concepts, and how to build scalable processes.

Bachelor's degree in a relevant field. An MBA or equivalent analytical / quantitative training is strongly preferred.

4-6 years experience in high-performance environments such as investment banking, management consulting, or strategy / ops roles strongly preferred.

Hands-on experience working in African markets is a strong plus.

WHAT WE PROVIDE

Hugo offers a hybrid work environment that balances employee flexibility with a collegial, fun “office” culture. We pride ourselves on offering a dynamic environment where ambitious professionals can make a measurable impact and accelerate their career. Our compensation and benefits are highly competitive.