$2M / 7 mo
Net New Profit
Rebuilt budget controls, resource allocation and forecasting routines with tighter accountability on cost and labor utilization.
Operations Executive | Human Capital Strategist
Turning strategy into execution. Developing leaders. Delivering results.
Aligning people, processes and performance for sustainable growth. Twenty years leading $100M to $350M enterprise operations through turnarounds, consolidations and rapid scale, with the numbers to prove it.
Enterprise Performance & Leadership Systems
20+
Years Executive Leadership
$350M
Portfolio Under Management
400+
Team Members Led
98%
Retention Through Transition
The Operating Framework
The 4P Operations Management Framework
People. Process Optimization. Performance. Progress. This framework has guided Nicole’s approach to scaling operations, optimizing resources, building strong teams and driving sustainable business impact, implemented with Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) discipline.
Better businesses are built when people thrive, processes run seamlessly, performance drives decisions and progress keeps the organization moving forward.
ClickTap each P to explore the frameworkSee how Nicole leads it, the business value and the results.
4POne operating
system
system
1 of 4 explored
Enterprise Impact
Results you can audit
Every figure below comes from a real portfolio, a real client and a real team. Measured, verified and repeatable.
29 days
Consolidation, 98% Retention
Unified 400+ employees across three legacy operating structures into one enterprise model with zero service disruption.
$4.5M
Annualized Savings
Cut turnover and vacancies 30% through onboarding redesign, leadership accountability and targeted retention strategy.
$30M
New Enterprise Revenue
Strengthened operational credibility and proposal readiness that enabled major new revenue capture through strategic partnerships.
~2%
Record-Low Turnover
2.11% in 2023, 2.08% in 2024 and 1.93% in 2025: the product of manager coaching, recognition systems and performance frameworks.
80%
Leadership Roles Filled Internally
Manager Essentials, Emerging Leaders and Coaching Conversations programs built a promotion-ready leadership bench of 75+.
The Career Arc
Two decades of enterprise operations
From Human Resource Specialist to senior operating executive, every chapter built on the last: bigger portfolios, harder transitions, stronger results.
2022 – Present
Vice President of Operations & People Strategy
IFAS, LLC • Client: U.S. Department of State • Charleston, SC
Senior operating executive for a $350M, 7-year professional services portfolio delivered to the U.S. Department of State. Owns the executive client relationship, partnering weekly with the client’s senior leadership. Reports to the CEO and President and is accountable for portfolio performance (revenue, positions and margin) in partnership with the CFO, along with quality assurance, technology enablement and client delivery for a 406-person matrixed organization spanning nine verticals.
$350M portfolio27 task orders7–12% labor margins$2M profit in 7 monthsStrategic Leadership Award 2024
2019 – 2022
Senior Director of Operations
Lynker Technologies • Client: NOAA • 28 U.S. Locations
Headhunted to stabilize an underperforming $108M multi-site professional services operation. Led 115+ team members across 28 geographic locations, transitioned the entire workforce to fully remote in under two weeks during COVID with zero downtime, and served on the business development team for re-bids securing $89M+ in contract value.
$108M portfolio$89M+ re-bid winsPMO establishedCircle of Excellence 2021
2007 – 2019, 2022
Sr. Vice President of Operations & PMO
Haynes Incorporated • Client: U.S. Department of State • Charleston, SC
Fifteen-year progression from Assistant Project Manager to SVP, functioning as de facto COO of a single-contract enterprise. Scaled from 50 to 400+ employees across two growth cycles enabling $170M in additional revenue, sustained 90 to 98% award-fee attainment, and co-led ISO 9001 certification across 1,200 employees in four global locations.
$350M portfolio52 task orders50 → 400+ scale-upISO 9001 in 1 year
2004 – 2007
Senior Contract Specialist • HR Specialist
Federal Management Systems • Client: U.S. Department of State
Managed a $28M procurement portfolio delivering $3.2M in savings, 100% audit compliance across 200+ annual acquisition packages, and full-cycle talent acquisition for 120+ positions at a 93% first-year retention rate.
$3.2M savings100% audit compliance30 hires in 30 days
Pillars of Expertise
Three connected areas, one integrated point of view
Operations Executive
Driving efficiency. Strengthening execution. Delivering measurable results. The execution system that turns plans into performance.
Human Capital Strategist
Aligning talent and strategy. Strengthening culture. Building workforce capability so the right people and skills are matched to the work.
Leadership Development
Building leaders. Clarifying accountability. Elevating performance through the judgment and discipline that sustain results.
The differentiator is integration. Operations provides the execution system. Human capital ensures the right people and capabilities are aligned to the work. Leadership development creates the judgment and accountability required to sustain performance.
About Nicole
The strategist behind the numbers
Nicole Young-Berno is an operations and human capital executive who helps organizations turn strategy into execution. Her work integrates operating discipline, leadership capability and people systems to strengthen performance and support sustainable growth.
She leads enterprise operations and manages executive relationships with high-profile, blue-chip clients, including the U.S. Department of State and NOAA, bringing a consulting mindset to every engagement: partnering with client leadership, aligning delivery to their priorities, and guiding operations through turnarounds, consolidations and rapid scale. With dual Master’s degrees in Human Resource Management and Clinical Counseling, she brings a rare combination: the financial discipline of an operator and the behavioral insight of a counselor.
Operational excellence. People first. Leadership in action.
Education & credentials
MA, Human Resource ManagementWebster University
MA, Clinical CounselingWebster University
BS, PsychologyCollege of Charleston
Executive Diploma, Chief Operating Officer & Leadership
SHRM-CPIn progress
Executive Portfolio
The work, on the record
An executive brief, Nicole’s current resume, and a look inside the leadership guides she writes. Select any cover to read it here.
Executive Brief
Executive Value Brief
Scale, results, and the 4P operating framework on a single page.
Resume
Operations Leadership Resume
Twenty years of enterprise operations: portfolios, people, and measurable outcomes.
Leadership Library
Practical Guides for Leaders Who Run the Work
A catalog of guides Nicole has written and developed for executives and the managers who carry the work.
Playbook Excerpt
The A-Player Playbook
Why most performance problems start with a missing definition, and the five kinds of B player.
Recognition
Awarded by clients, chosen by teams
2024
Strategic Leadership Award
IFAS, LLC
2024
Certificate of Excellence for Leadership
U.S. Department of State: Contractor Onboarding & Training Program
2023
Certificate of Excellence for Leadership
U.S. Department of State: Contract Transition & Consolidation
2021
Circle of Excellence Award
Leading and Managing High-Performance Teams
2017
Certificate of Recognition
Innovative Leadership
4×
Contractor of the Year
2006, 2007, 2009, 2013
Ready to turn your strategy into execution?
Whether you are scaling an enterprise, stabilizing a portfolio or building the leadership bench your growth depends on, let’s talk about what measurable looks like.