Design Program Manager IV

JOB TITLE: Design Program Manager IV/V
LOCATION: SFO (Bay Area) or Remote
DURATION: 7 month contract
PAY RANGE: $93 - $103/hr

TOP 3 SKILLS:

• 6 years program or project management experience driving Design-led initiatives
• Prior experience in the integrity / safety / trust / customer support work preferred, though not required

COMPANY:
Our client is a Fortune 500 multi-national technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, CA.

Summary:
The Design Program Coordinator will drive Design program strategy and operational support for select horizontal (cross and/or cross-org) critical product priorities for integrity led out of X-ISSO (XI, XS, Security). They will partner with Design leadership and DesignOps leadership to prioritize efforts, and drive priority initiatives. Depending on experience and program prioritization, this role may support 1-2 high priority initiatives, or provide broader operational support for several initiatives / programs.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Support the program strategy and execution of complex virtual-team (cross-company, cross-org) product efforts requiring sizable ops and coordination needs to deliver.
• Develop program briefs, and partner with Design leadership and IC lead partners to establish and assemble project teams - setting teams up for success with strategic planning, forums, channels and other rhythms of business to be successful.
• Plan and work with Design partners to high-pri, time-sensitive ideation and/or delivery work, for example Design sprints, review decks (with senior level stakeholders) or other types of surge efforts
• Manage and evolve pre-existing design programs that enable complex collaboration - working with Design leadership and Design IC partners to shape program needs based on H1’25 roadmapping goals
• Partner with Design leadership on the team to help drive alignment and decision-making across orgs
• Help to shape and support net-new design operations to drive accountability through a clear process
• Identify cross-team collaboration opportunities, and optimize process and forums for input and approvals
• Specific JTBD: Draft comms, collect inputs for program reporting, drive review coordination and delivery, own forum note-taking and follow-ups, scheduling, task management / tracking, own documentation maintenance and socialization

TO BE SUCCESSFUL YOU MUST

• Drive impact through strong executive communication skills and leadership
• Communicate proactively to cross-functional partners, prepare formal recurring communications, and present to people at all levels of the organization
• Be highly organized and experienced with managing ad-hoc requests, meeting deadlines, establishing timelines, anticipating project issues and resolving them
• Understand how to deliver on a complex, horizontal effort - keeping the working group accountable on deliverables and key milestones, and doing so through intentional planning, agenda setting, documentation and communication practices.
• Streamline operational responsibilities, communication channels, review cadences, etc. to achieve product/project goals and foster healthy collaboration and team dynamics.
• Synthesize complex information and context and provide recommendations to design leads on strategy for operations and execution
• Bring deep operational and communication skillsets to the role, with tools, methods and practices to streamline processes with thoughtful consideration of solution and impact.
• Drive project meetings and coordinate deliverables from internal workstreams
• Have excellent prioritization skills, and be adaptable to changing needs
• Have a reasonable degree of time zone flexibility, as you’ll be working with teams across both EMEA and the US (California and East Coast).

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 6 years program or project management experience
• Prior experience leading Design efforts and programs for complex digital north stars, product ecosystem work, and horizontal cross-company product initiatives
• Strong track record working with Design teams in partnership with cross-functional partners, and proven understanding of the Design/product lifecycle and best practices
• Prior experience in the integrity / safety / trust / customer support work preferred, though not required

Must-Have Skills

• Driving Design-led initiatives; planning and leading Design-led programs with strong partnerships requiring deep understanding of Product lifecycle and Design best practices
• Prior experience shipping products, working cross-company (and with multiple teams/orgs) to define and drive outcomes
• Strong communication / stakeholder management
• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in communications, marketing, business management or related field (or equivalent experience)

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