Solspace Inc.: Director of Operations & EOS Integrator

Nine years at Solspace shaped my approach to intelligent web systems. I started as a senior engineer solving complex integration challenges, grew into technical leadership managing teams across 50+ clients, and ultimately led company operations as Director of Operations and EOS Integrator. This journey from writing code to designing company operations gives me a rare perspective: I understand both the technical implementation details and the business systems that need to work together to remove workflow friction.

In my first year as Director, I restructured how the agency operated: implementing dedicated project managers, building workload forecasting systems, managing developer capacity, and holding the team accountable to deliver their assigned work. The result was doubling gross revenue with the same team. That productivity gain became permanent.

Beyond revenue, I transformed operations from reactive firefighting to a proactive systems-based model. Roughly one crisis per month became essentially zero. This was not accidental. It was the result of consistent design, pacing, and feedback loops that I built and refined over three years.

Clients I Led

E-commerce, publishing, healthcare, and enterprise projects I managed at Solspace:

9-Year Journey

From senior engineer to Director of Operations, each role built on the last—deepening my understanding of both technical implementation and business operations.

Director of Operations & EOS Integrator

2022 - 2025 (3 years)

As Director of Operations, I moved beyond individual projects to design and implement the systems that made the entire agency run smoothly. This role combined strategic oversight with hands-on operational improvement. The defining achievement: transforming Solspace from a reactive operations pattern with roughly one fire per month into a proactive, systems-based model where fires essentially disappeared.

Operational Systems I Built:

• Developed a systematic operations loop: data gathering, feedback collection, industry standards review, cross-analysis, and precision execution
• Built “The Pulse,” a custom capacity visibility tool for modeling developer allocations, retainer pacing, and sustainable workload planning
• Created an Emergency Coverage Framework ensuring client continuity during absences without chaos or burnout
• Established a Production Deployment Playbook for safe, predictable releases across all client websites
• Designed onboarding and transition playbooks for project leads, developers, and designers
• Migrated from a 10-year-old Basecamp setup to unified, client-shared Jira projects
• Built Jira workflows for all departments: custom boards, workflows, automations, and reminder systems
• Launched a “Reliability Audit” as a productized service for proactively assessing website health and generating solution roadmaps

Operational Leadership:

• Oversaw all company projects, project managers, and development teams
• Established rolling 8-12 week capacity forecasting across all departments
• Coordinated cross-functional alignment between Client Ops, Product, Sales, Growth, and Finance
• Led business development, marketing, and sales improvement initiatives
• Managed budget accountability, timeline adherence, and client satisfaction across all engagements
• Started Quarterly Client Meetings to proactively measure customer success and surface opportunities
• Implemented a process for integrating junior developers to optimize costs while maintaining quality

Growth & Business Development:

• Inherited a company with no sales or marketing discipline: a few partner referral calls per quarter and one occasional case study
• Pushed as Integrator to establish structured growth activities, iterating through three growth director hires over 1.5 years
• Created clear action plans and cadence for each iteration until the right internal hire took ownership
• Built Growth Engine v0.1: defined the Growth department’s roadmap, activities, processes, and cadence that finally stuck
• Led Solspace’s first-ever outbound sales initiative, creating a clear framework for systematic prospecting
• Built Python scripts to create and improve prospecting lists, supporting data-driven outbound sales
• Configured and connected HubSpot with Jira to unify Growth department’s CRM and task management
• Managed R&D initiatives including Shopify Expert exploration and strategic product validation

EOS Integrator Role:

• Implemented the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) company-wide
• Facilitated quarterly planning sessions and annual strategic reviews
• Established meeting rhythms, scorecards, and accountability structures
• Aligned leadership team around shared vision, traction, and healthy team dynamics
• Created clear organizational structure with defined roles and responsibilities

Strategic Client Oversight:

I provided strategic oversight for these client projects, managing teams consisting of a project lead, multiple developers, and a designer:

• Americord
  Leading cord blood banking company. Oversaw reliable website operations and client management systems integration.

• Here Comes The Guide
  Premier wedding venue search platform. Led enhanced search functionality and user experience optimization initiatives.

• BSR HerProject Portal
  Global initiative empowering women in supply chains. Directed digital platform development and workforce development programs.

• Astuteo
  Digital agency partner. Provided streamlined project management and technical oversight for their client deliverables.

• Engie Impact
  Energy and sustainability consulting firm. Oversaw data-driven solutions and strategic advisory services implementation.

• The Bluebook
  Standard legal citation system. Led robust content management and user access systems development.

• Songwriters Hall of Fame
  Prestigious music organization. Directed content-rich platforms for artist profiles, history, and event management.

• Faber Law Group
  Business and corporate law firm. Oversaw secure client portals and efficient content management systems.

Technical Leadership & Project Management

2018 - 2022 (4 years)

Position: Project Manager & Lead Software Engineer

Building on my engineering foundation, I took ownership of client relationships and team coordination while continuing to architect solutions for complex integration challenges.

