# Sandra Macias > Product and Design Leadership | Strategy | Systems Thinking Location: San Francisco, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/sandramacias Product and Design leader with 15 years of experience and a strong track record of creating impactful products and services in complex large-scale environments. I’m passionate about designing organizations and shaping culture. I excel in building and scaling high-performing teams, navigating ambiguity, cultivating a learning culture, and driving innovation through critical thinking and multi-disciplinary collaboration. Have created enterprise and consumer experiences across multiple industries, including Information Technology, Security and Access Management, Healthcare, Financial, Retail, Automotive, Commercial Real State, Hospitality, and more. Specialties: product strategy, design strategy, change management, systems thinking, team leadership, culture building, business & technical acumen, agile & lean methodologies, user-centered design, service design, design thinking, facilitation, coaching. ## Work Experience ### Design @ Uplight Jan 2025 – Present ### Product and Design Consultant @ Unknown Jan 2025 – Jan 2025 - Advisory and consulting services for Startups. ### Director of Product Management and Design @ Carina Jan 2023 – Jan 2024 | United States Carina provides products to help connect care seekers receiving Medicaid funded home care with qualified care Providers. - Team Leadership: Scaled and led a multidisciplinary team of Product Managers and Designers from 2 to 6, aligning hiring and team structure with Carina’s long-term vision while championing diversity, inclusion, and high engagement - Vision & Strategy: Defined and executed a two-year product and design strategy, driving organizational alignment and measurable impact in a highly complex, regulated gov-tech environment - Design Excellence: Elevated team practices by introducing scalable frameworks, design systems, and evidence-led methods—embedding systems thinking and user-centered discovery to drive informed and high-impact product decisions - Collaboration: Led cross-functional collaboration with engineering, marketing, customer success, and executive teams to ensure cohesive product strategy and effective execution - Change Leadership: Spearheaded company-wide process transformation, establishing scalable, autonomous, and collaborative ways of working to enable agile growth and continuous innovation - Partnerships: Developed strategies to engage and strengthened partnerships with external stakeholders, including labor unions, state governments, and Medicaid funders—directly contributing to increased investment and support for Carina’s mission ### Lead Product Designer @ Okta Jan 2022 – Jan 2023 | San Francisco Bay Area Okta is a leading company in the field of Identity and Access Management (IAM). - Led product design across key pillars - Partnered with cross-functional leaders to shape and execute portfolio strategy aligned with business goals. - Facilitated cross-functional activities and brainstorming sessions to build alignment and co-create feasible solutions, using mental models and system diagrams to foster shared understanding and uncover new opportunities. - Supported Okta’s Agile Transformation by partnering with executives and cross-functional leaders to craft strategies that promote collaboration and innovation, acting as ambassador of user-centered and agile methods. ### Staff Product Designer & Practice Lead @ VMware Tanzu Labs Jan 2018 – Jan 2022 | San Francisco Bay Area Formerly Pivotal Labs, our mission was to transform the way the world builds software. • Collaborated with cross-functional teams of engineers, data analysts, design, and product managers to deliver impactful software in large-scale complex environments, while coaching organizations and teams on agile, lean, user-centered, and systems thinking practices • Led end-to-end design for multiple complex products across web, mobile, and software architecture domains, facilitating cross-functional collaboration through workshops to support alignment and effective decision-making • Partnered with leaders and product managers to assess business opportunities and constrains, define priorities, and inform product roadmap from research insights • Supported sales efforts and scoped +10 projects aligning with clients on goals and success criteria, playing a key role in advancing design buy-in and closing complex deals • Supported hiring, onboarding, and mentoring of designers, acting as a de facto design lead to build team capability and culture. ### Product Manager @ Franpos Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco Bay Area FranPOS offers a cloud-based POS system & robust SaaS platform designed for franchises. • First Product Manager, reporting to the CEO; led hiring and mentorship to build a high-performing product and QA team. • Owned roadmap and backlog, prioritizing features from customer insights and CEO collaboration; delivered multiple products for restaurant and golf course segments, achieving 2x revenue growth. • Partnered with the top golf software provider in the USA to develop and launch tailored POS solutions for both their golf courses and affiliated