Client Operations Manager

Collections runs like an emergency room. You show up in crisis, get triaged by a stranger who doesn't know your history and leave with no follow-up. We're turning it into primary care for consumer finance. We started in the hardest, most broken stage, because if it works there it works anywhere.

70 million Americans fall behind on a debt every year. Most want to pay what they owe and can't find a way back. We've serviced over $20 billion in debt across more than 20 million consumers. We see more people with charged-off loans each year than all but the top five US banks. They rate us about 50% higher than the banks that lent them the money. Creditors net over 30% more with us because we collect more and charge less.

Most AI strips the human out of the work. We use it to do the opposite. In someone's hardest financial moment we make the experience more human. The more human we make it, the more people recover. Now we're moving upstream, catching people before they default and building across every stage of the consumer credit lifecycle. The one in collections today is the one who gets approved tomorrow.

About the Role

As our Client Operations Manager, you'll build operations as January's competitive advantage. This isn't about managing tickets — it's about transforming how enterprise clients run collections while creating operational dependencies that lock in our advantage. You'll prove that operational excellence drives revenue growth, not just cost reduction.

You'll lead a team of client operations associates who handle the day-to-day technical needs of our enterprise clients. This is an exciting opportunity to develop strong performers into exceptional ones — implementing rigorous quality standards, building advanced technical capabilities, and creating the operational discipline that sets industry benchmarks for client service. This is a hands-on leadership role where you'll balance team development with operational delivery, all while partnering closely with Client Success, Implementation, and Engineering teams.

This role offers the unique opportunity to build and lead a critical function at January while we transform how consumers and creditors interact. At January, you'll have the autonomy to innovate, the support to excel, and the platform to build something extraordinary. If you're driven to push boundaries and thrive in a culture of collaboration, rapid growth, and continuous learning, January offers the chance to do your best work.

What You'll Do

• Build and lead a high-performing operations team — Develop your team's technical and operational capabilities through targeted coaching, clear performance standards, and structured skill development that moves associates from competent to exceptional
• Design and implement operational excellence — Create the systems, processes, and quality frameworks that ensure 100% of high-priority client requests are resolved within SLA while reducing errors by 50% or more
• Drive technical problem-solving at scale — Enable your team to independently investigate data discrepancies, troubleshoot workflow issues, and resolve complex technical challenges without constant escalation
• Strengthen cross-functional partnerships — Collaborate with Client Success Managers to align operational delivery with strategic account goals, partner with Implementation on smooth handoffs, and work with Engineering to improve tooling and reduce manual work
• Create scalable foundations for growth — Build comprehensive documentation, training programs, and operational playbooks that allow the team to handle increasing complexity and volume without proportional headcount growth
• Manage stakeholder communications during critical issues — Lead client communications during operational challenges, turning potential escalations into opportunities to demonstrate January's commitment to excellence
• Establish metrics and accountability systems — Implement KPIs and performance dashboards that make success measurable, drive continuous improvement, and ensure consistent service quality across all clients

What We're Looking For

Experience and Leadership:

• 3+ years managing technical operations or support teams with demonstrated success improving team performance and operational metrics
• Proven track record of developing individual contributors into higher performers and managers through coaching, structured development, and clear accountability
• Background managing client-facing operations in B2B SaaS or fintech environments where accuracy and compliance are critical

Technical and Operational Excellence:

• Strong SQL skills with ability to write complex queries, investigate data discrepancies, and teach technical concepts to team members
• Experience building operational systems from scratch that scaled successfully with business growth
• Track record of implementing SLAs, quality frameworks, and operational metrics that drive measurable improvement
• Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot technical issues across multiple integrated systems

Skills and Attributes:

• Exceptional written and verbal communication — you can explain complex technical issues to non-technical stakeholders and write client communications that build confidence
• Strategic thinking balanced with hands-on execution — you can design long-term solutions while rolling up your sleeves to solve today's problems
• Strong prioritization skills — you thrive when everything feels urgent and can make clear trade-off decisions
• Cross-functional collaboration — you build strong relationships across teams even when priorities compete
• Comfort with ambiguity — you can create structure and clarity in undefined situations

Bonus Points:

• Experience with enterprise clients in financial services or debt management
• Knowledge of YAML, APIs, or workflow automation tools
• Previous experience scaling operations teams through process improvement versus headcount growth
• Background in early-stage or high-growth startups (Series B-D)

How We Work

• Decentralization beats control. The best calls get made by the people closest to them, not routed up a chain. You'll set the standards that let the team decide without you in the room.
• Speed beats perfection. You run tight loops, act at 70% on reversible calls and adjust as you learn. Fast loops beat slow ones.
• Candor beats comfort. You'd rather hear a hard truth early than a polite sidestep that wastes everyone's time.
• Writing beats the average meeting. Clarity scales.
• AI runs through everything here. We built our own code reviewer that beats the alternatives. Our voice AI handles most inbound calls with zero hallucinated payments. Engineers ship 3-4x the PRs they used to. You'll push it further into the work than almost any company you've worked at.
• We operate at every altitude. No one here lives only on Mount Olympus, not even the leaders. We get into the trenches to learn the ground truth, then refine our information flows so ground truth climbs as fast as direction comes down.
• We build in person, at least three days a week in our office in Nolita, with a growing group coming in every day. Random run-ins cross-pollinate ideas. Face time builds trust no thread can. Building alongside people makes work far more fun.

We are currently hiring for this position in our New York office.

As a New York City-based company, we are dedicated to transparent, fair, and equitable compensation practices that reflect our commitment to fostering an environment where all team members are valued and supported. We encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, age, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.