NOMADIC – Design & Training Solutions

Zsofia Szarka

I'm a learning design professional focusing on self-paced digital learning solutions. I have over twelve years of experience gained in a wide variety of industries in the private and non-profit sectors. Most of my projects were in the realm of automotive, aviation and finance, but I especially enjoy working with humanitarian organisations and other NGOs.

What I love most about my profession is that it demands continuous learning and development and often requires me to immerse myself in new subjects. The same is true for continuous movement, so, while I'm currently based in Europe, I'm always happy to consider projects on other continents.

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What I Do

Digital Learning Solutions

As a consultant, I can help you find the most suitable digital solutions to your learning needs, as well as mapping out the curriculum and choosing the most suitable software for you to use. I can also assist you in creating blended learning programs by determining how and which part of your training can be taken out of the classroom.

Instructional Design

As an instructional designer, I can turn any subject into an exciting piece of digital learning, drawing them up in detailed visual storyboards. However, as I am usually working to strict financial, technical, and time constraints, in reality, what I can offer is to design the best possible learning piece considering those set constraints. I prefer to join projects at the very beginning, but I am used to jumping on board on already running projects to help speed up or re-working the design.

Course Development

As an end-to-end developer, I'm able to take your project from an initial idea to final release, including graphic design, multimedia and course development. I can also take the role of lead developer if you already have a junior team but they need some guidance and supervision. I enjoy taking my projects to the finish line and taking part in the design and development. I do not, however, take up only development work.

Multimedia Design

Building on my design background, I can help you develop aesthetic and easy to use templates for any learning software which your HR or Learning Team can use to build learning content, which is visually pleasing and in line with your company's guidelines. I can also manage external illustrators and animators as they are creating learning content.

What You Can Expect From Me

Professionalism

I understand that your project addresses a crucial learning need, and it must be completed on schedule. Whether I'm on-site or working remotely, full-time or part-time, I will make sure my working time fits with your team's schedule and never delays the project.

Constant high quality

I will deliver the same high-quality work throughout the project.

Fast on-boarding

I make an extra effort at the beginning of each project to be quickly up to speed with both the topic and the structure of the team I'm joining.

Clear and responsive communication

I make sure that all stakeholders and team members are aware of the project's progress and everyone knows what's expected of them at which phase.

Reliability

I will make sure that all feedback is incorporated and all issues are addressed in a timely manner, the changes are clearly communicated and the work completed with maximum efficiency.

Proactive behaviour

I will actively identify any possible issues that may arise and offer possible solutions, even outside the realm of the project.

Testimonials

I recently had the pleasure of working with Zsofia and I can confidently say that her digital learning skills are top-tier. One thing that really stood out to me was how quickly she tackled each project. Zsofia has an amazing ability to analyze our needs and come up with creative and effective solutions in a short amount of time. This level of efficiency not only impressed me but also meant that we could move forward with our projects at a much faster pace. In addition to her speedy work, Zsofia also has a great attitude toward taking on new challenges. She never hesitated to take on additional projects, even when it meant working outside of her usual scope of work. Her willingness to go above and beyond to ensure our satisfaction was greatly appreciated. Overall, I would highly recommend Zsofia to anyone looking for a digital learning design consultant. She is a talented and efficient professional who is always ready to take on more. I am confident that she would be a valuable asset to any team or organization.

Ashley Keenan

Bain & Company

"Zsofia is a person no one should overlook - her professionalism, competence, collaborative spirit, project management skills, and most importantly attitude is one of the best I've encountered in my professional career. She was an instructional designer and developer that that gave me 'exceeding target' results on her Storyline e-Learning project. I sincerely hope that our professional careers cross again on a future project."

Scott Baker

Lead Instructional Designer for Airline Services, Amadeus

"Zsofia worked for Organica on a top priority project at a time when I was CEO, so I had the opportunity to see her working with the Team and see how she contributed to their success. I was truly amazed by her creativity, focus, diligence and last but not least by her absolutely positive and energizing attitude. Zsofia has a fantastic personality: she can truly enjoy her job and always delivers outstanding quality."

Istvan Kenyeres

President, Biopolus Institute

"I would like to complement your team in the manner these courses were developed. We have demanded prompt and innovative action from Peak Pacific and you have exceeded expectations. In particular, I can highly praise Zsofia for her exceptional work."

Tim Burns

Head of Flying Training, Cathay Pacific

"The subject of ecological water treatment is quite complex and a special challenge was to present these subject in a form that is understandable for a lay audience on one hand while being detailed enough for professionals on the other. Zsofia’s exceptional skill to put complex scientific concepts into digestible format was key in achieving these goals. Her analytical power along with a strong aesthetic sense and visual skills resulted in a set of efficient and well-designed learning materials and the related online presence."

Attila Bodnar

Executive Vice President, Organica Water

Clients

Resume

11 Years of Experience

Work Experience

2023-2024

IFRC

Learning Design Consultant

I rejoined IFRC to create a course on the use of Nature-based Solutions for Climate and Disaster Resilience. Working with Nathalie Doswald as subject matter expert and presenter, we built on her existing course with UNEP (still available on edX) for the foundational modules but enhanced it with interactions and added a further five hours of learning content designed for RCRC staff and volunteers. The course provides them with the necessary knowledge to begin designing NbS projects to enhance the resilience of the communities they work with. The multimedia for the course was created by Armando Guerra of Mambo Panda.

