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Operations & AI Strategy
Jonathan Neubauer
M.B.A.  ·  Orange County, CA
I build operating systems that make complex organizations run with clarity, accountability, and momentum.
$2.4M
Portfolio Managed
20%
Cost Reduction
55+
Team Members Led
25yr
Experience
Operations & Production Leader Available Now.

I build operating systems that make complex organizations run with clarity, accountability, and momentum.

Whether you're scaling a creative studio, running a global program, or building delivery infrastructure for the first time — I've done it, and I can do it for you.

Let's Talk → See My Work
Operations Design AI-Enabled Workflows Creative Production Sprint Planning Asana · Jira · Confluence KPI Dashboards Capacity Forecasting Margin Optimization Executive Communication Operations Design AI-Enabled Workflows Creative Production Sprint Planning Asana · Jira · Confluence KPI Dashboards Capacity Forecasting Margin Optimization Executive Communication

Structure.
Clarity.
Calm Execution.

I'm Jonathan — an MBA-holding operations and production leader who has spent over two decades building the systems, teams, and cadence that ambitious organizations depend on. Whether it's a global engineering program, a multi-million dollar creative portfolio, a matrixed enterprise team, or a high-growth company building its operational infrastructure for the first time — I bring the same fundamentals: clarity of priorities, disciplined resourcing, and an execution cadence that actually sticks.

My sweet spot is sitting at the intersection of people, process, and technology — particularly the rapidly evolving world of AI-enabled workflows. I've reduced production costs by 15–20%, led distributed global teams across time zones, and managed everything from large-scale Investor Day productions to multimillion-dollar e-commerce platform migrations. I'm equally comfortable presenting to a board and working hands-on with a team to untangle a delivery bottleneck.

But beyond the numbers? I genuinely love this work. I love building teams that feel empowered and accountable, giving executives the visibility they need to make confident decisions, and creating the kind of steady operating environment where great work — at any scale — just happens.

Operations Design
AI Workflows
Creative Ops
Asana / Jira
Forecasting
Risk Management
Team Scaling
Exec Comms
Margin Analysis

Practical Solutions
for Real Businesses.

I don't believe in bloated frameworks or buzzword-heavy decks. Every engagement — whether a full-time leadership role or a targeted initiative — is focused on what actually moves the needle: throughput, margin, team clarity, and the ability to scale without chaos.

01
Creative & Production Ops

Build the systems that let creative teams do their best work — from standardized intake and vendor strategy to budget tracking and delivery health dashboards.

02
Operations Architecture

Design and implement operating systems — intake processes, resource allocation, delivery cadence, KPI dashboards — that make your entire organization more predictable and accountable.

03
AI Workflow Integration

Identify where AI can genuinely help your business (not just hype), then implement practical tools that automate the repetitive and amplify the human. Real ROI, not science projects.

04
Program & Project Delivery

Lead complex, multi-workstream programs from planning through delivery. I bring sprint discipline, risk management, and the kind of stakeholder communication that keeps everyone aligned.

05
Team Building & Scaling

Structure your teams for growth — hiring frameworks, mentorship programs, performance KPIs, and the cultural norms that make distributed and hybrid teams actually work.

06
Executive Advisory

Serve as a trusted operational thought partner for CEOs, COOs, and founders — helping translate strategy into execution and surfacing the operational risks that aren't yet on your radar.

A Career Built on
Turning Chaos into Order.

Over 25 years across creative agencies, technology companies, and digital delivery — always building better systems and better teams.

2025 – 2026
Leeward Digital
Vice President of Operations

Led operational execution across cross-functional delivery teams. Program-managed a multimillion-dollar e-commerce platform migration with a global team of 20 engineers across 2 parallel workstreams. Co-created an 8-week roadmap and MVP prioritization framework, and led security-risk assessments informed by NIST, HIPAA, and SOC2 frameworks.

E-commerce Migration Sprint Governance Security Risk Executive Comms
2019 – 2025
The Buddy Group
VP of Production & Content Development

Led a $0.8M–$2.4M annual production portfolio across 7–10 concurrent workstreams. Reduced production costs by 15–20% through tech-enabled efficiencies and resourcing discipline. Delivered large-scale Investor Day productions and built Asana-based dashboards for capacity planning, delivery health, and financial reporting.

Portfolio Management Cost Reduction Investor Events Asana
2018 – 2019
Secure Channels Inc.
Senior Project Manager

Led delivery of encryption-focused product initiatives across iOS, Android, and web. Coordinated three offshore teams across time zones with daily Scrums and sprint planning, providing high-visibility status reporting to executive leadership.

Agile / Scrum Offshore Teams Product Delivery Jira
2017 – 2018
Gigasavvy
Production Director

Redesigned production workflows companywide and implemented Asana as the organization's work management system (still in use today). Improved lead-time predictability by 40%+ and built financial tracking mechanisms that gave leadership real visibility into actuals vs. forecast.

Workflow Design 40% Predictability Gain Financial Tracking
2007 – 2017
The Buddy Group
Sr. Video Producer → Executive Creative Producer

Produced 100+ corporate commercials and brand pieces. Reduced production costs 30%+ while maintaining production value. Built proprietary estimation and analytical budget tools that became core to the company's decision-making infrastructure. Led creative pitch process from concept through client presentation.

100+ Productions 30% Cost Reduction Budget Tools Creative Development

A Little About Who I Am.

The best leaders I've worked with are whole people. Here's what keeps me curious, grounded, and energized outside of work.

🏕️
Outdoor Adventures

Hiking trails, camping under the stars, and exploring whatever's around the next bend. There's something about being outside — away from screens, into the wild — that resets everything.

Hiking Camping Exploring
✈️
Traveling

New places, new spaces, new foods, flavors, and sights. Every trip is a chance to experience how the rest of the world thinks, lives, and eats — and I'm here for all of it.

New Places New Foods New Sights
📷
Photography

Life in moments. I love framing the world — landscapes that make you catch your breath, and small quiet scenes that tell a bigger story. The camera makes me slow down and actually look.

Landscapes Life in Moments
⌨️
Getting Things Done

I'm a genuine GTD nerd. Finding the right system, shaving seconds off repetitive tasks, and sharing a well-timed keyboard shortcut that blows someone's mind — this is my version of fun.

GTD Efficiency Keyboard Shortcuts

Ready to Build Something
That Actually Works?

Whether you're building an ops function from scratch, scaling a creative or delivery organization, or navigating a complex program that needs a steady hand — I'd love to hear what you're working on. Based in Orange County, CA and open to on-site, hybrid, or remote.

Email
neubauer.jonathan@gmail.com
Location
Orange County, CA