What I built:

• Managed teams of 2-8 developers across 30+ concurrent client projects
• Owned client communication, scope management, and delivery timelines
• Architected solutions that connected web systems to CRMs, warehouses, and payment platforms
• Established technical standards and code review practices across projects

Senior Web Engineer

2016 - 2018 (2 years)

Position: Senior Web Engineer

This phase established my technical foundation in building intelligent web systems that remove workflow friction.

What I built:

• Architected Craft CMS, Node.js, PHP, Vue.js, and React.js solutions
• Developed systems for 15+ clients spanning e-commerce, publishing, and enterprise
• Owned day-to-day client communication and technical decision-making
• Solved complex integration challenges connecting websites to external systems

Hands-On Development Leadership

Throughout my time at Solspace, I led development work across diverse integration challenges. These projects demonstrate the technical depth that informs my operational perspective.

E-commerce & Warehouse Integration

Complex e-commerce systems connecting web stores to inventory management, fulfillment, and ERP systems:

• Robots.com — Multi-property web development & integration retainer
• Barebones Living — E-commerce custom features retainer
• NDA Client #1 — Custom quote & e-commerce system for hardware manufacturing

CRM & Data Synchronization

Removing workflow friction between websites and CRM systems:

• Centering Healthcare — Salesforce data sync retainer
• Bucks Trucks — Salesforce data sync
• Genpact — Long-term Craft CMS retainer with 2 redesigns

SSO & Enterprise Security

Enterprise authentication and single sign-on implementations:

• IDEO — Custom OKTA SSO implementation
• Sonos — Custom OKTA SSO implementation
• Columbia Bank — Custom SSO implementation
• Pratt Institute — Custom SSO implementation
• Steadyvision — Expression Engine SSO integration

Search & Data Discovery

Fast, intelligent search implementations that help users find information:

• Diatoms.org — Custom instant data search
• N2N.org — Custom Algolia Search integration

Content Management & Publishing

Complex content workflows for publishing and media organizations:

• ProPublica — Data migration & publications scheduling
• Spirit Rock — Website redesign & rebuild
• Kirei USA — Craft CMS improvements retainer
• Swimlane — Craft CMS improvements retainer
• RISA — Craft CMS custom features retainer
• ICO Alert — Craft CMS improvements retainer

Technologies I Used

Backend & Frameworks: Craft CMS, Craft Commerce, Expression Engine, PHP, Laravel, CodeIgniter, Yii2, Node.js, Nest.js

Frontend: Vue.js, React.js, Next.js, Nuxt.js, Twig, HTML/CSS, Javascript/Typescript, Tailwind

Integrations & APIs: Salesforce, HubSpot, Marketo, Pardot, BigCommerce, Shopify, Stripe, Mailchimp, Celigo, Avatax, Blackbaud, xTuple, Thinkific, YouTube API, Dropbox API

Authentication & Security: OKTA, SAML, Single Sign-On

Search & Performance: Algolia, Imgix, Cloudflare

Infrastructure & DevOps: AWS EC2, AWS S3, DeployHQ, GitHub Actions, BitBucket, Git

Project Management: Jira, Trello

Operational Philosophy

Over nine years, I developed an operational philosophy that transformed how Solspace worked. These principles now inform everything I build for clients:

Proactive, not reactive. Fires are prevented through early detection, structured forecasting, and systematic decision-making. By the time issues surface, they should already have solutions in progress.

Coverage is designed, not reserved. Emergency capacity exists because work is paced intentionally, not because hours are held back. Redundancy is built into team structures, not treated as overhead.

Visible, not implicit. Workloads, allocations, and risks are modeled explicitly. Decisions are made with data, not gut feel. Tools like The Pulse exist specifically to make operational health observable.

Scalable, not heroic. Stability comes from systems, not individual effort. When someone is unavailable, the system handles it. No single person should be a point of failure.

The result: calm operations, predictable delivery, fewer escalations, healthier teams, and better client relationships.

Speaking & Media

I’ve shared insights from my Solspace experience through various channels:

• The Solspace Podcast: Going Headless Gradually — Discussed gradual migration strategies to headless architecture, external search appliances like Algolia and Meilisearch, and how editorial workflows evolve in a headless world.

From Solspace to IB Solutions

This nine-year journey shaped the services I now offer through IB Solutions. The combination of engineering depth and operational perspective is rare, and it’s what allows me to help clients build intelligent systems that genuinely remove workflow friction.

What this experience means for you:

• Operational transformation, not just implementation. I’ve designed and built the systems that eliminated fires at an agency managing 50+ clients. I can do the same for your organization.
• Technical decisions grounded in operational reality. I’ve seen what works at scale and what falls apart under pressure.
• Project management that respects engineering complexity. I’ve managed both the code and the clients.
• Systematic thinking over heroic effort. The frameworks, playbooks, and tools I built at Solspace are patterns I bring to every engagement.
• Long-term thinking. Multi-year retainers taught me to build for reliability, not just delivery.