Head of Operations – Sri Lanka (Australian Clients)

S&B Private · Colombo

Job description – Head of Operations – Sri Lanka (Australian Clients)

An Exciting Opportunity with S&B Private

S&B Private is a premier partner for Australian and US accounting firms, specializing in building high-performing offshore teams. Since 2019, we have bridged the gap between global demand and local talent by focusing on technical excellence, rigorous training, and a culture of mutual respect. We provide Sri Lankan professionals with a launchpad for global careers while ensuring our international clients receive world-class service.

The Role: Head of Operations – Sri Lanka

As the Head of Operations, you will be the strategic engine of our Colombo office. Your mission is to scale our operations from 30 to 100 team members while maintaining the high standards our Australian clients expect. You will serve as the vital link between our Directors and our local team, overseeing the entire lifecycle of People & Culture, Operations, and Client Delivery. This is a high-impact leadership role designed for a professional who can turn high-level strategy into seamless daily execution.

Your Background Likely Includes

  • Operational leadership experience within a BPO / professional services organisation

  • Demonstrated success engaging and growing Sri Lanka based teams

  • Experience owning HR and people outcomes alongside operational delivery

  • Proven ability to partner with executive leadership and demanding external clients

  • Track record in building systems, structure, and leadership capability, including hiring and mentoring senior level talent

What You Must Be Comfortable With

  • Making decisions and being accountable for outcomes

  • Operating in a flat organisation structure without layers of management or support functions

  • Having direct conversations when things aren’t working

  • Balancing people leadership with delivery pressure

  • Working closely and aligning with foreign stakeholders

Requirements

Run the Operation

  • Turn Director direction into clear priorities and daily execution

  • Run the operating rhythm—weekly check-ins, follow-ups, and performance visibility

  • Make decisions and keep work moving without waiting for permission

Client Delivery

  • Ensure quality and consistency of all client work delivered from Sri Lanka

  • Ensure workflows, standards, and expectations are clear and followed

  • Step in early when delivery or client risks appear

People & Leadership

  • Lead recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and retention

  • Build capable team leads who can manage others properly

  • Deal with performance issues early and directly

Issue Resolution & Escalation

  • Effectively manage operational, people, and delivery issues

  • Be proactive in identifying and resolving problems

  • Escalate to Directors only when a decision affects:

    • client relationships

    • financial outcomes

    • agreed strategic direction

Ways of Working

  • Put simple, practical systems in place

  • Improve consistency without unnecessary process

  • Lean into the power of AI, while respecting client confidentiality, maintaining technical rigour and adding the ever important human touch

Getting Important Things Done

  • Lead cross-team initiatives that matter

  • Remove blockers

  • Drive initiatives to completion

Why Join Us?

Joining S&B Private means stepping into a culture that values autonomy, direct communication, and continuous improvement. We offer a lean, agile environment where your decisions have a direct impact on the company’s growth trajectory. If you are a results-driven leader ready to build robust systems and mentor the next generation of accounting talent, we provide the platform and the partnership to help you succeed.

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