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Marija Šmulkštytė

@marijasmulkstyte

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Product & Innovation Lead

Spain

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking Product or Innovation Lead roles, where I can combine insights from cognitive science with over 5 years of international experience in product development and strategy.

Driven by a profound fascination with cognitive science, I leverage its insights to create technology products that truly resonate with users, solve real-world problems, and drive business value.

My career is built on a robust foundation of over 5 years in project and program leadership, where I've consistently delivered complex projects on time and within budget across diverse markets (EU, US, Middle East, Asia). I have a proven track record of scaling operations, optimizing production, and contributing to the growth of diverse cross-functional teams. For instance, I helped scale a company from 7 to over 40 employees within a year while managing annual budgets exceeding €1 million, and delivered products captivating over 3 million users across 15+ countries.

My bachelor’s studies at Sciences Po Paris shaped a rigorous critical-thinking mindset and problem-solving approach, while my two master’s degrees—one in Media and Communication and the other in Cognitive Science and Interactive Media—provided in-depth expertise in human interaction with advanced systems such as AI and VR, as well as strategies for successfully launching them to market.

With this unique blend of leadership experience and cognitive science insights, I aspire to join a team committed to shaping innovative solutions that bridge cognitive science, technology, and meaningful impact.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Project Director

Current

Univrse

Jan 2024 - Present (1 year 8 months)

Established and structured the Project Management department for LBVR production, leading delivery of 10+ experiences yearly (200k–1M EUR) that attracted over 3 million visitors across 15+ countries and scaled the company from 7 to 40+ employees in one year.

Project Management LBVR Production Budgeting Team Leadership Stakeholder Management Agile Methodologies

Senior Project Manager

Univrse

Nov 2022 - Dec 2023 (1 year 1 month)

Managed end-to-end production for 20+ LBVR projects, served as primary client liaison, and optimized project profitability for budgets between 20k–250k EUR while directing cross-functional teams to deliver immersive experiences.

Client Management Budgeting

Freelance Project Manager

Freelance

Jun 2022 - Jan 2023 (7 months)

Delivered brand strategy and project management services for clients such as ESCP Business School, overseeing strategy, planning and execution for short-term engagements.

Brand Strategy Project Management Roadmapping Strategic Planning

Project Manager

AKQA

Apr 2021 - Nov 2021 (7 months)

Defined project methodology, KPIs and budgets for web/app projects and consistently delivered €50k–€400k digital projects on time and within budget while coordinating UX, UI, tech and creative teams for clients including Louis Vuitton and Google Arts & Culture.

Budget Management Jira Confluence

Junior Project Manager

AKQA

Jan 2020 - Apr 2021 (1 year 3 months)

Managed planning, deliverables and cross-team communication for digital projects, ensuring timely delivery and financial tracking across e-commerce and content production initiatives.

Project Planning Trello Jira

Graduate Tutor

Sciences Po Paris

Sep 2019 - Jan 2020 (4 months)

Led 10 workshops on design thinking and innovation methods and coordinated six groups of first-year Master’s students to apply creative methodologies to societally impactful projects.

Design Thinking Coordination Teaching Curriculum Development

Project Manager (Internship)

AKQA

Jul 2018 - Dec 2018 (5 months)

Supported project teams on web and app development projects, contributing to planning, stakeholder communication, and delivery for clients in the luxury and tech sectors.

Planning Content Production MS Office Slack

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Universitat Pompeu Fabra

Master of Science, Cognitive Science and Interactive Media

2022 - 2024

Master's program in Cognitive Science and Interactive Media focusing on AI and VR applications to adaptive learning and systems design; thesis compared LBVR and traditional learning methods.

Sciences Po Paris

Master of Arts, Communication, Media and Creative Industries

2017 - 2020

Activities and societies: Graduate tutor (09/2019 - 01/2020): led workshops on design thinking and coordinated student groups.

Master's program in Communication, Media and Creative Industries with emphasis on brand development, digital strategy, content production, and storytelling.