Resume

Nicholas Gracilla

Chicago, IL 60640 USA

Profile

With more than 20 years of experience, I drive success in program management, management strategy, product development, and agile team leadership across diverse industries, including life sciences, professional services, research institutions, manufacturing, and higher education.

I bring a unique blend of humanities training and software engineering expertise to my work, providing both empathetic communication and pointed strategic insight. I excel at bridging the gap between executives, stakeholders, and technical teams—ensuring alignment and delivering results.

I approach every project with curiosity, collaboration, and a people-first mindset: I am passionate about coaching teams to thrive. My colleagues regularly acknowledge and thank me for fostering healthy, happy, high-performing work environments where individuals are empowered to succeed.

Experience

SEI Chicago

SEI is a management consulting firm delivering fresh perspectives and reliable results. We help some of the world’s most recognizable brands solve problems, create opportunity, and achieve more than they could alone. Our capabilities include AI & Technology, Concept to Delivery, Data & Analytics, Security, Risk & Compliance, and Strategy & Operations. Our national team creates no-nonsense solutions grounded in real-world perspectives and expertise.

Principal Consultant, Business & Technology

October 2024–present

For a global $12B pharmaceutical research company, my key achievements include:

Orchestrated the delivery of a sensitive data set to a new user group, handling data modeling, validation, refining the business case, and partnering with privacy, legal, and E&C stakeholders to ensure regulatory compliance.
Coordinated a competitive readiness initiative, overseeing activities across four functions. Facilitated working session follow-ups, validated and refined roadmaps, led teams to develop and review execution plans.
Project-managed a initiative to test a brand’s access and affordability messaging, creating a message bank from approved marketing materials and collaborating with external agencies.
Directed a growth strategy initiative to optimize audience targeting via a new DSP integration and on-schedule production deployment.
Managed a promotional mix model project, enhancing data stewardship and streamlining quarterly processes for actionable insights.

Senior Consultant

September 2023 - October 2024

For a global $12B pharmaceutical research company, my key achievements include:

Guided a cross-functional task force of SMEs to reduce R&D costs in cell and gene therapy programs, developing AI-supported research tools, advising on agile team structures, maintaining project documentation, and crafting a successful proposal for organizational change.
Oversaw a program of 25 projects across access and affordability by structuring efforts into initiatives and tactics for alignment and follow-up.
Mapped patient treatment journeys for a brand through a data project integrating over 50 factors across five phases using rapid prototyping in R.
Provided post-launch support for a brand by leading cross-functional meetings, improving KPI communication, and enhancing analytics visualizations.
Developed a PMO document repository incorporating agile methodologies to enhance collaboration with taxonomies and review cycles.

Consultant

September 2022 - September 2023

Across my client engagements, my key achievements include:

For a global $12B professional services firm, l led the implementation of an endpoint privilege management initiative, progressing from proof of concept to a phase 1 rollout for 4,500 users. Conducted design workshops, defined measurable objectives, and collaborated with cross-functional teams in Security, IT, UX, Data Analytics, and Change Management to align stakeholders and ensure project success. Implemented enterprise agile practices, facilitating quarterly planning sessions and onboarding team members to agile methodologies.

Key Skills: Project Management · Solution Implementation · IT Security Operations · Product Owner · Stakeholder Management · Agile Coach

Founder and Principal, Neoteric Design

01/2000–03/2022

Owner and principal consultant of user-centered development firm with deep expertise in web applications, portals, content management systems and research

Delivered +300 projects with 3–75k monthly views and $25M+ revenue for brands across business, research, higher education and cultural markets
Provided qualitative research and UX design for startups in the logistics, insurance and coupon markets, leading to multiple acquisitions
Managed teams of 3-7 developers. Established onboarding, values and inclusive team culture, leading to multiple long-term employee stints and low turnover
Developed standardized process for Neoteric’s agile software development and delivery, from vision and specification through testing and DevOps deployment
Fostered growth of Neoteric’s intellectual property through rapid development toolkits for portals, payments and custom websites

Technology Consultant, Ntiva

01/2021–12/2021

Led assessment and strategy for business and manufacturing firms that established consensus-building product roadmaps
Assessed application UX and information systems across marketing, sales and engineering, which led to innovative architectures and customer growth

Skills

Product Management: customer life cycle, user story specification, prioritization, leadership
User Experience: journey mapping, wireframing, prototyping, usability/accessibility, design systems
Engineering Management: SDLC, team processes, onboarding, mentoring, KPIs, 1:1s, happiness
Software Development: Swift, Ruby, SQL, RSpec, Hugo, HTML/CSS, CI/CD, Heroku, AWS

Education

Northwestern University, Masters of Arts, Department of Philosophy

Ph.D. candidate, Philosophy of Language

Denison University, Bachelor of Arts, departments of Computer Science and Philosophy

Manga Cum Laude; honor theses in artificial intelligence, neural networks and genetic algorithms