Governance and operations consulting for international organisations
I work with research organisations, nonprofits, and academic institutions navigating complexity to bring structural clarity to programmes, processes, and the people who run them.
What I do
Complex organisations run on clear processes, accurate records, and people who understand how structure and governance actually work in practice.
I bring operational rigour, governance experience, and the ability to translate policy into practice to organisations that need it without the overhead of a permanent hire.
Process design, documentation, and workflow management
Operational leadership for programmes, committees, and working groups
Governance consulting and policy implementation
Coordination of funding, selection, and assessment processes
Stakeholder engagement across institutional hierarchies
Continuity and oversight across organisational cycles
Recent work
2026: Two independent contracts with the Fellowships Programme at EMBO (Heidelberg, DE).
How I work
My approach is structured, calm, and pragmatic, with a focus on making systems workable rather than perfect, both for the people working within those systems and the organisations that utilise them.
That approach is shaped from having worked in different types of organisations and institutional contexts. Working across local, international, and intergovernmental contexts has given me a practical understanding of how formal structures and informal practices interact. I am dedicated to being responsible for sensitive information, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring follow-through over time. I also have experience being part of remote and geographically distributed teams that communicate across time zones.
About me
My name is Erica Wilfong, and I have over ten years of experience in governance and operations roles within international scientific and academic institutions, including EMBO and Springer Nature. I bring structural rigour, policy experience, and the ability to make complex organisations work more clearly and consistently.
I’m based in Germany and work remotely with organisations in Europe and beyond.
Contact
If you're looking for governance or operations expertise on a consulting or project basis, let's talk.