Looking for a job

Nicki Peña

@nickipea

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I build scalable creative operations, workflows, and teams for global brands and high-growth organizations.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead creative operations, planning, and scalable production systems where I can build high-performing teams, improve workflows, align resources and budgets, and enable ambitious creative work.

At LA28, I built the first Creative Operations program in Olympic and Paralympic Games history, establishing workflows, resource planning, budget oversight, and project management standards for milestone design artifacts including torches, medals, and podiums.

I restructured financial and resourcing models to reflect current economic realities, saving more than $13.5M by shifting planned agency work to the in-house creative team. I also partner with the Executive Design Director on workforce roadmaps, executive business cases, and delivery priorities.

At Apple, I led packaging-production work that reduced plastics and automated more than 4,000 iPhone launch packaging design variations. I built scalable Wrike workflows and partnered with Engineering on a platform unifying design, production, and localization.

Previously at ChowNow, I built Creative Operations from the ground up, reduced Restaurant Marketing turnaround time by 70%, and saved an average of 56 hours per week. I’ve also led designers, traffic managers, and contractors while building the systems, training, and asset governance needed for creative teams to scale.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Director, Brand Design Operations & Planning

Current

LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Sep 2023 - Present (3 years)

Developed and implemented the first Creative Operations program in Olympic and Paralympic Games history, establishing operational strategy including standardized workflows, resource planning, budget oversight, and cross-functional collaboration. Restructured financial and resourcing models, saving over $13.5M by shifting agency work to the in-house team.

Creative Operations Strategic Planning Budget Oversight Resource Allocation Workflow Standardization Cross Functional Collaboration Risk Assessment Project Management Team Leadership Vendor Management Contract Negotiation Financial Modeling Executive Influence Asana Smartsheet Wrike Adobe Creative Cloud Figma Bynder

Marcom Packaging Producer

Apple

May 2022 - Sep 2023 (1 year 4 months)

Led creative production efforts to reduce plastics in Apple's packaging program, driving operational process shifts and streamlining downstream workflows. Enabled automation of 4,000+ design variations for iPhone launch packaging, replacing manual assembly processes.

Creative Production Packaging Workflow Automation Wrike Cross Functional Collaboration Training program development Process Improvement Vendor Management Project Management Localization Print Production

Sr. Design Program Manager

ChowNow

Sep 2017 - May 2022 (4 years 8 months)

Assessed production workflow and standardized processes, reducing turnaround times by 70% and saving 56 hours of work per week. Built the company's Creative Operations function from the ground up, defining workflow standards and operational tools.