Senior Manager, People Services & Helpdesk (Bangkok-based, Relocation Provided) in London

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About Agoda

At Agoda, we bridge the world through travel. Our story began in 2005, and we are part of Booking Holdings, with a diverse team of over 7,000 people from 90 countries. Data and technology are at the heart of our culture, fueling our curiosity and innovation. We invite you to join us if you're ready to help build travel for the world.

The Opportunity

We are looking for a Senior Manager, People Services & Helpdesk to lead our HR Helpdesk (Tier 1) and shape how employees and managers access People services at Agoda.

• 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 the foundations for Tier 0 / self‐service and self‐resolution, including knowledge management and future conversational and agentic AI capabilities.
• 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 for the team.
• 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 ensure knowledge, policies, and decisions are translated into clear guidance and resolution paths for the Helpdesk team.
• 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 clear, employee‐friendly language.
• Collaborate with HR CoEs and policy owners to codify and simplify complex HR topics into reusable content and decision trees that support both employees and Tier 1 advisors.
• Measure and drive self‐service adoption and case deflection, using insights to prioritise 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 agentic 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, and maintain appropriate standards for privacy, compliance, and employee trust.

Drive Operational Excellence and Continuous Improvement

• Monitor and analyse service performance metrics, such as volume, first‐contact resolution, time to resolution, CSAT/ESAT, deflection, and 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 into all Helpdesk operations and tools.

Stakeholder Management & Communication

• Act as the go‐to contact for stakeholders with respect to People Services & Helpdesk performance, priorities, and upcoming changes.
• Provide regular reporting and insight 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 experience leading teams.
• Proven experience managing a service or support function (e.g., HR helpdesk, customer support, shared services) with measurable improvements in quality, responsiveness, and customer satisfaction.
• Strong skills in operations management, service design, and process improvement; exposure to 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: able to build trust, coach team members, and foster a high‐performance and 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.

Equal Opportunity Employer

At Agoda, we pride ourselves on being a company represented by people of all different backgrounds and orientations. We prioritise 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.