Sunset over a park with leafless trees, street lamps, and a suburban neighborhood in the distance, as seen through water splashes at the foreground.

Emily Clarke

Delivery leader · Team builder · Operations nerd

I build the teams and operating models that turn ambitious products into reliable delivery.

A woman wearing sunglasses and a Google-themed T-shirt at sunset, standing outdoors with a cityscape and hills in the background.

I've spent 18 years in project and programme management, and the last 11 leading complex technology programmes.

I work on products; building and shaping the delivery functions that support large teams to produce their best work. I like the part of the job most people find messy: lots of teams, lots of partners, high stakes, and a need for everyone to know what happens next.

My North Star is to bring simplicity and order to complexity, through people, structure and fun.

About me

Let's talk

My values

People first.

Good delivery comes from people who feel trusted and supported. Having mentored many project managers and engineers, seeing them grow is the part of the job I’m proudest of.

Clarity over noise.

Everyone should know what's happening, what's at risk and who owns it. Simple governance, honest reporting and early warnings beat heroics at the last minute.

Always a better way.

Improving how teams work, from delivery playbooks and quality gates to piloting AI-assisted status reporting and sprint planning that cut admin and show risk earlier.

Group of people standing together at a Google event, smiling, with a white wall background and a sign that reads 'Site Kit'. Some are wearing Google-branded blue shirts, and there are potted plants beside them.

Four people smiling at a conference, holding a stuffed bear, wearing conference badges, standing in front of a display screen with presentation slides.

Group of people at a Google event, standing in front of a Google sign, smiling for the camera, with a display screen and colorful artwork in the background.

At a professional event, two women with lanyards and badges are engaged in conversation with a man. The women are wearing dark T-shirts with the text 'Google WordCamp Europe.' The background shows a booth or display area with banners and other attend

Group of people smiling and posing for a photo at a Google event, with a background displaying Google branding and large colorful cylindrical decorations.

Group of people at Google WordCamp Europe 2023 booth, with a woman taking a selfie in the foreground, two women and two men sitting and standing near display screens, showing materials related to Google and WordPress.

A group of nine diverse people, all wearing white Google's T-shirts and lanyards, standing indoors in front of a display with signs labeled "Site Kit," "Build with Gemini," and "Nano Banana." The setting appears to be a tech or corporate event.

Two smiling people taking a selfie in front of a large green WordCamp Europe 2024 sign at a conference. Another person and a red vintage car are visible in the background.

What I bring

Taking a product from zero to scale

Google Site Kit started as a small engagement. I built and scaled its delivery function from inception to launch, and kept it running as the product grew. Seven years on, it has more than 5 million active installs and is one of the fastest-growing WordPress plugins.

What this means for my team: I know how to set a product up to ship steadily, release after release, for years.

Making complex partnerships work

Created the operational processes and governance for Google for WooCommerce, that kept Google product teams, our engineers and partner platforms moving in the same direction.

What this means for my team: clear ownership, fewer surprises, and launches that land on time even when lots of teams are involved.

Building teams and operating models

Helped grow the Platform Extensions division from 5 to 70 people across the UK, Europe, India and the US. Designed the agile operating model behind it, from discovery and design through build, testing, launch and ongoing feature work. AI-first delivery model development.

What this means for my team: someone who can scale your delivery function without losing quality or the people in it.

Top skills and experience

Programme and portfolio management, operating model design, portfolio reviews and steering governance, risk and escalation management, agile and hybrid delivery

Delivery and governance

Budget ownership (~$10M), forecasting, resource and capacity planning, contractor and vendor management, supplier agreements and SLAs

Commercial

Weekly performance dashboards, process design and standardisation, delivery playbooks, quality gates, PMO set-up

Operations and reporting

Senior client stakeholders, multi-party partnerships with Google product teams, legal launch approvals, client training and onboarding

Stakeholders and partnerships

Scaling teams (5 to 70), coaching and mentoring, leading distributed teams

Leadership

NetSuite, Linear, Asana, Teamwork, GitHub, Slack, Jira, Confluence, WordPress, WooCommerce, Webflow, AI-assisted reporting and planning (Claude Cowork, Gemini, ChatGPT)

Tools and AI

An aquarium with multi-colored fish swimming among green aquatic plants and rocks.

Lego pirate ship with Pirate minifigures on deck, black sails with yellow stickers, and mini animals, displayed on a table.

A detailed LEGO model of a castle with towers, spires, and walls, featuring various small decorative elements and miniature figures in the foreground.

An aquarium with stacked flat stones forming a small waterfall, aquatic plants, and colorful fish swimming in the background.

Collection of potted indoor plants on a wooden table, including a pink pot with an aloe vera plant, a white pot with a leafy plant, a gray pot with a palm-like plant, and a black pot with a small tree, all near a plain beige wall.

Indoor arrangement of various houseplants on a wooden table against a light-colored wall, including a spider plant, bamboo, and purple-tinged foliage.

Collection of Halloween-themed LEGO decorations, including a haunted house, skeleton figure, scarecrow, pumpkins, ghosts, and Halloween characters, displayed on a shelf.

Words from colleagues….

“Emily is a skilled delivery leader who is fantastic at turning complex roadmaps into seamless execution. She combines operational rigor with clear communication and is incredibly solutions-oriented. I’ve always appreciated her positive energy and collaborative spirit.”

— Senior Strategic Partner Manager, Global Acquisitions & Partnerships, Google

“She brings professionalism, drive and a clear sense of direction, and projects move forward when she's involved. What stands out most is how she works with people. Her energy is infectious, and any team she joins is better for it.”

— Associate Director of UX, Fueled

“Emily has the uncanny ability to really take the most demanding situations and make them seem like simple, clear cut wins. Emily has immense skill and talent when it comes to managing clients, the team, the project and the relationship between all three.”

— Engineering Manager, Fueled

“She is one of the most supportive and effective leaders I have worked with. Em consistently recognised and championed the contributions of her team. Her advocacy gave me the confidence to take on greater responsibility and played a significant part in my professional growth.”

— Lead Engineer, Google Site Kit

Impact in numbers

revenue of the portfolio I lead covering 8-12 projects

5 to 70

people in the division I helped grow over 7 years

~$10M

project managers and engineers mentored into senior and lead roles

$5M

the largest single annual project I am responsible for

10+

Let’s Work Together

If you're interested in working together, complete the form with a few details about your project. I'll review your message and get back to you within 48 hours.