Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Timeline
Skills
Software
BusinessAnalyst
Nadya Santapaga

Nadya Santapaga

Online Education
Johannesburg/Remote

Summary

Enthusiastic Education Manager and ex Head fo UX Bootcamps at the IxDF, eager to contribute to team success through hard work, attention to detail and excellent organizational skills. Clear understanding of eLearning and education management/operations. Motivated to learn, grow and excel in EdTech.

Passionate mentor and career coach in UX and UI.

Overview

17
17
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education

Work History

Part-Time UI Design Mentor

Dribbble
Remote
08.2022 - Current
  • Learned new skills and applied to daily tasks to improve efficiency and productivity.
  • Collaborated with team members to achieve target results.
  • Used critical thinking to break down problems, evaluate solutions and make decisions.
  • Used coordination and planning skills to achieve results according to schedule.
  • Participated in team-building activities to enhance working relationships.
  • Increased customer satisfaction by resolving issues.
  • Maintained excellent attendance record, consistently arriving to work on time.
  • Created plans and communicated deadlines to complete projects on time.
  • Prepared variety of different written communications, reports and documents.
  • Actively listened to customers, handled concerns quickly and escalated major issues to supervisor.
  • Actively listened to customers' requests, confirming full understanding before addressing concerns.
  • Completed paperwork, recognizing discrepancies and promptly addressing for resolution.

Head of Bootcamps

The Interaction Design Foundation
Remote
04.2021 - 07.2022
  • Responsible for the user experience and growth of the IxDF Bootcamps.
  • Priority tasks were to review the existing UX Bootcamp content, assist the 3 other SMEs hired to develop the User Research, UI Design and Design Thinking Bootcamps and to create and curate all documentation and processes for onboarding in place for hiring.
  • Revamped the UX course entirely and researched and implemented an LMS.
  • Created supporting templates and frameworks for the coordinators to use as they developed their courses.
  • Coordinated a fairly large team of ops members, editors, writers and course coordinators to ensure that we had all materials in good shape for the launch of our pilot that August of 2021 by formulating and managing a project plan for the exercise.
  • Post the launch, tasks involved iterating and improving the bootcamp course and delivery framework to facilitate scalability and growth.
  • Involved in marketing and growth tasks, taking on full marketing responsibility through the creation, implementation and updating of the Growth Playbook.
  • Resolved problems, improved operations and provided exceptional service.
  • Participated in continuous improvement by generating suggestions, engaging in problem-solving activities to support teamwork.
  • Maintained energy and enthusiasm in fast-paced environment.
  • Used Microsoft Word and other software tools to create documents and other communications.
  • Created plans and communicated deadlines to complete projects on time.
  • Prepared variety of different written communications, reports and documents.
  • Developed team communications and information for meetings.
  • Led projects and analyzed data to identify opportunities for improvement.

Director

Open Window Business School for Creative Industries, OWBSCI
Pretoria
10.2019 - 04.2021
  • Tasked to start up this division of the business rooted in private tertiary education and accredited programs.
  • Operationalising the business, finding business and establishing and retaining client relationships.
  • Found new business in corporate for bespoke training in the creative industries, specifically Film Arts, Animation and Game Design, 3D Animation, Photography, Illustration, Design and UX, UI and full-stack development.
  • Focused on developing skills development programs that were accredited to play in that space, and to create offering to the private sector as well as the public sector, by establishing programs for creatives to upskill in business acumen.
  • Spearheaded innovative approaches to resource allocation and strategic planning.
  • Worked closely with organizational leadership and board of directors to guide operational strategy.
  • Monitored and coordinated workflows to optimize resources.
  • Formed strategic partnerships and connected with potential clients to drive business development.
  • Oversaw operations and provided corrective feedback to achieve daily and long-term goals.
  • Established departmental performance goals and provided feedback for underperforming areas.
  • Leveraged professional networks and industry knowledge to strengthen client relationships.
  • Analyzed business needs while soliciting customer feedback for process improvements.
  • Assisted with sales and marketing strategies to foster achievement of revenue goals.
  • Monitored expenditures to mitigate risk of overages.
  • Evaluated company documentation to verify alignment with regulatory requirements.
  • Leveraged marketplace trends to create solutions and refine business strategies.
  • Drafted and distributed reports to assist board members with critical business decisions.

Chief Operating Officer

Open Window
Pretoria
05.2018 - 10.2019
  • Responsible for all general operations alongside the CEO and co-owner, including overseeing the management staff, facilities, and operations.
  • Preparation for a visit by the quality assurance body, involving a tighter rein on Policy and Procedure development and review, committee formulation and conducting program reviews.
  • Involved in was the procurement of the building for the Zambia campus as a first attempt to establish a larger footprint in Africa.
  • Refined organizational structure to consolidate, streamline and delineate necessary functions.
  • Made large-scale financial decisions and supervised company spending to reduce material losses and maximize profits.
  • Evaluated product or service by analyzing and interpreting data and metrics.
  • Oversaw business-wide changes to modernize procedures and organization.
  • Directed technological improvements, reducing waste and business bottlenecks.
  • Led recruitment and development of strategic alliances to maximize utilization of existing talent and capabilities.
  • Interviewed, supervised and motivated staff members to achieve optimal productivity.
  • Led team of 8+ other leaders reporting to Board of Directors.
  • Implemented strategies on team planning, clarified roles of members and introduced new processes to boost quality across departments.
  • Coordinated and implemented effective training for over 30 lecturing staff to standardise their pedagogies.

