Nafees Zakir

Versatile Leadership. Proven Expertise.

Best suited for roles:

Senior Product Manager

Senior Project Manager

Senior Business Analyst

Area of Expertise

I bring 5 years of experience at the intersection of project and product management, specializing in leading large-scale projects and building MVPs that align with user needs. With a strong focus on nurturing collaboration, optimizing processes, and delivering value, I ensure seamless execution from planning to delivery. Additionally, my background in sales and marketing equips me with a unique perspective to drive product strategies that connect with target audiences and achieve measurable success.

Product Management Skills

Developing User Stories

Collaborated with stakeholders to create user stories like ‘As a user, I want to reset my password quickly so I can regain access to my account,’ ensuring clear requirements for developers.

User Research and Personas

Conducted surveys to understand user needs and created personas, like, “junior doctor at Cambridge who found it overwhelming with the amount of resources out there to educate themselves,” to guide product development decisions.

Design Thinking

Facilitated a brainstorming session where the team explored creative solutions to streamline onboarding, resulting in a simplified process for users.

Competitor Analysis

The extent of this was revolving around see what competitors were up to and seeing if we needed ‘x’ feature or not. We primarily did this to understand our users better.

MVP Development

Launched a minimal version of a product with essential features to test the market and gather user feedback for future iterations.

Go-to-Market Strategies

Worked with the marketing team to plan a product launch campaign, including email marketing, social media, and a demo webinar.

Backlog Prioritization

Prioritized backlog items by balancing user needs and development effort, ensuring critical features were delivered first.

KPI Development & Implementation

Defined KPIs such as ‘reduce support tickets by 20%’ and tracked progress to ensure the product met user needs effectively.

User Acceptance Testing

Conducted UAT with end users to validate new features and gather feedback before the final release.

Customer Success Management

Scheduled regular check-ins with customers to ensure they were achieving desired outcomes and addressed any issues promptly.

Google Analytics & Data-Driven Decision Making

Monitored traffic data to identify a drop in conversions, used tools like hotjar to integrate heatmaps to identify ways to improve conversion with UI changes.

Project Management Skills

Project Planning

My approach involves meticulous goal setting, resource allocation, and timeline management to ensure every project progresses smoothly from inception to completion.

Agile & Scrum Methodologies

Led sprint planning and retrospectives to keep the team aligned and continuously improve workflow.

Team Collaboration

Organized team meetings to nurture collaboration and ensuring everyone felt empowered to contribute.

Process Optimization

Automated repetitive tasks like generating reports, reducing manual work and freeing up time for high-priority activities.

Risk Assessment & Mitigation

Identified potential bottlenecks in the project timeline and adjusted resource allocation to avoid delays.

Stakeholder Management

Held bi-weekly meetings with stakeholders to align expectations and gather feedback, ensuring the project stayed on track.

Communication & Conflict Resolution

Able to navigate conflict and also act as a mediator to help resolve them in order to ensure the project timelines were not disrupted.

SOP Process Automation

Facilitated discussions to resolve a disagreement between two departments, ensuring the project goals remained unaffected.

Additional Skills

Requirement Gathering

I excel at conducting in-depth discussions to understand business needs, identifying key objectives, and translating them into clear, actionable requirements.

Digital Marketing Strategies

Proficient in creating and executing comprehensive digital marketing campaigns across multiple channels.

Copywriting & Content Creation

Skilled in writing persuasive and engaging content for websites, advertisements, and social media.

Email Marketing Automation

Expertise in designing and executing email campaigns using tools like Klaviyo, Bigin, HubSpot, or similar platforms.

SEO & SEM Optimization

Reasonable experience in optimizing content for search engines and running effective paid advertising campaigns.

Social Media Management

Competent in planning, scheduling, and analyzing social media posts to grow brand presence.

Lead Generation

Proficient in creating strategies to attract and convert potential clients into loyal customers.

CRM Tools & Automation

Hands-on experience with customer relationship management (CRM) systems like Bigin, HubSpot, and Zapier for workflow automation.

Content Strategy

Ability to plan and execute content calendars aligned with business goals and audience needs.

Workflow Automation & Integration

Experienced in creating multi-step workflows to handle complex tasks like data syncing, notifications, and reporting. Skilled in identifying automation opportunities to save time and enhance productivity for teams and organizations.

Web Development

Able to develop landing, portfolio and CRUD websites. Stack; HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL, WordPress.

Take a look at my career so far….

Self-Employed
Jun 2024 – Present

Freelance Digital Marketer

– Started freelancing as a copywriter, later managing LinkedIn profiles for Coaches and Consultants.

– Developed and executed comprehensive digital strategies for clients to enhance their online presence.

Insytful
Dec 2023 – Jun 2024

Contract Technical Delivery Manager

– Took over a delayed web development project, planned sprints, and motivated developers to get the project back on track.

– Successfully delivered the project with minimal delays and no additional costs.

Instant Scalability
Jul 2023 – Dec 2023

Contract Business Analyst

– Gathered client business operations workflows and developed roadmaps for improving efficiency.

– Managed process automation projects for SMEs, collectively saving over 300 hours annually across five clients.

Beyond Technologies
Apr 2022 – Oct 2023

Senior Project Manager

– Recruited as a Project Manager to oversee digital marketing projects; later promoted to Senior Project Manager.

– Streamlined project management processes and provided guidance and training to other Project Managers.

– Ensured efficient workflows for cross-functional teams without timeline overlaps.

– Successfully managed four simultaneous projects, driving measurable business growth and increasing sales.

– Implemented agile strategies to deliver results faster.

– Automated processes from client acquisition to onboarding and service delivery, improving overall efficiency.

– Organized training and workshops to help peers enhance their skills and career growth.

Medics Academy
Feb 2021 – Apr 2022

Product Manager

– Worked with users to understand their needs and translated them into MVPs and new features.

– Led backlog development, maintenance, and prioritization in collaboration with the Engineering Department.

– Facilitated Backlog Grooming, Sprint Planning, and Sprint Review meetings.

– Coordinated with a cross-functional team spread across Sri Lanka, the UK, Italy, Poland, and the USA.

– Tested products and resolved issues to ensure a seamless user experience.

– Managed communication between team members to ensure alignment and efficient delivery.

FOOTBASE
Jan 2020 – Aug 2020

E-commerce Store Owner

– Founded and managed an online store, overseeing all aspects of operations, marketing, and sales.

– Gained hands-on experience in e-commerce business strategy and customer acquisition.

ALAVI.AI
Nov 2019 – Mar 2020

Growth Marketer Intern

– Browsed e-commerce website profiles across industries, including apparel, fashion, and manufacturing, using Sales Navigator.

– Generated over 3,000 leads per month, with at least 10 leads converting to customers monthly.

CUBO SYSTEMS
Jan 2019 – Mar 2019

Software Engineering Intern

– Learned and implemented development using the MVC architecture with .NET and MySQL.

– Gained hands-on experience in building and refining software applications.

Matrix Lifecare
Jul 2017 – Dec 2017

Medical Sales Representative (Apprenticeship)

– Developed professional English proficiency while interacting with high-profile doctors.

– Managed and ensured timely stock refills for customers.

– Prepared basic stock and sales reports to track inventory and performance.

SRS Electronics
Nov 2016 – May 2017

Retail Sales Representative

– Provided exceptional after-sales services to maintain high customer satisfaction.

– Built and nurtured strong relationships with customers, ensuring repeat business.

Lets keep in touch!

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