Automation & Tooling Manager

The Automation & Tooling Manager leads the development, optimisation, and governance of automation, tooling, and AI capabilities across Patrianna’s Customer Service, Player Operations, and related functions. The role ensures that frontline teams operate with world-class efficiency by scaling intelligent automation, enhancing system performance, and introducing innovative solutions that improve both player experience and operational effectiveness.

This manager oversees the configuration and evolution of the CS and Player Ops tech stack (including Zendesk, Retool, and other supporting systems), drives AI adoption, and acts as the function’s subject matter expert on tooling, workflow design, and service technology strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop a high-performing team focused on Zendesk, Retool administration, and CS/Player Ops tooling.

• Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, and high performance aligned with Patrianna’s values.

• Set clear goals, priorities, and delivery expectations for tooling and automation initiatives.

• Ensure strong documentation and governance processes for system changes and workflow design.

Tools & Platform Ownership

• Serve as the functional owner for key CS and Player Ops platforms, including Zendesk, Retool, QA tools, knowledge systems, and internal automations.

• Oversee system configuration, maintenance, optimisation, and user management with a strong emphasis on security and compliance.

• Partner with Engineering, Data, and Product teams to ensure robust system integrations and technology architecture.

• Maintain a clear roadmap for tooling scalability and improvements.

Automation Strategy & Delivery

• Design and deliver automation solutions that reduce manual workload, improve agent efficiency, and enhance the player experience.

• Use data, insights, and operational feedback to identify optimisation opportunities.

• Own and continuously improve workflows, routing logic, macros, triggers, bots, and self-service tools across CS and Player Ops environments.

• Establish processes for testing, monitoring, and iterating on automation.

AI Adoption & Innovation

• Lead the strategy and rollout of AI-powered solutions within CS and Player Ops.

• Collaborate with internal AI teams to deploy LLM-driven capabilities such as agent assist, automated classification, and response generation.

• Drive change management, training, and adoption to ensure AI tools deliver measurable impact.

• Monitor technological trends and identify opportunities for innovation and operational excellence.

Stakeholder Partnership & Communication

• Work closely with CS Leadership, Player Ops, Training, QA, Insights, and Product to ensure tooling and automation align with operational goals.

• Act as the primary contact for cross-functional initiatives that affect CS, Player Ops, and tooling workflows.

• Communicate changes, updates, and performance impacts clearly and proactively.

• Champion frontline needs and ensure technology decisions support service quality and speed.

Skills & Competencies

Technical Skills

• Strong knowledge of Zendesk (Support, Guide, messaging, automation, routing, analytics) and Retool.

• Deep understanding of service operations workflows and escalation processes across CS and Player Ops.

• Experience with LLMs, AI-based tooling, and automation platforms.

• Familiarity with APIs, integrations, and basic scripting or data tooling (JSON, Python, SQL) is beneficial.

Leadership & Behavioural Competencies

• Clear, concise communicator with strong stakeholder management skills.

• Highly organised and able to prioritise in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment.

• Strong strategic thinker with a bias for action and measurable outcomes.

• Passionate about continuous improvement and operational optimisation.

• Demonstrates Patrianna values: Passion, Performance, ownership, and collaborative behaviour.

Success Measures

• Increased operational efficiency through impactful automation initiatives.

• Strong adoption and measurable performance gains from AI-driven tools.

• Consistent improvements to player satisfaction and service quality.

• Stable, well-documented, and scalable CS and Player Ops tooling ecosystem.

• Effective cross-functional relationships and predictable delivery of tooling improvements.

• High engagement and performance within the automation and tooling team.

Experience Requirements

• Background in Customer Service, Player Operations, tooling, automation, or service technology roles.

• Experience managing or mentoring technical or operational specialists.

• Proficiency with Zendesk, Retool, or similar enterprise support platforms.

• Experience delivering automation and AI-driven initiatives at scale.