Cindy Nix
Renton,WA
Summary
Strategic, solutions-driven program leader with extensive experience supporting governance, compliance operations, licensing strategy, and cross-functional execution in partnership with legal, finance, and engineering teams.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Business Program Manager
MiGSO-PCUBED
Issaquah, WA
09.2020 - Current
- Lead governance, compliance, and operational programs for global technology clients, driving clarity, consistency, and audit-ready execution across business units.
- Designed and operationalized scalable governance frameworks for global cloud and technology environments.
- Directed SOX and internal audit readiness for procurement and IT controls, establishing standardized evidence management and RCA methodologies.
- Built governance playbooks, workflows, runbooks, and reporting structures to ensure consistent, audit-ready operations.
- Standardized policy-violation management, remediation workflows, and escalation paths to strengthen compliance posture.
- Identified compliance and operational risks across software development and capital execution initiatives; embedded required controls into project lifecycles.
- Led business divestiture execution, including contract and PO transitions, supplier onboarding/offboarding, and operational continuity planning.
- Managed supplier integration for newly acquired organizations, ensuring alignment with procurement standards and timelines.
- Partnered with internal teams and external auditors to drive IT security audit readiness and closure of audit findings.
- Developed metrics, dashboards, and leadership reporting to increase visibility into compliance risks and remediation progress.
Senior Program Manager
Prime 8 Consulting
Bellevue, WA
03.2020 - 06.2020
- Led FY21 business strategy and enablement planning for a Business Applications team within a Customer Success organization.
Senior Program Manager, Consumer Device Sales Division
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
05.2011 - 07.2019
- Led licensing strategy, business planning, and cross-functional execution for the multi-billion-dollar Windows OEM business.
- Directed licensing policy, pricing strategy, and business execution in close partnership with Legal, ensuring clarity and alignment on policy requirements for global OEM partners.
- Created business and licensing requirements for new categories (e.g., Windows on Snapdragon) enabling expansion into emerging device segments.
- Managed cross-functional v-teams delivering two annual Windows product releases, ensuring alignment, decision-making, and customer engagement.
- Mentored and supervised Licensing team members as Windows team lead.
- Secured stakeholder and executive buy-in for major licensing and business model changes.
- Worked cross-functionally to design product plans, SKUs, and pricing; simplified business models and licensing terms to improve agility and customer experience.
- Resolved OEM business escalations and licensing inquiries, coordinating with Legal when policy interpretation or contractual clarity was required.
- Co-developed technical licensing requirements with Windows Engineering.
- Created and maintained documentation, templates, and customer-facing communication materials supporting licensing policies and product changes.
Senior Business Programs Manager & MDA Program Lead, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
10.2009 - 05.2011
- Managed the global Market Development Agreement (MDA) program for ~120 OEM partners.
- Directed program audits, licensing policy execution, and technical milestone criteria in collaboration with Legal, Engineering, and external auditors.
- Delivered worldwide training to partners, account managers, and technical teams.
- Led global external audit teams and delivered audit results twice yearly.
Licensing & Program Manager, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
06.2007 - 09.2009
- Led licensing policy and strategy for Business Terms, Third-Party Installer Agreement, OEM Resource Guide, and server OS licensing.
- Managed the annual OEM Partner Symposium for top 20 global OEM customers.
- Drove cross-group collaboration across Engineering, Operations, Policy, and LCA.
Licensing & Program Manager / Specialist / Coordinator
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
02.2003 - 08.2006
- Rapidly promoted to lead licensing policy for OEM hardware businesses and MDA program milestones.
- Directed technical audits, audit tool creation, and vendor management.
- Engaged OEM customers to gather feedback and improve program execution.
Business Administrator, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
Redmond, WA
07.2002 - 02.2003
- Supported OEM policy and programs, published partner communications, and coordinated global MDA audit planning.
Education
BA - English, Minor: Philosophy
University of Nebraska
LincolnCertificate - Project Management
Bellevue College
Skills
- Support for governance frameworks
- Guidance on policy compliance
- Clear and concise communication
- Workflow & process documentation
- Systematic workflow design
- Regulatory readiness experience
- Regulatory compliance frameworks
- Vendor management and coordination
- Innovation management
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Knowledge management (Playbooks, Templates, FAQs)
- Training & enablement
- Risk assessment and management
- Process optimization
- Business analysis
- Stakeholder management
Websites
Timeline
Senior Business Program Manager
MiGSO-PCUBED
09.2020 - Current
Senior Program Manager
Prime 8 Consulting
03.2020 - 06.2020
Senior Program Manager, Consumer Device Sales Division
Microsoft Corporation
05.2011 - 07.2019
Senior Business Programs Manager & MDA Program Lead, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
10.2009 - 05.2011
Licensing & Program Manager, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
06.2007 - 09.2009
Licensing & Program Manager / Specialist / Coordinator
Microsoft Corporation
02.2003 - 08.2006
Business Administrator, OEM Division
Microsoft Corporation
07.2002 - 02.2003
Certificate - Project Management
Bellevue College
BA - English, Minor: Philosophy
University of Nebraska