Top Talent like Suma are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Suma K.

Product Designer
AI & Machine Learning Engineer
Business Intelligence Analyst
Chicago, IL, US
Product Design
AI
Business Strategy
Team Management
Affinity Diagrams
Data Analysis
Chatbots
Machine Learning
Interpersonal Communication
Mentoring
Time Management
Agile
Partnership Management
Systems Design
Collaboration
Process Improvement
UX Strategy
Design Research
Design Systems
UI/UX Design
Product Strategy
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts
Senior Product Design Leader & UX Designer | Fractional 20–30 hrs/week | Fintech, AI, SaaS
I’m a senior product design leader with 10+ years of experience driving design strategy, UX, and AI integration in fintech, insurance, risk, and compliance products. I specialize in creating intuitive, user-friendly solutions that deliver measurable business impact — including a 30% increase in user efficiency and 20% reduction in task errors. I work fractionally (20–30 hrs/week), contributing hands-on UX design (wireframes, prototypes, user research) while providing design leadership and mentorship for cross-functional teams. My recent MIT xPRO certifications in Agentic AI for Organizational Transformation and Designing & Building AI Products strengthen my ability to align AI capabilities with design to drive adoption and business results. Specialties & Skills: UX Design, UI design, Product Design, Visual Design, Design Strategy, AI Integration, User Research, Workflow optimization, Prototyping, Wireframing, SaaS, Fintech, Insurance, Risk & Compliance, Design Systems

Projects

AI-Powered Insights for Workday Finance

The password for my portfolio is sk2026. Role: UX Leader / Product Design (Fractional-ready) Led the AI-enabled Workday Finance transformation for 500+ users, partnering with C-suite and cross-functional teams in Finance, MST, and Reinsurance. Applied user research, service design, and product design to reimagine workflows, reduce manual finance tasks by 50%, and improve data accuracy and cross-team collaboration. Delivered actionable AI-driven product recommendations and designs that aligned business strategy with user needs, addressing fragmented processes and maximizing ROI from existing technology investments. Key Skills & Methods: UX Design, Service Design, Product Strategy, AI Integration, Workflow Optimization, User Research, Prototyping, Stakeholder Alignment See More

Work History

M

UX Leader

MSIG USAFull-time EmployeeJun 2025 - Dec 2025 • 7 mosDeveloped and executed design and research strategies for enterprise underwriting, claims, and servicing platforms across 10+ global markets Led end-to-end design initiatives including service flows, wireframes, and prototypes for complex insurance workflows Created north star vision and transformational innovation strategies aligning user needs with business objectives Championed inclusive design practices ensuring accessibility compliance across all product touchpoints Collaborated with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Data Science, Compliance) to integrate UX into product development processes Presented design work and strategic recommendations to executive stakeholders weekly Analyzed user research data and market trends to inform design decisions, improving adoption by 25%

Education

T

Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan

Master of Architecture - MArch, Architecture2006 - 2010
T

Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan

M.S. Architecture, Japanese Post Modern Architecture and Urbanism2008 - 2010
I

Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC)

Japanese Language and Literature2005
U

University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Japanese Language and Literature1998 - 2000
K

KCJS: Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies

Japanese Language and Literature1998
G

Georgetown University

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Spanish Language and Literature, Minor Japanese1996 - 1998

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
Senior Product Design Leader & UX Designer | Fractional 20–30 hrs/week | Fintech, AI, SaaS
I’m a senior product design leader with 10+ years of experience driving design strategy, UX, and AI integration in fintech, insurance, risk, and compliance products. I specialize in creating intuitive, user-friendly solutions that deliver measurable business impact — including a 30% increase in user efficiency and 20% reduction in task errors. I work fractionally (20–30 hrs/week), contributing hands-on UX design (wireframes, prototypes, user research) while providing design leadership and mentorship for cross-functional teams. My recent MIT xPRO certifications in Agentic AI for Organizational Transformation and Designing & Building AI Products strengthen my ability to align AI capabilities with design to drive adoption and business results. Specialties & Skills: UX Design, UI design, Product Design, Visual Design, Design Strategy, AI Integration, User Research, Workflow optimization, Prototyping, Wireframing, SaaS, Fintech, Insurance, Risk & Compliance, Design Systems

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call

Top Talent like Suma are on Pangea

Pangea, a YC company, connects companies with fractional talent. Fractional hiring allows companies to move faster and work with more specialized talent, while giving talent more flexibility and independence. If you are talent open to fractional work, apply here. If you’re a company looking for high-quality fractional talent, learn more here.

