WFM Manager

Workforce Management (WFM) Manager

Location:

Reports To:

About the Role

The Workforce Management (WFM) Manager will lead all planning, forecasting, scheduling, and real-time management activities for the Travel Contact Centre.

This is a universal WFM role supporting end-to-end contact centre operations, including Customer Care and Sales Operations. The role ensures optimal staffing, high service levels, cost efficiency, and actionable analytics across a multi-function travel environment.

This position acts as the single source of truth for all operational performance data.

Responsibilities

1. Forecasting & Capacity Planning Develop accurate volume forecasts for bookings, exchanges, refunds, cancellations, ancillaries, and sales calls. Incorporate seasonality, airline schedules, historical patterns, and marketing campaigns into forecast models. Convert forecasted demand into precise staffing requirements. Align hiring plans, training batches, and nesting periods with demand. Partner with HR and Finance to validate headcount and cost models.

2. Scheduling & Resource Optimization Build optimized agent rosters balancing service levels, occupancy, and cost. Manage shrinkage (planned & unplanned) and ensure staffing accuracy across UK and global time zones. Integrate training, QA, coaching, and calibration sessions into optimized schedules. Maintain schedule stability while supporting operational flexibility.

3. Real-Time Management Monitor live queues, service levels, occupancy, AHT, and abandonment. Take corrective actions during SLA risks (OT, skill movement, schedule adjustments). Lead communication during disruptions: airline irregularities, weather events, outages, or system issues. Ensure real-time reporting visibility for Operations and Leadership.

4. Reporting, Analytics & Dashboarding Build and maintain Power BI & Excel dashboards covering: Forecast accuracy Service levels & occupancy AHT & handle metrics Shrinkage, adherence, productivity Channel/call-type distribution Publish daily, weekly, and monthly business intelligence reports. Identify trends, inefficiencies, and cost-saving opportunities using data visualization. Work closely with Operations to convert insights into action.

5. Continuous Improvement & Strategic Initiatives Recommend tools and technology upgrades to enhance forecasting and scheduling precision. Support deployment of automation, AI routing, and self-service capabilities. Standardize WFM processes globally and document all SOPs. Ensure audit readiness and maintain process governance.

Travel Domain & WFM Expertise Minimum 5 years of Workforce Management experience in a Travel BPO, OTA, or Airline Contact Centre. Hands-on experience with travel operations (airline bookings, exchanges, refunds, GDS flows, travel seasonality, etc.).

Strong experience in capacity planning, forecasting, and schedule optimization. Technical Skills Mastery of Excel (advanced) – pivot tables, macros, data modeling. Proficiency with Power BI for dashboarding and analytics.

Experience with WFM tools Solid understanding of Erlang C and advanced forecasting methodologies.

Analytical & Reporting Ability Strong diagnostic skills to identify performance gaps, productivity issues, or cost leakages.

Ability to transform raw data into actionable insights. Stakeholder Collaboration Ability to work cross-functionally with Operations, Training, Quality, HR, and Finance. Strong communication and presentation skills for leadership-level reporting.

Other Requirements

Flexibility to work night shifts if required. Willingness to extend during peak seasons or operational escalations. Core Competencies Data-driven decision making Analytical excellence & dashboarding capability Strategic workforce planning Operational agility & responsiveness Cross-functional collaboration & communication Governance, process documentation, and reporting discipline

Key Performance Indicators

Forecast Accuracy (%)

Schedule Adherence (%)

Service Level Achievement (%)

Occupancy & Utilization (%)

Cost per Call / Cost per Transaction Timeliness

& Accuracy of all dashboards and reporting