Head of School

Open Window
Pretoria
01.2015 - 05.2018
  • Responsible for the implementation of the new degree in interaction design I helped develop and submit for accreditation.
  • Lectured the level 1 and 3 students, and evaluated and moderated across all levels.
  • Helped teachers develop and diversify instruction to better serve students of different skill levels and backgrounds.
  • Coordinated outreach events to bring in parents, family members and community at large to support students.
  • Established and enforced clear school-wide disciplinary procedures to protect students and staff.
  • Backed up instructors in handling disruptive students and implemented fair protocols to resolve situations.
  • Held staff accountable for implementing airtight school-wide systems and processes.
  • Developed curriculum and lesson plans to achieve objectives of each course.
  • Directed day-to-day operations of education program and supervised support staff to delegate assignments and evaluate performance.
  • Scheduled educational activities, faculty lectures and departmental events to drive mission and values of institution.
  • Evaluated programs and monitored implementation and compliance with regulations to achieve objectives.
  • Designed or used assessments to monitor student learning outcomes.
  • Conferred and resolved education-related issues and problems with students, parents and school officials.
  • Checked on instructor lessons and communication in order to assess quality of education and assistance offered to students.
  • Analyzed instructor, student and class trends to make proactive decisions about program operations.
  • Developed partnerships with parents, businesses and organizations to build awareness, increase support and share resources.
  • Represented educational program at meetings and conferences to serve as subject matter liaison for array of services and activities assigned.
  • Organized and allocated resources required to meet needs of students and instructors.
  • Monitored overhead, prepared budgets and directed spending and resources to support fiscal efficiency.

Creative Director

Aqua
Johannesburg
11.2007 - 12.2014
  • Ran and managed a team of four talented UI designers along with a copywriter.
  • Focus on user-centered design and principles and interaction design solutions as well as experience design
  • Integrated with strategists, developers, business analysts and usability analysts.
  • Contributed to project planning, budgeting, forecasting and was part of EXCO.
  • Interface between the team and the client and was responsible for relationship management of the client when it came to UX and UI design.
  • Established procedures and quality standards for department.
  • Evaluated and contributed to creative team ideas and translated into actionable project plans.
  • Revamped work strategies and processes to accomplish agency objectives.
  • Managed campaigns with specific focuses in order to meet customer needs and creative visions.
  • Oversaw full teams of writers, artists, designers and project managers.
  • Supervised design and production staff developing innovative designs for IxD projects while managing deadlines.
  • Recruited, hired and trained top candidates with eye for performance.
  • Collaborated with outside agencies to manage project progress and milestones.
  • Oversaw, guided and coached 4 designers.
  • Managed client relationships and expectations for creative projects with varying budgets and objectives.
  • Developed artistic visual products while working within defined technical constraints.
  • Oversaw hiring, training and direction of creative personnel to achieve optimal results.
  • Fostered highly communicative, collaborative team culture on visual product projects.
  • Preserved branding standards of assigned accounts.
  • Anticipated design issues and proved to be proactive in developing effective solutions.

Designer

BrandNew Advertising
Johannesburg
02.2005 - 11.2007
  • This was my first job after graduating from university.
  • Started as a junior designer and worked my way into senior position within the first year.
  • It was a small company then, and I worked on accounts such as Nissan, LG and RCI, designing brochures, digital media discs, television advertising and more.
  • Developed design deliverables that elevated, differentiated and functioned on-brand and on-strategy.
  • Obtained approval of concepts by submitting rough drafts to management or to client.
  • Used Adobe Creative Suite to edit images for use in marketing materials and website content.
  • Applied skill in color theory and composition to bring client visions to fruition.
  • Collaborated with clients to address brand imaging and marketing style.
  • Researched new design technology and tools to bolster professional skillset and drive quality deliverables.
  • Used coordination and planning skills to achieve results according to schedule.
  • Participated in continuous improvement by generating suggestions, engaging in problem-solving activities to support teamwork.
  • Maintained excellent attendance record, consistently arriving to work on time.
  • Exceeded goals through effective task prioritization and great work ethic.

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Information Design

University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
02.2001 - 04.2005

Timeline

Part-Time UI Design Mentor

Dribbble
08.2022 - Current

Head of Bootcamps

The Interaction Design Foundation
04.2021 - 07.2022

Director

Open Window Business School for Creative Industries, OWBSCI
10.2019 - 04.2021

Chief Operating Officer

Open Window
05.2018 - 10.2019

Head of School

Open Window
01.2015 - 05.2018

Creative Director

Aqua
11.2007 - 12.2014

Designer

BrandNew Advertising
02.2005 - 11.2007

Bachelor of Arts - Information Design

University of Pretoria
02.2001 - 04.2005

Skills

Customer inquiries

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Software

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe Illustrator

Figma

G Suite

Mural

Miro

Notion

Dopbox

Slack

Canvas LMS

Matrix LMS

Google Classroom LMS

Disco LMS

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Nadya SantapagaOnline Education