Nakia Ameerun
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Washington, DC, United States
Toptal member since May 1, 2025
Nakia is a strategic UX research operations lead with 8+ years of experience creating UX research ecosystems. She is skilled in participant recruitment and management, research governance and compliance, tooling and vendor management, project intake and roadmapping, documentation and knowledge sharing, project and operations management, enablement, and training. Nakia is passionate about empowering teams to deliver impactful, data-driven insights that inform business decisions.
Expertise
- Knowledge Management
- Operations Management
- Participant Recruitment and Management
- Project Intake
- Project Management
- Research Governance
- Roadmaps
- Tool Management
Work Experience
Program Manager
United States Navy
- Selected for a program manager role overseeing a team developing advanced surveillance technology.
- Obtained a secret clearance, a rigorous process that required extensive background checks and several months of review.
- Prepared to lead strategic planning, execution, and cross-functional collaboration for a high-priority defense initiative.
UX Research Operations Specialist
VMware
- Established processes and workflows for collecting, organizing, and storing research data within research governance and compliance.
- Managed research infrastructure, tools, and platforms to streamline research operations and optimize research impact. Maintained research playbooks, resources, and best practices documentation.
- Established and maintained workflows for research data management, participant management, scheduling, and incentive distribution, standardizing processes before the VMware and Broadcom merger.
UX Research Operations Specialist
Schneider Electric
- Collaborated closely with researchers to plan studies, adapt to shifting priorities, and provide logistical and technical support during project intake and road mapping.
- Spearheaded the design and delivery of a Dovetail 101 Certification Course for cross-functional teams, incorporating data protection policies and GDPR compliance.
- Conducted and evaluated qualitative and quantitative market research engagement for a cloud-hosted BMS solution.
Senior UX Researcher
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
- Managed UX research activities for the continual development of the content management system's (CMS) ecosystem of knowledge-based help and support resources.
- Headed and managed the Jira board, sprint planning, and agile activities. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify and evaluate research topics.
- Presented research findings and recommendations to designers and stakeholders at all levels of the organization. Oversaw objective setting and discovery processes, including persona development, journey-mapping, and interpreting goals.
Senior UX Researcher
United States Environmental Protection Agency
- Managed UX research activities for the modernization initiative for the Clean Air Market Division (CAMD).
- Contributed to the product development process, including identifying customer needs, ideation, testing, and continuously gathering customer feedback throughout the product development process.
- Developed and delivered project reporting, documentation, and presentations.
Project History
Participant Recruitment and Management
https://uxfol.io/p/nakia.ameerun/24ac9f8dReduced recruitment time by 40% by creating user interviews and improved participant quality by 60%, ensuring better alignment with target user profiles.
Research Governance and Compliance
https://uxfol.io/p/nakia.ameerun/24acaf34Developed clear operational guidelines, workflows, and governance processes for consistent and compliant research operations.
Research Operations and Project Management
https://uxfol.io/p/nakia.ameerun/24ac86d5Increased productivity by streamlining workflows and clarifying responsibilities, and improved visibility into active and planned research projects for internal and external stakeholders.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
Temple University - Philadelphia, PA, USA
Skills
Tools
Jira, Slack, Miro, Confluence
Paradigms
Agile UX, Agile, Human-centered Design (HCD), Usability Testing, Quantitative Research
Other
Participant Recruitment and Management, Project Intake, Research Governance, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Personally Identifiable Information (PII), Training, Documentation, Knowledge Management, Tool Management, Operations Management, User Interviews, Dovetail, Surveys, Microsoft Teams, UserZoom, Compliance, Sprint Retrospectives, Sprint Planning, UX Research, Lean UX, Qualtrics, User Flows, Qualitative Research, Quanitative Research, Market Research, Marketing Research & Analysis, Vendor Management, Project Management, Online Course Design, Governance, User Stories, Roadmaps
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