Katie Kelly

Katie Kelly

Growth-Stage Operations Leader

Scaling Operations for Growth-Stage SaaS Platforms

Scaling Customer Success, Professional Services, and Operations for Growth-Stage Fintech & SaaS: Building Teams, Systems & Frameworks That Enable Hypergrowth

Providing practical solutions for complex problems

Who I Am

I'm a growth-stage SaaS and platform operations leader who builds and scales high-performing teams. Over the past decade, I've specialized in turning operational chaos into streamlined systems that support rapid growth: building 25+ person teams from the ground up, doubling throughput, and creating frameworks that make hypergrowth sustainable.

Building Leaders, Not Just Teams

Whether in Operations or Customer Success, my foundation is people-first leadership. I don't just scale headcount, I build managers and leaders, create performance frameworks, and develop teams that can sustain growth.

Manager Development

Developed 5+ first-time managers with structured coaching, 1:1 frameworks, and performance management systems that scale beyond me.

Scalable Hiring Frameworks

Built role definitions, interview rubrics, and onboarding systems that enabled hiring 25+ people in 12 months without sacrificing quality.

Performance Systems

Created OKR frameworks, skills matrices, and career ladders that align individual growth with organizational needs.

My approach to team building is rooted in athletic team building: clear roles, shared accountability, and relentless focus on collective success over individual performance.

Results

Scaled Operations for SMB and Mid-Market Clients by 60%: More Output with Fewer Resources

+60%
Net Efficiency
+20%
Output
-25%
Headcount

The Challenge

Led operations for a rapidly growing team at a Unicorn FinTech Company during a critical scaling phase. The team was taking on more business than it could deliver on.

  • Comingled functions created cognitive overload and increased error rates
  • Resource pressure to do more with less: increase output while reducing headcount
  • 3-6 month training cycles meant new hires were expensive and error-prone for half a year
  • No measurement system to identify bottlenecks or track improvements

Built a 5-Part Operational Framework:

1
Process Mapping

Applied 80/20 principle to focus on highest-impact deliverables

2
Team Restructuring

Created clear role definitions with specialized responsibilities

3
Knowledge Systems

Standardized training with videos, guides, and checklists

4
Smart Resource Allocation

Tiered clients by complexity to match resources strategically

5
Performance Analytics

Established data-driven tracking for continuous improvement

Core Insight: Treat lack of documentation in services like material shortages in manufacturing. It's a fundamental operational gap that must be filled.

Key Metrics

Timeframe:12-18 months
Implementation & Onboarding
300400
+30%
Support Tickets
9,00010,500
+15%
Headcount
2720
-25%
Hours per Employee
394629
+60%
Training Time
3-6 months3-4 weeks
-75%

This framework became the operational blueprint, proving that excellence isn't about working harder, but building intelligent systems that scale.

Experience

Download CV

Key Achievements

Organizational Leadership & Scale

  • Built and led customer success organization from 3 to 25+ professionals (5+ managers) in 12 months following promotion, establishing multiple layers of management and clear performance frameworks.
  • Redesigned operating model and organizational structure for 50+ person global implementation organization, introducing segment-based coverage model and systematic efficiency framework. Direct management of Mid-Market and SMB segments achieved 60% productivity improvement while increasing output 20% despite 25% workforce reduction, proving the model's scalability.
  • Built scalable delivery model that doubled annual onboarding and implementation throughput from 250 to 500+, enabling company growth while maintaining enterprise-grade quality standards and client satisfaction across segments.

Customer Success & GTM Impact

  • Led 75+ SaaS and platform implementations in regulated financial environments, managing complex compliance requirements, integration challenges, and multi-party stakeholder coordination to achieve 95%+ on-time delivery.
  • Improved time-to-value by 50%, reducing implementation timelines from 3 months to 6 weeks for SMB and Mid-Market clients, accelerating revenue recognition and enabling faster expansion into high-volume segments.
  • Led cross-functional automation initiative with Product, Sales, and Finance to eliminate manual fund administration processes, delivering $500K+ in annual cost savings while improving client retention and competitive positioning.
3→25+
Team Growth in 12 Months
+60%
Efficiency Improvement
2x
Throughput Growth
$500K+
Annual Cost Savings

Senior Vice President, Customer Success and Operations

iCapital | 2024-2025

  • Built multi-layer CS organization (3→25+; 5+ managers) within 12 months
  • Doubled annual implementation volume to 500+ with 75% time-to-value improvement
  • Prevented $20M+ ARR churn by rehabilitating top enterprise accounts
  • Established Sales-to-CS handoff protocols achieving 98% configuration readiness
  • Managed bifurcated operations: onboarding/activation + support (25K+ annual tickets)

Vice President, Operations & Implementation

iCapital | 2021-2023

  • Led 75+ platform implementations spanning SMB to Enterprise (6 weeks to 12+ months)
  • Improved SMB/Mid-Market time-to-value 50% (3 months → 6 weeks)
  • Achieved 60% efficiency improvement while increasing output 20%
  • Designed comprehensive training strategy reducing new employee onboarding 85% (3 months → 4 weeks)
  • Led $500K automation initiative with Product, Data, and Engineering teams

Director, Operations & Implementation

DebtX | 2017-2021

  • Delivered $1B+ in client outcomes across 200+ implementation projects
  • Built scalable framework enabling multi-billion-dollar transactions in 4-6 week cycles (60% faster than industry standard)
  • Managed enterprise programs ($75MM-$5B) with strict compliance and multi-stakeholder coordination
  • Led complex program for largest enterprise transaction in company history (30K assets, $5B, US Dept of HUD)
New England School of Law
Providence College
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Bar
Providence Field Hockey

Find Me

Peace + Ops,

Katie Kelly