Director, Escalations

Kargo creates breakthrough cross-screen ad experiences for the world’s leading brands and publishers. Every day, our 600+ employees bring the power of their creativity and diversity to radically raise the bar on what mobile, CTV, AI, social, and eCommerce can do to wow consumers and build businesses. Now 20 years strong, Kargo has offices in NYC, Chicago, Austin, LA, Dallas, Sydney, Auckland, London and Waterford, Ireland. Humble brag: In 2024, Kargo was recognized as a Best Place to Work by Ad Age and Built In.

Who We Hire

Success takes all kinds. Diversity describes our workforce. Inclusion defines our culture. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or other legally protected status. Individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. 

Title: Director, Escalations 

Job Type: Full-time; 3 Days In Office
Job Location: New York, NY
Salary Range: $100,000.00 - $160,000.00 (On Target Earning)

The Opportunity

As the Director of the Escalations, you will be responsible for leading a globally distributed, cost-efficient support organization that serves as a strategic talent pipeline for Kargo. In this critical role, you will oversee the development and execution of processes, tools, and team management strategies to ensure world-class issue resolution, operational excellence, and sustainable talent growth.

The Daily To-Do

Team Management and Staffing

• Build and lead a high-performing, globally distributed team of technical support specialists
• Implement a hybrid staffing model, balancing direct hires and third-party resources
• Develop clear career paths and growth opportunities for direct hire team members
• Foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and excellence

Operational Excellence

• Establish and uphold industry-leading Service Level Agreements (SLAs) for issue resolution
• Implement effective triage and root cause analysis processes to drive continuous improvement
• Leverage automation and tooling to extract and optimize operational tasks
• Expand support coverage to address publisher-side issues and 24/7 global demands

Cost Management and Efficiency

• Optimize the team's cost structure through strategic global distribution and resource allocation
• Drive cost savings through automation, process improvements, and knowledge management
• Maintain a balanced approach to direct hires and third-party resources
• Demonstrate the team's value as a strategic cost center

Talent Development and Succession Planning

• Position the Escalations team as a breeding ground for future Kargo CSMs, engineers, and product managers
• Recruit and develop high-potential junior talent, providing accelerated growth opportunities
• Implement structured training and mentorship programs to nurture internal talent
• Facilitate smooth transitions of top-performing team members to other critical roles

Stakeholder Engagement and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders, including engineering, product, and client-facing teams
• Advocate for the Escalations team's strategic role and ensure alignment with organizational goals
• Gather and translate customer/partner feedback into actionable insights and improvements
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to enhance the overall customer experience

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in technical support, operations, or customer success management
• Proven track record of building and leading high-performing, globally distributed teams
• Expertise in service-level management, incident triage, and root cause analysis
• Strong understanding of cost optimization strategies and resource allocation models
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, and decision-making skills
• Passion for talent development and building sustainable career paths
• Experience navigating and influencing cross-functional stakeholders
• Familiarity with the ad-tech industry and Kargo's products and services is a plus

Follow Our Lead

• Big Picture:  kargo.com
• The Latest:  Instagram (@kargomobile) and LinkedIn (Kargo)