Project and Merchant Ops Associate

Role: Senior Merchant Operations Associate

Type: Full-time with Lancesoft.

Work Location: Onsite at client's location in Colombo

About LanceSoft :

Established in 2000, LanceSoft is a pioneer in delivering top-notch Global Workforce Solutions and IT Services to a diverse clientele. Headquartered in Herndon, VA, LanceSoft operates 32+ regional offices across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Our team of over 5,000 professionals supports 110+ enterprise clients globally, including Fortune companies across various sectors such as Technology, Healthcare, Government, Retail, Telecom, and Financial Services.

About the Role:

We're looking for a Senior Merchant Operations Associate to lead key operational programs that help merchants run their business smoothly on Team — including merchant hardware, in store branding and visibility, and merchant content quality. This is a project management role requiring strong negotiation skills, cost awareness, and the ability to balance business and merchant needs.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end lifecycle management of merchant hardware programs , from procurement and deployment through retirement.
• Manage merchant operational supplies, ensuring consistent availability and effective cost planning.
• Lead in-store branding, merchandising, and visibility programs across core and expansion markets.
• Oversee merchant photography and content programs , ensuring timely and high-quality execution.
• Manage day-to-day coordination and commercial negotiations with vendors, suppliers, and external partners .
• Support local CRM and lifecycle marketing initiatives related to merchant operations.
• Manage programs as structured projects with clearly defined timelines, budgets, deliverables, and performance metrics .
• Monitor costs and program performance and identify opportunities for process improvement and operational efficiency .
• Work cross-functionally with Sales, Account Management, CRM, Analytics, and Expansion teams .
• Prepare and communicate program cost, progress, and performance updates to relevant stakeholders and leadership.

Required Skills & Experience

• 4+ years of experience in:
• Project Management
• Program Management
• Operations
• Business Operations
• Strong project/program management skills with the ability to scope, plan, execute, track, and report multiple projects.
• Experience or exposure to procurement, vendor management, supplier management, or vendor negotiations .
• Strong commercial negotiation skills and ability to resolve issues with external partners.
• Strong stakeholder and cross-functional management skills.
• Cost-conscious and strategic approach to decision-making.
• Ability to evaluate trade-offs between cost, reliability, operational efficiency, and business/merchant impact .
• Strong ownership mindset and ability to operate independently.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Preferred Skills

• Excel / Google Sheets
• SQL knowledge is a plus
• Cost analysis and ROI assessment
• Demand forecasting
• Budget management
• Vendor / supplier management
• Procurement
• Hardware / device lifecycle management
• Inventory / supply management
• Field operations
• In-store branding / merchandising
• CRM / lifecycle campaigns
• Dashboard and tracker creation
• SOP development
• Operational playbooks
• Process improvement

Preferred Industry Experience

• E-commerce
• Marketplace
• Logistics
• Retail
• FMCG
• Distribution
• Food Delivery / Last-mile Operations
• Consumer Technology