Jacquelyn Kelsey
Chicago,IL
Summary
Results-driven Operations and People leader with nearly 20 years of experience and expertise in fast paced, high growth, entrepreneurial environments. Tenacious and creative problem solver with a proven ability to design and execute successful operations strategies from the ground up, with a focus on building teams, offices, and driving process improvements. Relentlessly passionate about providing a best in class experience for customers, internal stakeholders, and employees alike. Referred to by colleagues as the "Jackie of All Trades" for my ability to juggle multiple high-stakes priorities and get up to speed quickly on any topic.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Operations
Next Level Event Design
Chicago, IL
01.2023 - Current
- Chief of Staff: Serve in Chief of Staff capacity on Next Level Leadership team, including overseeing Special Projects, driving business priorities from conception to completion, ensuring cross-function cohesion across the organization, and facilitating weekly senior leadership team meetings
- Operations: Oversee day-to-day business operations, maintain business licenses and certifications, liaise with key partners (Legal, IT, Accounting, Insurance) to ensure compliance and ongoing smooth business operations; create business operations playbooks
- Finance: Partner with CFO to develop and manage annual operating budget and monitor overall financials, including balance sheets, P&L, and expense tracking, determine and track ongoing progress towards annual sales goals, and lead flow tracking
- Real Estate: Determine long term real estate strategy and oversee the execution of lease negotiations, space planning, and related office special projects
- Human Resources: Management of all Human Resources needs, including prospecting, interviewing, hiring and onboarding new team members; selecting and rolling out employee benefits program, designing and implementing employee policies
Director of Operations
The Boston Consulting Group
Chicago, IL
07.2018 - 02.2022
- Office leadership: Key member of BCG Chicago office leadership team, operating in Chief of Staff capacity to executive team on key issues regarding staff engagement, retention and morale, office operations, and business services; drove overall office communications strategy and crisis management during COVID; spearheaded relevant special projects and change management efforts
Head of Business Services: Led all Chicago-based Business Services teams, including 150 staff members across 10 different functions; ensured efficient and effective local office operations; promoted cross function cohesion across departments; coached direct reports and supervised the coaching of indirect reports; recruited, hired, trained and supervised local operations teams; managed and monitored leverage ratios and support levels in line with regional guidelines
People Management and Career Development: Oversaw the annual performance development process for operations teams, including promotion, compensation, and bonus decisions; provided performance improvement feedback to Managers; coordinated with learning and development team to develop and administer appropriate training curriculum for local staff
Finance: Coordinated with Finance team to create and monitor cost and capital expenditure budgets including employee engagement, personnel, office space, and equipment costs; managed discretionary budget decisions and communications; provided counsel to office executive team on operating budget and manageable other costs; liaised with regional Finance staff and Global Services to comply with requirements for analysis, reporting, and planning
Real Estate: Determined long term real estate strategy for the BCG Chicago office and the execution of lease negotiations; oversaw build-out of 30k RSF of expansion space and retrofitting of 150k RSF space to accommodate staff growth; partnered with regional real estate team on space planning efforts and related real estate projects
Business Services Senior Manager
The Boston Consulting Group
Chicago, IL
08.2014 - 06.2018
- Office leadership: Acted in Chief of Staff Capacity to the head of the Seattle office, led weekly leadership team meeting, served as primary point person for office staff morale, retention, and affiliation
- Regional leadership: Spearheaded the formation of a group of small office business leaders across the BCG North America region to identify and solve challenges unique to new and emerging offices
- Head of Business Services: Managed all aspects of the employee life cycle for the Seattle Business Services team, including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, ongoing training, mentorship, affiliation, and professional development programs
- Operations: Built operational infrastructure for the newly opened (2013) BCG Seattle office, including recruiting and managing all administrative support teams, implementing facilities and office services, and IT support
- Compensation: Led the annual performance development, bonus, and compensation process for all Seattle staff
- Real Estate: Managed office real estate strategy end to end, including internal processes, office concept and interior design, project management, and expansion planning
Senior Executive Assistant
The Boston Consulting Group
Chicago, IL
08.2004 - 07.2014
- Managed calendar, expenses, and communications for multiple senior executives in the Chicago office, including the Head of the Chicago office, the Head of the Great Lakes region, and the Global People Team Lead
Education
Bachelor of Science - English Education
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL05-1999
Skills
- Strategic Planning
- Process Improvement
- Business Leadership
- Operations Management
- Cross-Functional Team Management
- Employee Development
- Change Management
- Special Projects
Timeline
Director of Operations
Next Level Event Design
01.2023 - Current
Director of Operations
The Boston Consulting Group
07.2018 - 02.2022
Business Services Senior Manager
The Boston Consulting Group
08.2014 - 06.2018
Senior Executive Assistant
The Boston Consulting Group
08.2004 - 07.2014
Bachelor of Science - English Education
University of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign
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