Santiago Peña Prieto

Head of Product Design - OCC

Jul 2022 – Present | Mexico City

• Lead the design team for the largest job search platform in Mexico, managing a multidisciplinary team focused on delivering high-impact experiences.
• Defined and executed the strategic product design vision aligned with business goals, collaborating closely with C-level and key stakeholders.
• Redesigned the end-to-end experience for job seekers and recruiters, increasing conversion, engagement, and user activation metrics.
• Scaled and consolidated the institutional Design System in collaboration with Frontend and Product teams, improving operational efficiency and reducing design debt.
• Implemented a design culture focused on continuous user research, including discovery phases, co-creation workshops, and usability testing.
• Fostered team growth through mentoring, career development paths, onboarding, and performance evaluation processes.

Head of UX - Zebrands

Sep 2021 – Jun 2022 | Mexico City

• Built the UX team from scratch for multiple e-commerce brands (Luuna, Nooz, and Mappa), establishing UX as a strategic pillar in the organization.
• Designed a scalable multi-brand design system based on design tokens, enabling consistent cross-brand component reuse.
• Led checkout and purchase flow optimization, reducing cart abandonment and increasing conversion through user-centered insights.
• Implemented A/B testing, interviews, and user validation processes to inform product decisions.
• Collaborated with stakeholders from Product, Tech, and Marketing to align priorities, roadmap, and experience vision.
• Successfully launched the ERP system and a scalable multi-brand frontend platform, streamlining operations and improving brand experience consistency.

UX Design Manager – Citibanamex Móvil

Apr 2019 – Sep 2021 | Mexico City

• Led product design strategy for key mobile banking services including transfers, payments, Apple Pay, insurance, investments, and payroll portability.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to deliver secure, compliant, and user-centered solutions in a highly regulated environment.
• Drove improvements across onboarding, registration, login, and the payments ecosystem (transfers and bill payments), optimizing key user journeys to boost mobile adoption, reduce friction, and support acquisition and retention goals.
• Defined design KPIs aligned with business objectives and user engagement goals, driving continuous iteration and measurable improvements.
• Participated in strategic planning and product roadmap discussions to ensure UX priorities supported corporate goals.
• Managed and mentored a high-performing design team, fostering a culture of experimentation, continuous learning, and accountability.

UI/UX Lead – Citibanamex Móvil

Oct 2018 – Apr 2019 | Mexico City

• Coordinated visual and interaction design for new app releases.
• Ensured visual consistency across digital products and brand guidelines.

UI/UX Designer - Citibanamex

Jul 2017 – Oct 2018 | Mexico City

• Designed interfaces for financial products (onboarding, international transfers, cardless withdrawals, help center, among others), focusing on usability and accessibility.

MIB | Master Internet Business - ISDI

2016 - 2017

Marketing - Corporación Colegiatura Colombiana

2007 - 2011

Grado - Colegio Gimnasio los Alcázares

1992 - 2003

Soft Skills

Team Leadership, Strategic Vision, Cross-functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Mentoring

Design

Figma, Sketch, Design Systems, Wireframing, Prototyping, Design tokens

Front-end Basics

HTML, CSS, JavaScript

UX Research

Interviews, Usability Testing, Heuristic Evaluation, Benchmarking

Additional Tools

Notion, Jira, Confluence, Hotjar, Google Analytics, UXCam, Clevertap

Español

Nativo

English

Intermediate professional proficiency