2022-2023

Bain & Company

Digital Learning Designer [Consultant]

At Bain, I augmented Ashley Keenan's multinational team, juggling a handful of parallel projects in a fast-paced consulting environment. What a ride! We created several internal courses on the subjects of policy, procedure and soft-skills training.

2021-2022

IFRC

Learning Design Consultant

Field surveys are one of the key methods of collecting data - in rapid-response programs after an emergency, but also for creating baseline and endline assessments. During this project, we created a foundational level survey design course for the humanitarian context that can be easily accessible to anyone working in the humanitarian field. See it in my portfolio: http://zsofiaszarka.co.uk/project/ifrc-survey-design/

2020-2021

CEPOL

E-Learning Senior Project Officer

I was a member of CEPOL's TOPCOP project team, focusing on the digital aspect of its blended learning program to fight against organised and serious international crime in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries.

2018-2019

Amadeus

Digital Learning Designer [Consultant]

I've joined Amadeus in a consultant role for a digital learning project on an eight-month FTC to create a set of digital learning resources on newly released software for Amadeus' airline clients.

As this was a one-person project, I was responsible for every part of the design and development, apart from the original scoping and TNA.

My role included:

Liaising with and between the Product Managers and SMEs, the project owners and the pilot customers,
Designing and scripting the course
Designing and building visual assets and creating reusable templates
Recording and editing audio and video
Developing the course in Articulate StoryLine
Releasing the final packages after testing.

I was very lucky to work with a great team at Amadeus where every member was passionate about the release of this new piece of software and provided me with all the support I needed to deliver the training to accompany it.

2017-2018

Alvanon Hong Kong, Inc.

Instructional Design Specialist [Freelance Consultant]

I’ve joined Alvanon in a consulting role, at a super exciting time in the company’s history; just as they started developing their online learning platform, MOTIF. Our mission is to make MOTIF an online hub that connects fashion professionals and that helps to bridge the knowledge gap in the industry. https://motif.org/alvanon-launches-motif/

While designing courses for MOTIF's off-the-shelf content library, I had the chance to work with pioneers and global experts in the fashion industry on subjects including the Mechanics of Fit, Sustainability in Fashion and Apparel Costing.

2016-2017

Peak Pacific Ltd.

Senior Instructional Designer [FTC]

With PPG I was based in Cathay Pacific City in Hong Kong, leading the ID Team as we re-designed the company’s online training and introduced many alternative approaches, including the use of explainer videos and mobile apps. I was working with and under the management of digital learning wizard @Chetan Kalidas.

2013-2015

PHM Group Ltd.

Instructional Designer / Content Developer

Based in London, I was dedicated to PHM's Ford account. I have been doing instructional design and e-learning development, as well as UX, UI and creative design. My projects included remote learning solutions of all kinds: from eLearning through mobile applications to cheat sheets and other print-outs, and most often, the combination of these. The side effect of working in the automotive industry is that I have also accumulated a vast knowledge of wheel trims, boot capacities, seat-folding arrangements and, of course, state-of-the-art in-car technologies.

2010

Organica Water

Marketing Assistant / Instructional Designer

(via KVG Konvergencia Kft.) In 2010 Organica Water started to enter new markets, such as the US and a number of countries in the Far East (China, India, and Singapore). This opening generated the need for creating a new company identity, new marketing strategy, revamping the company website, creating a new set of presentations, educational materials (both on-line and printed) and the need to create a lively presence in online communities and the social media. I was deeply involved in all aspects of these tasks. I worked in continuous close cooperation with company leaders as well as the US-based marketing team. My special focus was on developing the company presentations and ensuring consistent application of the new visual identity for the company.

2008-2011

KVG Konvergencia Kft.

Instructional Designer / Content Developer

At KVG I created bespoke learning materials for international clients (both in a commercial environment and for the higher education sector) and I have learnt about all segments of learning content creation with growing responsibilities. I have gained a good understanding of the methodology of e-learning development and instructional design, from course planning to page-by-page creation and I successfully completed tasks from content design to development, as well as e-learning content management and maintenance.

Key responsibilities:

E-learning development (GE Capital, Veolia, Raiffeisen Bank, Organica Technologies, ENI);
Instructional design;
E-learning software training and technical support;
Design and creation of marketing materials: presentations, websites, brochures;
LMS, LCMS administration.

Education

2004-2008

Eszterhazy Karoly University

Visual Communication / Teacher of Visual Arts

My first degree gave me the foundation, both in education and aesthetics, that I would use throughout my career. My focus was on visual communication on the one hand, and pedagogy and andragogy on the other. I've graduated Summa Cum Laude.

2006-2010

Corvinus University of Budapest

Political Science and Public Policy

I joined the Political Science postgraduate program out of curiosity. Politics always intrigued me and I was eager to learn more about how the world works and how decisions were made. The focus of this degree was more on the practicalities of governance than on theory which suited my nature well. My research topics were social contracts and multicultural societies.

2009-2010

Metropolitan University of Budapest

Television Journalism

I've joined METU's postgraduate evening program out of curiosity and to learn more about media and how to communicate through a screen. My subjects covered field-reporting, documentaries, and editing, among others.