Suma K.

Product Designer
AI & Machine Learning Engineer
Business Intelligence Analyst
Chicago, IL, US
Product Design
AI
Business Strategy
Team Management
Affinity Diagrams
Data Analysis
Chatbots
Machine Learning
Interpersonal Communication
Mentoring
Time Management
Agile
Partnership Management
Systems Design
Collaboration
Process Improvement
UX Strategy
Design Research
Design Systems
UI/UX Design
Product Strategy
Available for hire fromNegotiable
Contracts

Projects

AI-Powered Insights for Workday Finance

The password for my portfolio is sk2026. Role: UX Leader / Product Design (Fractional-ready) Led the AI-enabled Workday Finance transformation for 500+ users, partnering with C-suite and cross-functional teams in Finance, MST, and Reinsurance. Applied user research, service design, and product design to reimagine workflows, reduce manual finance tasks by 50%, and improve data accuracy and cross-team collaboration. Delivered actionable AI-driven product recommendations and designs that aligned business strategy with user needs, addressing fragmented processes and maximizing ROI from existing technology investments. Key Skills & Methods: UX Design, Service Design, Product Strategy, AI Integration, Workflow Optimization, User Research, Prototyping, Stakeholder Alignment

Work History

M

UX Leader

MSIG USAFull-time EmployeeJun 2025 - Dec 2025 • 7 mosDeveloped and executed design and research strategies for enterprise underwriting, claims, and servicing platforms across 10+ global markets Led end-to-end design initiatives including service flows, wireframes, and prototypes for complex insurance workflows Created north star vision and transformational innovation strategies aligning user needs with business objectives Championed inclusive design practices ensuring accessibility compliance across all product touchpoints Collaborated with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Data Science, Compliance) to integrate UX into product development processes Presented design work and strategic recommendations to executive stakeholders weekly Analyzed user research data and market trends to inform design decisions, improving adoption by 25%

Education

T

Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan

Master of Architecture - MArch, Architecture2006 - 2010
T

Taubman College of Architecture + Urban Planning, University of Michigan

M.S. Architecture, Japanese Post Modern Architecture and Urbanism2008 - 2010
I

Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies (IUC)

Japanese Language and Literature2005
U

University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Japanese Language and Literature1998 - 2000
K

KCJS: Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies

Japanese Language and Literature1998
G

Georgetown University

Bachelor of Arts - BA, Spanish Language and Literature, Minor Japanese1996 - 1998

How Pangea Works

Effortlessly discover top talent

We've distilled the candidate search from endless hours down to just a few minutes. Using Pangea's AI-powered search tools, you can find top fractional talent able to take on your next project. Our system looks at your company's niche and your needs to find the perfect match faster than any traditional hiring platform.

Start working with talent today

The top talent on Pangea is ready to get started with you right now. You can message or hire a candidate right from their profile page and start assigning work as soon as they respond. And the best part? Pangea's fractional contract structure lets you start small and ramp up as your needs change, keeping your costs manageable and your team's capabliities flexible.

Track work and invoices in one place

Assign tasks, track progress, and complete invoices all on Pangea. We've combined every part of the hiring process into one platform to eliminate the miscommunication that's unavoidable on other freelance platforms. We even send out 1099s to your contractors at the end of the year!

Talk with a Talent Expert

Members of our team are available to help you speed through the hiring process.
Available Now
Book a Call
Pangea empowers fractional work across the world for marketing and design roles.