Open to opportunities

Robert Smalls

@robertsmalls

Customer-focused operations leader who streamlines workflows, resolves issues fast, and improves processes in high-growth environments.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I’m looking for an operations-focused role where I can own workflows end-to-end—support users, coordinate cross-functionally, and automate reporting—so teams move faster with fewer errors in a high-growth environment.

I’m a customer-focused operations professional who supports users, resolves issues, and coordinates workflows in fast-paced environments. I thrive in early-stage, high-growth settings and I’m known for delivering high-quality support while improving how teams work.

Most recently, I’ve served as an Editorial Operations Lead, managing editorial workflows for 10+ contributors and producing 8–12 analytical pieces per cycle. I built and enforced editorial standards and verification protocols, reducing factual corrections by 50% and improving methodological consistency.

Previously, I worked as a Desk Coordinator for Customer Support & Operations, resolving 85% of student inquiries within 24 hours by designing a triage workflow and templated responses. I also managed operations for 90+ staff, implementing automated scheduling and handoff processes that reduced scheduling conflicts by 25% and saved 10 hours/week of manual shift assignment.

I’ve also led research operations and event logistics—owning an end-to-end research operations pipeline, reducing data cleaning time by 40%, and coordinating programs serving 200+ participants. Across roles, I pair cross-functional collaboration with documentation, automation, and data-informed reporting to drive measurable, repeatable results.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Editorial Operations Lead

Current

Foreign Analysis Magazine

Dec 2025 - Present (6 months)

Led editorial workflows for 10+ contributors, managing research assignments and quality control to publish 8–12 analytical pieces per cycle. Built editorial standards and verification protocols, reducing factual corrections by 50% and accelerating the editorial cycle by 20%.

Editorial Operations Quality Control Workflow Management Standards Cross Functional Collaboration Data Verification

Desk Coordinator

American University

Jan 2026 - May 2026 (4 months)

Resolved 85% of student inquiries within 24 hours by designing a triage workflow and templated responses to improve first-contact resolution. Managed operations for 90+ staff, reducing scheduling conflicts by 25% and saving 10 hours/week through an automated scheduling spreadsheet and handoff checklist.

Customer Support Operations Management Triage Scheduling Process Improvement Data Entry Excel

Graduate Coordinator

American University

Aug 2024 - Dec 2024 (4 months)

Coordinated logistics and communications for programs serving 200+ participants per term, creating runbooks and vendor checklists that enabled 95% on-time program starts. Automated recurring session scheduling and produced budget/outcome reports to support quarterly planning.

Event Operations Vendor coordination Scheduling Budget Reports Excel Process Standardization

Research Analyst

Khthon

Jun 2024 - Nov 2024 (5 months)

Owned the research operations pipeline—from data collection design to analysis and delivery—building intake templates and automated validation checks that reduced data cleaning time by 40%. Produced weekly intelligence briefs and Excel dashboards synthesizing multi-source data for operational planning and client reporting.

Research Operations Data Collection Data Validation Data Cleaning Intelligence Reports Process Improvement

Undergraduate Peer Coordinator

University of Florida

Apr 2021 - Feb 2022 (10 months)

Built an internal knowledge base and SOPs that enabled 70% of cases to be resolved without escalation. Coordinated student events and managed CRM/data entry and reporting in Salesforce and Qualtrics, training 12 staff on CRM and incident procedures.

Knowledge Base Management Salesforce Qualtrics CRM Data Management Event Coordination Staff Training