Career · Outcomes · Capabilities

Ten years inside the gap between strategy and execution.

Most organizations are better at planning than running. That gap is where I've spent my career, learning exactly where it breaks, and what it takes to fix it.

Focus: Systems architecture, execution, AI integration
Strength: Calm and creative under pressure
Style: Outcome-first, low-drama delivery
Tools: AI-enabled ops, enablement, playbooks
Execution + scaling Implementation leadership Cross-functional delivery AI-enabled operations
Resume (PDF) LinkedIn Email

Snapshot

~38% Implementation time reduction. 73 days to 45, kickoff to fully live.
-50% Time to first value reduction. 30 days to 15.
75+ NPS across enterprise relationships.

Leadership + scope

Current title
Global Director of Implementation (Zappi)
Customers
Enterprise
Domains
Implementation, professional services, enablement, delivery ops
Style
Calm under pressure · clarity-first · outcome-focused

Outcomes

  • ~38% implementation time reduction. 73 days to 45, kickoff to fully live.
  • First customer value in ~15 days, down from 30.
  • 60+ implementations annually with repeatable outcomes.
  • NPS 75+ across enterprise relationships.
  • ~40% faster adoption enabled via scalable setup patterns.
  • ~10% increase in revenue generated during implementation.

Roles

Zappi: Global Director of Implementation Sep 2024–Present

Own global implementation strategy and delivery execution across enterprise customers. Built scalable onboarding architecture that reduced delivery friction while improving adoption and revenue outcomes.

  • ~38% implementation time reduction. 73 days to 45, kickoff to fully live.
  • First customer value in ~15 days, down from 30. That number moved because we finally agreed on what ‘live’ actually meant before we started, later shared as a talk at Propel26.
  • 60+ implementations annually with repeatable outcomes, not through more headcount, through better system design.
  • Adoption ran ~40% faster. Scalable setup patterns removed the friction, and a coaching-led model meant customers actually used what got set up.
  • Improved onboarding-generated revenue by ~10%.
  • Manage a small, distributed team: coaching-led, high autonomy, close when it matters.
Zappi: Customer Expertise Manager Jul 2023–Aug 2024

Led enterprise onboarding execution and operational improvement initiatives, establishing repeatable delivery patterns adopted across the organization.

  • Managed complex enterprise implementations across cross-functional teams.
  • Developed onboarding frameworks improving consistency and delivery speed.
  • Partnered with Product and Customer Success to improve adoption outcomes.
Bonterra: Senior Project Manager, Operations Jul 2022–Jun 2023

Led operational delivery across enterprise implementations following company merger, improving coordination between Product, Services, and Customer teams.

  • Delivered high-complexity implementations across nonprofit enterprise customers.
  • Reduced execution friction through clearer ownership and delivery workflows.
  • Supported organizational transition during large-scale platform integration.
Project Manager – GiveGab/EveryAction/Bonterra Sep 2021–Jul 2022

Managed 25+ implementations annually across foundations, nonprofits, and universities, supporting $101M+ in fundraising revenue over three years.

Associate Project Manager – GiveGab Sep 2018–Sep 2021

Supported concurrent client implementations in a high-growth startup environment, including webinars and client training.

Customer Success Representative – GiveGab Nov 2017–Sep 2018

Managed 40–50 concurrent inbound support cases while exceeding response and satisfaction metrics.

Capabilities

Execution leadership
  • Implementation strategy and delivery motion design
  • Process design that accounts for adoption by the people running it, not just the output it’s meant to produce
  • Cross-functional alignment across Product, CS, Sales, and Engineering
  • Escalation handling and stakeholder management under delivery pressure
Systems + scale
  • Process architecture: ownership, handoffs, decision paths
  • Enablement systems: playbooks, training, adoption loops
  • Success measurement: signals that actually move outcomes
  • Operationalizing change so it survives turnover
AI-enabled operations
  • Human + AI workflow design (augmentation vs automation)
  • Reducing friction in delivery/enablement/ops workflows
  • Practical AI adoption: tools, guardrails, playbooks
How I work
  • Clarity first, then speed
  • Calm under pressure; clean decisions when things get tight
  • Structure that helps capable people do their best work
  • Systems that still work after the kickoff
  • Lead distributed teams with a coaching-first approach: close when it matters, out of the way when it doesn’t
  • I find the work genuinely joyful, especially the moment a system stops requiring heroics and just runs.

Contact

Email: merlin.komenda@gmail.com

Resume LinkedIn