Senior Manager, People Services

Senior Manager, People Services & Helpdesk About Agoda At Agoda, we bridge the world through travel. Our story began in 2005, when two lifelong friends and entrepreneurs launched Agoda to make it easier for everyone to explore. Today we are part of Booking Holdings, with over 7,000 people from 90 countries, working together across the globe. Every day, we connect people to destinations and experiences through hotel and holiday property listings, flights, and activities worldwide. Get to Know Our Team The People Team focuses on attracting, nurturing, and retaining exceptional talent. We build inclusive workplaces and support employees through onboarding, relocation, workspace design, and day‑to‑day HR needs. The People Help Desk is the first point of contact for most People queries, providing generalist HR advice and support to employees and managers. The Opportunity We are looking for a Senior Manager to lead our Tier 1 People Services & Helpdesk and shape how employees and managers access People services at Agoda. In this role, you will Lead the Tier 1 People Services & Helpdesk team (currently 10 FTE, single location), responsible for first‑line support and generalist HR advice. Own the relationship and interfaces with Tier 2 teams across People Experience & Services and the wider People organization. Build foundations for Tier 0/self‑service and self‑resolution, including knowledge management and future conversational and AI capabilities. This role is designed to scale over time. As our operating model matures, you will have the opportunity to: Build and lead a small, dedicated Tier 0/self‑service squad. Expand your remit in Tier 2 orchestration, including stronger integration with other CoEs, Employee Relations and specialist teams. The position is based in Bangkok. Agoda provides relocation support for successful candidates who are not currently located in Bangkok. Remote work or other locations are not an option. Lead the People Services & Helpdesk (Tier 1) Lead, manage, and develop the team to deliver high‑quality, consistent, and empathetic Tier 1 support across HR topics (e.g., policies, processes, data, benefits, onboarding, leaves, mobility). Define and manage service standards, SLAs, and quality metrics, ensuring timely, accurate, and compliant resolution of employee and manager queries. Build a strong service and coaching culture, providing clear expectations, feedback, and development opportunities. Plan and manage capacity, scheduling, and workload distribution to support business growth, seasonal peaks, and new initiatives. Own the Front‑Door Relationship with Tier 2 Teams Serve as the primary operational interface between Tier 1 and Tier 2 teams within People Experience & Services (e.g., Employee Relations, Payroll, Rewards, Talent Acquisition, People Partners, CoEs). Define and continuously refine routing, escalation, and handoff processes between Tier 1 and Tier 2 to ensure clarity, speed, and a seamless employee experience. Partner with Tier 2 leaders to translate policies and decisions into clear guidance for the Helpdesk. Use data and insights from Helpdesk interactions to surface trends, pain points, and root causes to Tier 2 owners and collaborate on upstream fixes. Build Tier 0 / Self‑Service and Knowledge Management Foundations Develop and execute a roadmap for Tier 0/self‑service, moving from reactive case handling to proactive, self‑directed resolution of common HR queries. Own and improve the HR knowledge base and content ecosystem (FAQs, articles, guides), ensuring information is accurate, up to date, and written in employee‑friendly language. Collaborate with HR CoEs and policy owners to codify and simplify complex HR topics into reusable content and decision trees. Measure and drive self‑service adoption and case deflection, using insights to prioritize content and journey improvements. Enable Digital, Conversational, and Agentic AI Experiences (with partners) Partner with Tech, Product, and Data teams to enhance HR self‑service platforms (e.g., portals, chatbots, case management tools). Contribute to identifying and shaping conversational and AI use cases for HR support, ensuring they complement human support and fit our service philosophy. Provide input into design, testing, and improvement of AI‑enabled solutions using data from Helpdesk cases, knowledge usage, and employee feedback. Ensure clear escalation paths to human support, maintaining appropriate standards for privacy, compliance, and employee trust. Drive Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement Monitor and analyze service performance metrics (volume, first‑contact resolution, time to resolution, CSAT/ESAT, deflection, re‑open rates). Partner with the People Services Excellence & Operational Effectiveness team to identify and deliver process improvements, reduce complexity, and increase right‑first‑time outcomes. Lead continuous improvement initiatives within the Helpdesk (e.g., playbooks, standard responses, training, coaching, quality reviews). Ensure effective controls, compliance, and data privacy practices are embedded in all Helpdesk operations and tools. Stakeholder Management & Communication Act as the go‑to contact for stakeholders regarding People Services & Helpdesk performance, priorities, and upcoming changes. Provide regular reporting and insights to People leadership, highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities in HR service delivery. Partner closely with Communications and relevant HR teams to coordinate messaging around policy changes, process updates, and new tools impacting employees and managers. What You Will Need to Succeed Bachelor’s degree in Business, HR, Operations Management, or a related field; advanced degree is a plus. Typically 6+ years of relevant experience in HR Operations, Shared Services, Customer Support, or Service Delivery roles, including leading teams. Proven experience managing a service or support function (e.g., HR helpdesk, customer support) with measurable improvements in quality, responsiveness, and satisfaction. Strong skills in operations management, service design, and process improvement; experience with Lean, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies is an advantage. Experience working with HR technology platforms (e.g., Workday) and service tools (e.g., case management systems, knowledge bases, chat or ticketing tools). Demonstrated ability to use data and analytics to monitor performance, identify root causes, and drive decisions and improvements. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, able to collaborate and influence across multiple teams and levels. Strong people leadership capabilities: build trust, coach team members, and foster a high‑performance, service‑oriented culture. Comfort working in a fast‑paced, evolving environment, with a strong bias for execution and continuous improvement. It Would Be Great If You Have Experience in HR shared services or multi‑tier support models (Tier 0/1/2) in a multinational organization. Hands‑on experience with conversational AI, chatbots, or virtual assistants in HR or customer service environments. Experience in knowledge management, including content strategy, taxonomy, and governance. Background in employee experience design, CX/UX, or digital product thinking applied to internal services. Prior experience in a high‑growth tech or digital company. Discover More About Working At Agoda Agoda Careers: https://careersatagoda.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/agodacareers/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/agoda YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/agodalife Equal Opportunity Employer At Agoda, we pride ourselves on being a company represented by people of all different backgrounds and orientations. We prioritize attracting diverse talent and cultivating an inclusive environment that encourages collaboration and innovation. Employment at Agoda is based solely on a person’s merit and qualifications. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity regardless of sex, age, race, color, national origin, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, citizenship, veteran or military status, and other legally protected characteristics. We will keep your application on file so that we can consider you for future vacancies and you can always ask to have your details removed from the file. For more details please read our privacy policy. Disclaimer We do not accept any terms or conditions, nor do we recognize any agency’s representation of a candidate, from unsolicited third‑party or agency submissions. If we receive unsolicited or speculative CVs, we reserve the right to contact and hire the candidate directly without any obligation to pay a recruitment fee. #J-18808-Ljbffr