Senior Manager - AI-enabled Operations

Our Enterprise Value Creation (EVC) practice in Sofia is growing, and we are looking for a Senior Manager to join the team. 

Expectations of value have changed. The EVC team helps clients achieve sustainable P&L improvement, addressing short-term financial priorities while building long-term value for shareholders. We bring a private equity mindset to enterprises, and we differentiate ourselves through the rigour of our thinking and the humanity of our execution: we combine deep data and analysis with market knowledge, and we work side by side with clients so that value is realised and sustained.​

​Our AI-enabled Operations team helps organisations reimagine how their operations work and create measurable value through AI, automation and operational improvement – from finding where AI genuinely pays back to making sure the benefits land in the P&L. Based in Sofia, you will work with global clients, predominantly in the UK, across our industry sectors: Financial Services, Products & Services, Energy & Resources, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, and Government.

What you will be doing

• Lead AI-enabled operations programmes end to end: from diagnostics, baselines and business cases, through process and operating model redesign, to implementation, adoption and value realisation​
• Shape AI and operational transformation strategies and roadmaps tailored to each client’s needs, working closely with COOs, CFOs, technology leaders and other senior stakeholders​
• Oversee systems integrators, technology vendors and internal delivery teams, making sure solutions meet business needs and are delivered to scope and quality​
• Lead multi-disciplinary teams, bringing together expertise from across Baringa​
• Make sure value is realised and sustained, through robust benefits tracking and building client capability and driving user adoption​
• Coach and develop team members, helping them grow their skills and careers​
• Build long-term client relationships, shape proposals and contribute to business development​
• Help build the Sofia EVC team and its AI-Enabled Operations offering, including proposition development, recruitment and capability development​

Your skills and experience

We are looking for an experienced leader with typically 7+ years of relevant experience who enjoys building client relationships, developing teams and delivering lasting results for clients.​

• A track record of leading operational excellence, operational transformation or AI and automation-enabled operations programmes that delivered quantified benefits​
• Experience across the client lifecycle: from diagnostics, baselines and business cases, to process and operating model design, to implementation and benefits realisation​
• Experience of technology-enabled change, including managing systems integrators, vendors or internal delivery teams, and an understanding of AI and automation sufficient to test proposed solutions and challenge designs​
• Experience taking generative or agentic AI in operations beyond proof of concept​
• Experience in business development and in delivering work in at least one of Baringa’s industry sectors
• Strong senior stakeholder relationship, communication and presentation skills, with business, technical and executive audiences​
• Experience coaching teams and delivering training to colleagues and clients​
• Fluent written and spoken English​
• Ability to travel internationally for up to 30% of the time, and to travel and work within the EU/UK​

Nice to have:

• Exposure to large-scale technology transformation programmes, such as ERP, CRM, workflow platforms or re-platforming​
• Experience in regulated environments such as financial services, utilities or the public sector​
• Experience in a management or technology consultancy

We know that strong candidates do not always meet every requirement. If this role interests you and you meet many of the criteria, we encourage you to apply. We are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements.​

What a career at Baringa will give you 

Putting People First.

Baringa is a People First company and wellbeing is at the forefront of our culture. We recognise the importance of work-life balance and flexible working and provide our staff amazing benefits. Some of these benefits include:

• Generous Annual Leave Policy: We recognise everyone needs a well-deserved break. We provide our employees with 5 weeks of annual leave, fully available at the start of each year. In addition to this, we have introduced our 5-Year Recharge benefit which allows all employees an additional 2 weeks of paid leave after 5 years continuous service.

• Flexible Working: We know that the ‘ideal’ work-life balance will vary from person to person and change at different stages of our working lives. To accommodate this, we have implemented a hybrid working policy and introduced more flexibility around taking unpaid leave.

• Corporate Responsibility Days: Our world is important to us, so all our employees get 3 every year to help social and environmental causes and increase our impact on the communities that mean the most to us.

• Wellbeing Fund: We want to encourage all employees to take charge and prioritise their own wellbeing. We’ve introduced our annual People Fund to support this by offering every individual a fund to support and manage their wellbeing through an activity of their choice.

• Profit Share Scheme: All employees participate in the Baringa Group Profit Share Scheme so everyone has a stake in the company’s success.

Diversity and Inclusion

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that creating an environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging is central to our culture and that diversity is paramount to driving creativity, innovation, and value for our clients and for our people. 

An award-winning workplace

You can be a part of our ‘Great Place to Work’ – with our commitment to women and well-being in the workplace for all. Click here to see some of our recent awards and how we’ve achieved this. 

Using business as a force for good. 

We maintain high standards of environmental performance and transparency, which can be seen through our commitment to Net Zero with our SBTI-verified Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions reduction targets and our support of the Better Business Act. We report our progress publicly and ensure that we are also externally assessed and scored through organisations like CDP and EcoVadis - helping us to continually identify where we can improve.

We have a long legacy of supporting the communities in which we work, and offer a variety of ways to contribute, by putting people first and creating impact that lasts. Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) agenda is about giving back to the communities in which we live and work by sharing our skills, talent and time. In essence, we aim to empower and encourage everyone in the firm to contribute to the things we care about, and support registered charities and organisations with a clear social or environmental purpose to increase the positive impact they can have.