I lead product development teams to build delightful and useful experiences and products. My passion is creating thoughtful technology that users love and solves real problems. I enjoy it so much I’m a full-stack designer and developer and I do it myself.
I work with clients and lead teams to build beautiful, useful, valuable products.
Ideate, formulate, and define business objectives, product strategy, product roadmaps, and KPIs for the world's most influential brands and organizations. Lead concepting, wireframing, design, testing, and technical assessment and planning process and iteration.
Advise clients on market and product opportunities and strategy, user behavior, quantitative and qualitative data analysis (goal formulation and analysis, funnel analysis, audience analysis).
Lead agile product development teams of 25+ to design, build, test, and measure the most innovative digital experiences, including: -Back-end developers and architects (Symfony, Drupal, Solr, MySQL) -Front-end developers (iOS, responsive web) -User experience and creative: product, interaction, and visual dsigners -SEO and Content Strategy -User research and usability testing -Analytics implementation and analysis -QA, including automated testing
Get heavily into the details on features, button styles, iOS animations, analytics reports, and pretty much everything in between with both client counterparts and every member of a product team, while trying to make sure every effort creates something valuables to users and organizations.
Manage budgets over $3.5 million and products garnering hundreds of thousands of unique monthly visitors.
Deep experience across industries and channels, from healthcare to e-commerce, responsive web to iOS apps.
Technology advisor to clients in media, private equity, hospitality, and other industries, providing: -Capital strategy and financial analysis of investment portfolios -Strategy and execution consulting on large technology initiatives -Portfolio, program, and project management strategy, process improvement, risk management, and benefits tracking -Deep experience in project management of the software development lifecycle, both in Agile and waterfall environments, from Oracle products to web applications -Project manager directing a team of software developers and analysts that built all internal and external financial reporting tools to prepare a hospitality company for a successful IPO, responsible for entire project delivery and advisor to senior client executives -Regularly serve as liaison between end users and developers, directly responsible for drafting and polishing functional and technical requirements, identifying and resolving issues, and ensuring prompt and quality delivery of applications and databases -Manage and develop existing and new client relationships, advise firm leaders on market strategy, and collaborate closely on proposal teams
Elected leader of a student government body focused on developing ties between the students and faculty of the London School of Economics and public, private, and non-profit organizations in international relations, economic policy, and development policy -Organized industry panels and conferences with policymakers, executives, and other industry professionals -Planned career nights and other industry outreach functions -Chaired board of directors and open student body meetings -Worked with university leadership to expand and improve program curriculum and industry linkages
Analyzed and revised the business strategy for a startup consulting firm that advises India’s largest corporations and foundations; this resulted in a complete reallocation of company resources and the acquisition of new clients. Analysis included: -Rigorous market analysis of existing and potential target markets -Organizational modeling and identification of areas for improvement -Charting of client engagement process and design of more efficient procedures -Complete rework of startup's technology strategy that led to new web tools being implemented -Profitability analysis and financial planning
Technology advisor to senior officials of the U.S. and Tanzania governments. Worked as a product and project manager leading the design, development, and testing of mobile and web applications that vastly improved the supply chain of malaria and HIV drugs in Tanzania's 4,500+ health clinics -Drafted comprehensive technical and functional specifications for web and mobile applications, finalized in tandem with senior policymakers and pharmaceutical industry executives -Managed RFP for software developers, interviewed several potential vendors and advised project sponsors on recommended service providers -Served as a project manager leading the design, rollout and testing of the eventual system, including working directly with users to illicit important UI feedback.Identified feature priority, worked with developers to develop project plans, and served as liaison between users and vendors -Developed relationships with government partners, World Bank, Clinton Foundation, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Novartis, and Vodafone to ensure universal project support -Saw pilot project to completion and prepared the country for a national rollout of the successful system
Project manager and technology advisor on the U.S. government-funded President's Malaria Initiative, the world's largest single attempt to control and eradicate malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. -Advised senior USAID policymakers on technology strategy for innovative mobile and we applications to improve drug availability -Worked closely with team members and partner organizations to provide country-level and program-level status reports, issues, tracking, and risk analysis to U.S. government officials -Coordinated procurement efforts of USAID, Global Fund, and World Bank to ensure steady flow of essential medicines into sub-Saharan African recipient countries -Identified and collaborated with technology partner organizations to ensure a constant supply of innovative solutions that drove program effectiveness
Selected from a competitive application pool to serve in the United States Peace Corps in Ukraine: -Served as a development worker in a full, 27-month immersion program in western Ukraine. -Designed, solicited and received grants for, and managed several community projects that improved access to HIV education, healthy lifestyles education, civic education, and English education in a community of 30,000 -Elected member of PEPFAR Grant Review Committee, overseeing strategy and implementation for $300,000+ of U.S. government-funded HIV prevention projects. Mentored other volunteers on project design, management, and evaluation -Learned Ukrainian/Russian language and customs fluently. Received highest rating of acquired language abilities by Peace Corps administrators out of a group of 300+ volunteers -Taught and mentored hundreds of Ukrainian youth, preparing lesson plans, grading and coaching students, designing and leading leadership and environment camps, and creating a community running club for at-risk youth
Activities and Societies: Binghamton Prospect (Campus Publication), Campus Recreational Services
Recommendations
A preview of what LinkedIn members have to say about Nicholas Alan:
Nicholas is one of the most well-informed, widely read people that I know. His thirst for knowledge enables him to build an interest in just about any subject. As a colleague at the LSE, he was a great source of discussion and debate and challenged many of my ideas in order for me to think using different perspectives. As well as this, his entrepreneurial nature allows him to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions to complex problems. His curiosity makes him a pleasure to work with as he brings new ideas to the table and would clearly bring added value to any organization.