Strategic Operator
& Project-Based Execution Partner
I’m Emma Johnson, an executive operator providing strategic operations and senior-level advisory services to B2B tech companies. With a COO and CMO background that sets me apart, I help leadership teams bridge the gap between strategy and day-to-day execution. I do the work, deliver results, and hand it off to your team.
WHO I WORK WITH:
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B2B tech and SaaS companies, Series A and beyond, ranging from ~30 people to several hundred.
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Founders who want to share the operating load with an experienced partner, and newer leaders who want a partner for guidance and support with their new role and team.
Core Strengths
I bring operating experience and a communicator’s instincts to leadership teams. My emphasis on collaboration, context, and communication turn plans into results.
A Differentiated Operator: COO + CMO Roots
Proven executive leadership scaling early-stage SaaS, driving P&L discipline, building operating cadences, and bridging the gap between high-level strategy and day-to-day execution.
Systems, Structure & Accountability Builder
Expert at implementing right-sized infrastructure including OKRs, and talent/leveling frameworks, with a focus on those that help scale a company without drowning it in bureaucracy.
Communicator & Change Leader
Known for building high-trust, collaborative leadership teams, guiding organizations through change, and aligning remote or disjointed teams around shared execution.
Planning & Performance Driver
Skilled at guiding leadership teams through annual planning, then defining and refining the metrics that track it (functional scorecards, pipeline and board reporting, monthly business reviews). Working with finance, I help leaders see the same picture, so priorities and dollars align.
Project Engagement Examples
Typically scoped in 4-to-12 week increments, focused on outcomes that clear operational bottlenecks and move key opportunities forward.
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Sound familiar? Planning feels like a scramble, or has never really been done. Priorities, budget, and goals live in different places. People hear about decisions late, or hear different things. Leaders aren't sure what to share, when, or how. Board prep takes more effort than it should.
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How I help:
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Design and run annual planning with your leadership team, from priorities to budget and metrics.
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Set up OKRs, budget-vs-actuals reviews, and weekly / monthly / quarterly cadences that keep the plan alive.
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Establish a comms rhythm (all-hands, leadership updates, how decisions get shared) and help leaders shape messaging for bigger moments.
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Up-level and structure board materials so the story is clear.
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Sound familiar? The team is capable but not yet working as one. Strategy gets discussed but not decided. Priorities change but are not communicated. Founders are carrying too much of the day-to-day.
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How I help:
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Be a sounding board and operational guide for founders, first-time managers, or newly promoted leaders.
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Help leaders translate company values into practical management habits, team operating rhythms, and clear cross-functional accountability.
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Plan and facilitate offsites, from agenda and pre-work through decisions and follow-up.
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Sound familiar? Roles and responsibilities are fuzzy. Teams are feeling siloed. Nobody's sure who owns what anymore. A growth milestone or leadership change has shifted the work.
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How I help:
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Clarify roles, responsibilities, and ownership across functions and stakeholders.
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Guide teams through change with clear, steady communication that explains the why, not just the what.
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Build a lightweight talent framework (check-ins, leveling, comp cycles, etc.).
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Sound familiar? The founder is stretched thin and unsure whether the answer is a COO, a different hire, or better structure. Or a COO has left and you need coverage while you search.
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How I help:
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Scoping: find where the bottlenecks sit, whether a COO is the right hire, what the role should own, and what the first 90 days look like.
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Interim: step in as an operator for a defined stretch, run the operating rhythm, and hand it over to the person who follows.
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Sound familiar? A critical initiative needs an owner, and nobody has the bandwidth to drive it or get cross-functional buy-in.
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How I help:
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Lead the initiative from kickoff to completion as a senior operating partner.
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Coordinate cross-functional stakeholders, clear blockers, and build out the structure and materials needed to see it to completion.
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Sound familiar? Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success are speaking different languages. Handoffs between teams are messy. Metrics are hard to find, harder to track.
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How I help:
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Align messaging, feedback loops, handoff points, and metrics between Marketing, Sales, Customer Success, and Product.
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Develop a clear plan that the team can run with.
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Let's Talk
Ready to scale your operations? Reach out for a strategic consultation tailored to your journey.