DANA THOMAS
Strategic Global Operations Leader
Arlington,TX
Summary
Strategic Global Operations Leader with 15+ years of experience building and scaling high-performing post-sales functions. A long-tenured operator with a unique perspective on organizational evolution, having scaled Karat’s operations from early-stage startup through global mid-stage expansion. Expert at designing "stage-appropriate" processes—balancing the agility required for early growth with the rigorous systems needed for enterprise scale. Proven track record in establishing global playbooks from the ground up, managing $24M+ portfolios, and driving operational excellence through multiple phases of company maturity.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Global Head of Implementation Services
KARAT
Remote
04.2018 - Current
- Lifecycle Scaling: Built and scaled the global Professional Services function from the ground up, evolving the team structure from a lean startup model to a robust global delivery engine.
- Portfolio Leadership: Own the success of solution delivery across a $24M+ enterprise portfolio, ensuring measurable business outcomes and high-touch service excellence for Fortune 500 clients.
- Global Playbook Development: Authored and operationalized the first global Pro-Services playbook, standardizing implementation and onboarding to ensure consistency across all regions.
- Strategic Calibration: Bridge the gap between internal service teams and Product/Engineering, ensuring the platform evolves in lockstep with client needs.
- Note: Promoted through three leadership tiers over 8+ years, playing a pivotal role in the company’s evolution from startup to global enterprise leader.
Director of Customer Operations
KARAT
Remote
01.2022 - 09.2023
- Growth Operations: Designed and managed post-sales functions across Professional Services, CS, L&D, and Sales Ops during a critical mid-stage growth phase.
- Operational Integrity: Implemented data-sharing protocols that reduced operational errors by 25% and enhanced transparency across a rapidly expanding remote workforce.
Customer Operations Manager
KARAT
Remote
04.2018 - 01.2022
- Foundational Scaling: Served as an early-stage operator responsible for building the initial hiring and capacity planning frameworks that supported Karat’s early headcount surges.
- Culture & Systems: Developed and executed onboarding programs that preserved company culture while driving continuous improvement in team speed and quality metrics.
- Streamlined customer support processes, enhancing operational efficiency and response times.
- Led process optimization projects, resulting in reduced costs and improved service levels.
- Established key performance indicators for operations, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and objectives.
Director of Pro-Services & Operations
TOPGRADING, INC.
Wadsworth, IL
12.2014 - 01.2019
- Process Standardization: Directed end-to-end operations for Sales, L&D, and Pro-Services, establishing the best practices that became the blueprint for service delivery.
- KPI Architecture: Spearheaded the development of performance dashboards and quality control frameworks, driving accountability and reducing churn.
Senior Director of Operations & Training Services
DANAHER CORPORATION
Wood Dale, IL
03.2010 - 11.2014
- Global Oversight: Managed global operations for a corporate university, leading a team of 25+ across multiple international locations and implementing a Balanced Scorecard system to monitor global KPIs.
Senior Director of Operations
McVickers Development, LLC
Chicago, IL
01.2007 - 01.2009
- Collaborated with executive leadership to align operational initiatives with overall business goals.
- Managed vendor relationships to optimize supply chain logistics and procurement processes.
- Developed and executed operational plans to achieve organizational goals.
Operations Manager
The Shopping Center Group
Jacksonville, FL
01.2002 - 01.2006
- Analyzed operational data to identify trends, driving strategic decision-making initiatives.
- Raised property accuracy and accountability by creating new automated tracking method.
- Identified and qualified customer needs and negotiated and closed profitable projects with high success rate.
- Negotiated price and service with customers and vendors to decrease expenses and increase profit.
- Cultivated and strengthened lasting client relationships using strong issue resolution and dynamic communication skills.
Skills
- Effective strategic leadership
- Post sales playbook development
- Customer onboarding optimization
- Accelerating time to value
- Proficient in KPI development and fiscal planning
- Strategic alignment for cross-departmental collaboration
- Utilizing AI for customer experience optimization
Timeline
Director of Customer Operations
KARAT
01.2022 - 09.2023
Global Head of Implementation Services
KARAT
04.2018 - Current
Customer Operations Manager
KARAT
04.2018 - 01.2022
Director of Pro-Services & Operations
TOPGRADING, INC.
12.2014 - 01.2019
Senior Director of Operations & Training Services
DANAHER CORPORATION
03.2010 - 11.2014
Senior Director of Operations
McVickers Development, LLC
01.2007 - 01.2009
Operations Manager
The Shopping Center Group
01.2002 - 01.2006