Customer Support Team Lead & Operations Manager (E-commerce / Shopify)

This is NOT a role for someone who simply follows SOPs or waits for instructions.

We’re looking for a TEAM LEAD who can tell us what needs to be improved, rather than waiting for us to tell them what to do. You should be someone who takes initiative, thinks logically, proactively identifies problems, and suggests practical ways to improve our operations.

Position: Customer Support Lead & Operations Manager
Salary: $1,400-$1,700 depending on the experience
Work Hours (Philippines time): Monday- Friday, 8.00am - 5.00pm (1 hour lunch break)
Support experience (Shopify, Ticket tools) : 3+ years
Leadership Experience: 2+ years people leadership

About Us
We’re a growing international e-commerce brand. Looking for an experienced Customer Support Lead & Operations Manager who can independently lead our customer support team, improve our workflows, and coordinate with our fulfillment warehouse (3PL) and factory.

Key Responsibilities
1. Customer Support Team Management

• Manage and oversee the daily operations of our small customer support team (1-2 people).
• Have strong hands-on experience with Shopify, ticketing systems, chargebacks, disputes, returns, refunds, and public review platforms such as Trustpilot.
• Guide team members in handling complicated customer cases outside of SOP and finding fair solutions that balance customer satisfaction with company profitability.
• Monitor individual support team performance, identify areas for improvement, and provide reports.
• Evaluate team workload and determine whether additional staff are needed as the business grows, or whether existing workflows can be optimized first.
• Ensure customer complaints on social media, Trustpilot, and public groups are handled professionally to protect our brand reputation.

2. Workflow Optimization & SOP Development

• Review our existing customer support processes and proactively identify inefficiencies.
• Improve existing SOPs and create new ones when situations arise that aren't covered by current procedures.
• Recommend better Shopify apps, customer support tools, and AI solutions to reduce repetitive manual work.
• Identify recurring customer issues and develop long-term solutions rather than repeatedly fixing the same problems.
• Take ownership of operational improvements instead of waiting for management to identify what needs to change.

3. Factory & 3PL Coordination

• Act as the main point of contact between the customer support team, fulfillment warehouse (3PL), and factory to resolve customer-related issues. For example, identify recurring shipping or product quality problems through customer feedback, coordinate with the relevant teams to implement improvements, and prevent the same issues from happening again.
• Communicate directly with the 3PL to investigate delivery issues, improve fulfillment processes, and resolve warehouse concerns.
• Communicate directly with the factory regarding product defects, quality improvements and production timeline to help prevent stock delays.
• Use actual customer complaints and support data to help make informed decisions about product inspections and acceptable quality standards.
• Ensure issues are followed through until resolved, rather than simply passing messages between departments.

What We're Looking For:

• Proven experience in a senior customer support or customer experience management role in e-commerce business.
• Strong knowledge of Shopify, customer support ticketing systems, payment disputes, chargebacks, returns, and refunds.
• Experience managing remote customer support teams and evaluating employee performance.
• Excellent logical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to balance customer satisfaction with business profitability.
• Experience improving SOPs, implementing automation, and using AI tools to improve productivity.
• Strong written and spoken English communication skills.
• Comfortable communicating with fulfillment partners, suppliers, and factories.
• Highly organized, proactive, accountable, and able to work independently without constant supervision.

Who This Role Is NOT For
This position may not be the right fit if you:

• Prefer following instructions rather than making independent decisions.
• Only have experience answering customer tickets without managing or improving operations.
• Wait for problems to happen instead of identifying ways to prevent them.
• Escalate every difficult situation to the business owner without first evaluating possible solutions.
• Are looking for a temporary job rather than a long-term career.

What We Offer

• Salary Growth: Opportunities for salary increases as the company grow.
• Stable Long-Term Career: We offer a stable, full-time position with a growing international brand.
• Performance Bonuses: Bonuses based on your performance, contributions, and the company's growth.
• Career Growth: Opportunities to take on greater responsibilities and advance into a more senior leadership position.
• Independence & Ownership: You'll have the authority to make decisions, implement improvements, and lead your team without constant micromanagement.
• Supportive Work Environment: We value initiative, logical thinking, open communication, and continuous improvement.

What Success Looks Like:
Our goal is to have someone who can take full ownership of the customer experience department.
We expect you to identify issues, evaluate possible solutions, make informed decisions within your authority, and keep management updated on results.
Ultimately, we're looking for someone who can make our operations more efficient, improve customer satisfaction, reduce unnecessary costs, and allow the business owner to focus on growing the brand instead of managing daily support issues.

How to Apply
Please answer the following questions:
1. How many years of experience do you have managing customer support teams for e-com brands? Please name the companies/brands.
2. What did your day-to-day responsibilities involve? Please name the tools you used.
3. How many customer service agents have you managed?
4. Tell us about a workflow or SOP you improved in your previous role. What was the problem, what did you change, and what was the result?
5. Have you worked directly with fulfillment warehouses (3PLs) or factories to resolve customer-related issues, what did you do?
6. What AI tools or automation have you implemented to improve customer support efficiency?
7. You noticed a 1-star review on our TrustPilot, what would you do?
8. If customer support workload increased by 50%, how would you d ---------- whether to hire another employee or optimize the current team's workflow?