Nicholas Hawes

Senior Product Design Manager | Compassionately Candid Leader & Mentor | Researcher | Design Ops | Coaching Teams Into High Performance Powerhouses | Artistic Swimming Dad

Role
Senior Manager Product Design at Kroger Technology & Digital
Location
Cincinnati, OH, US
LinkedIn followers
500 followers
General Business & ManagementView LinkedIn profile

About Nicholas Hawes

As a seasoned Digital Product Design Leader with 10+ years of experience, I\'ve built my career at the intersection of anthropology, strategic design thinking, and enterprise product development. My journey from applied anthropologist to Senior UX Design Manager has taken me through Fortune 100 companies like NASA, Nielsen, Fifth Third Bank, and most recently Kroger, where I\'ve led cross-functional teams and delivered transformative digital experiences. My unique value comes from combining people management excellence with deep expertise in design systems and frameworks (Design Thinking, Systems Thinking & DSRP, Service Design, UXR, OOUX, and others), stakeholder management, and agile methodologies. I\'m energized by ambiguous, complex challenges that others find overwhelming—when teams are stuck in analysis paralysis or swirling in uncertainty, that\'s exactly where I thrive. I excel at bringing clarity to chaos, transforming tangled problems into actionable strategies, and rallying teams around a clear path forward through inclusive design practices and user-centered solutions that drive measurable business impact. Looking to bring my strategic vision, team leadership, and proven track record of scaling design organizations to drive innovation in SaaS product design and enterprise digital experiences.

Experience

  1. Senior Manager Product Design

    Kroger Technology & Digital

    Aug 2022 — Present · Cincinnati, OH, US

Education

  • Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

    Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies

    2008 — 2011

  • Kent State University

    Non-Degree, Physical and Biological Anthropology

    2006 — 2006

  • University of Cincinnati

    Master of Arts, Anthropology; Medical Anthropology

    2007 — 2011

  • Cleveland Institute of Art

    BFA, Medical Illustration

    2000 — 2005

  • Case Western Reserve University

    Cross; BFA, Biology; Medicine

    2000 — 2005

Skills

  • Participant Observation
  • Quantitative Research
  • Participatory Design
  • Survey Research
  • Research Design
  • Interviewing
  • Focus Groups
  • Typography
  • Branding
  • Analysis
  • Excel
  • Technical Writing
  • Training
  • Branding
  • Constructive Feedback
  • Instructional Design
  • Research
  • Observation
  • Higher Education
  • Powerpoint
  • Social Sciences
  • Enterprise Software
  • Qualitative Research
  • Spss
  • Logo Design
  • Scientific Illustration
  • Filemaker Pro
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Data Analysis
  • Microsoft Word
  • Technical Illustration
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Teaching
  • Illustrator
  • Public Speaking
  • Anthropology
  • Awesomeness
  • Fonts
  • Statistics
  • 360 Feedback

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Nicholas Hawes — Senior Manager Product Design at Kroger Technology & Digital in Cincinnati, OH, US | Unifers