Roman Zadonskiy

# Design Leader | Head of Design | Design Director

Location RussiaDesired Salary UnspecifiedWork preference Full Time, ContractRelocation NoLinks Status   Actively looking Field / Industry Creative & Design

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Languages  Russian -

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[All talent ↗](https://jobicy.com/talent.md)
* [Overview](#overview)
* [Portfolio](#portfolio)

## About Me

Design executive with 20+ years of experience in building and transforming in-house design organizations into scalable, performance-driven business units.

Specialized in DesignOps, operational models, KPI-driven management, budgeting, and strategic integration of design into marketing and product ecosystems.

Led teams of 40+ professionals and managed annual budgets up to RUB 40M.
Strong focus on productivity growth, time-to-market acceleration, and cost optimization — without compromising quality.

I view design not as a service function, but as a business growth driver.

Core Expertise
•	Design Leadership & Organizational Transformation
•	DesignOps (KPI, SLA, OKR, capacity planning)
•	Performance & Predictability Management
•	Strategic Integration of Design into Business
•	Budgeting & Financial Efficiency
•	Brand Systems & Design Systems
•	Cross-Functional Leadership
•	Leadership Development & Team Scaling
•	Change Management

## Skills

### [Leadership](https://jobicy.com/talent/leadership.md)[Change Management](https://jobicy.com/talent/change-management.md)[Team Building](https://jobicy.com/talent/team-building.md)

## Experience

Azbuka Vkusa @ Head of Design / Design Studio Director  Aug 2022 - Jun 2025 Scope: 40+ team members | 4 departments (Communication Design, Private Label Packaging, Photo Studio, Copywriting)

Mandate

Transform the in-house design studio into a fully operational, financially efficient system capable of supporting all brand and marketing needs without external agencies.

⸻

Organizational Transformation & DesignOps
•	Conducted a full functional audit and implemented an operational management model
•	Rebuilt structure (4 departments, 13 streams)
•	Implemented KPI, OKR, SLA, and capacity planning systems
•	Introduced a flow-based production model with dedicated managers and distributed art direction
•	Built grading system and career tracks

Results:
•	+51% team productivity
•	-22% average project cycle time
•	Reduced revision cycles from 10+ to 3
•	-15% payroll costs without quality loss

⸻

Strategic Business Integration
•	Linked design KPIs to company strategic objectives
•	Implemented commercial-impact-based prioritization
•	Aligned marketing, branding, and design planning
•	Ensured predictable studio capacity (2–60 projects/month)

Results:
•	-50% Time-to-Market
•	+30% annual launches
•	RUB 20M annual savings on external agencies
•	Increased marketing launch predictability

⸻

Budget & Resource Management
•	Owned and defended annual budget (RUB 40M)
•	Workforce optimization and role redistribution
•	Contractor management

Result:
•	20% operational cost reduction

⸻

Brand System & Quality Governance
•	Conducted full audit of in-store and packaging communications
•	Developed scalable brand guidelines system
•	Delegated quality control through distributed art direction matrix

Impact:
•	Increased brand consistency index (+20%)
•	Reduced approval time by 30%
•	Eliminated subjective quality evaluation

⸻

Industry Recognition

Under my leadership, the studio ranked #3 globally among in-house studios (World Brand Design Society Awards 2023/24).

Awards:
•	Sreda Festival (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
•	Silver Mercury (Gold – Private Label Brand)

Golder Electronics @ Head of Design Department  May 2017 - May 2018 •	Led team of 10+ designers
•	Developed brand guidelines and retail communication system
•	Managed packaging, marketing, web, and in-store design
•	Coordinated with Chinese production partners
•	Hired and built project teams
•	Conducted competitive analysis

Interregional Institute of Urban Development @ Design Director  Jan 2014 - May 2017 •	Built internal design team
•	Developed brand books (including federal healthcare projects)
•	Created navigation systems for large public facilities
•	Led exhibitions and public presentations
•	Managed team operations and executive communication

Firma Agency @ Art Director  May 2013 - Dec 2014 •	Developed creative concepts and key visuals
•	Led federal advertising campaigns (Bacardi and others)
•	Worked with major brands and production teams
•	Delivered creative special projects

## Education

Novosibirsk State University of Architecture, Design & Arts  2004  Design

Portfolio not available.

Services not available.