restaurants, driving new client acquisition and revenue. • Led company rebranding to realign the brand for the franchise market, successfully driving a strategic shift toward large national chains. ### Lead Product Designer @ HipByte Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 Hipbyte is a consulting company. Creators of The Rubymotion framework. • Led the company rebranding initiative, designing and developing the corporate logo, website and email templates using HTML and CSS to modernize the brand’s digital presence. • Collaborated directly with the CEO to define the company’s marketing strategy and shape the design consulting service offerings, aligning them with business objectives. • Worked closely with clients, product managers, and engineers to facilitate and execute the design of various software products, aligning design with client’s strategic goals. ### Head of Design @ Hackers/Founders Jan 2015 – Jan 2016 | Mountain View, California • Led design initiatives for internal portfolio management tools, improving operational efficiency. • Provided design consulting and advisory services to portfolio companies, managing multiple simultaneous design projects to drive successful outcomes for the companies. • Managed design projects end-to-end while mentoring and guiding junior designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring high-quality deliverables. • Assisted in planning and coordinating community events, including conferences and meetups. • Build a professional design and development network across LatAm, connecting portfolio companies with top talent. ### Entrepreneur & Independent Consultant @ Consultant / Self-Employed Jan 2010 – Jan 2015 | Mexico - Android UX Advocate — Reviewed and curated apps for featuring in the Google Play Store across LatAm, providing strategic advice to top Google partners, elevating app quality, and driving increased visibility and user engagement. Contributed to Google’s Android market expansion in the region. - Co-founded a design & development consultancy specializing in Android applications, securing high-profile clients such as Google, Motorola, and CNN. Leading business development, client acquisition, and end-to-end project delivery. - Co-founded and led the largest Android Developer Community in LatAm, organizing +50 community events and bootcamps for Startup Weekend, Startup Grind Mexico, Google, and top universities. Served as conference speaker and startup advisor, fostering regional Android app ecosystem growth. - Co-founded a Coding Bootcamp, driving company strategy and establishing end-to-end processes and participant engagement frameworks. Designed and delivered training programs focused on design thinking and lean startup methodologies, empowering participants with practical skills and supporting their successful job placement in competitive tech markets. ### Senior Product Designer @ DIVERZA Jan 2013 – Jan 2014 | Ciudad de México y alrededores, México • Following Raku’s acquisition by Diverza, I joined the R&D team collaborating cross-functionally with software engineers, QA, product management, and customer service to ensure quality implementation across products. • Conducted competitive landscaping, generative and evaluative research, analyzing and synthesizing insights to inform and drive product decisions. • Designed user-centered concepts, wireframes, and prototypes (low to high fidelity) for iterative user testing and validation. • Spearheaded adoption of responsive design and mobile-first principles, significantly improving user experience in Diverza’s digital products. • Contributed to hiring efforts by interviewing and onboarding new designers, supporting team growth and culture. ### Senior UI & UX Designer @ Raku.mx Jan 2011 – Jan 2013 • Led end-to-end design and shipped +12 iOS apps. • Led design and research for an in-store iPad app launched in all BestBuy Mexico stores, enabling customers to self-serve electronic purchase invoices (factura electrónica). • Provided UX mobile advisory and consulting for El País, one of Latin America’s largest newspapers, guiding best practices and design guidelines to enhance mobile user experience. • Designed a silent bidding auction app for Gala Endeavor’s largest fundraising event in Mexico, collaborating closely with marketing, operations, and event teams to gather insights, iterate rapidly, and deliver a seamless and successful experience. • Designed the first-ever official training materials for RubyMotion developer courses. http://www.rubymotion.com/events/trainings/ ### UI Designer @ Self-Employed Jan 2010 – Jan 2011 Worked with various organizations and startups. • Graphic design activities including creating and modifying print pieces such as logos, corporate identity packages, advertisements, newsletters and brochures. • Designed websites and landing pages. • Customized Wordpress templates using HTML & CSS ## Education ### Architecture Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ### Actuarial Science/Applied Mathematics Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/sandramaciash --- Source: https://flows.cv/sandramacias JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/sandramacias/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05