Design Program Manager

Design Program Manager — Discovery DesignLocation: Hybrid at Burlingame, CADuration: 12 Months with potential extensionPay Rate: $60/hr on W2Schedule: 40 hours/week, Monday–Friday; no overtimeTravel: Possible travel for project sprints and occasional onsite meetings in Menlo Park, San Francisco, or New York CityBenefits: Health, Dental, Vision, 401K, PTOAbout the RoleOur client is seeking a Design Program Manager (DPM) to support a high-impact Discovery Design team within a large-scale technology organization. This role will serve as a connector and problem solver across Design, Product, Engineering, Research, Content Strategy, and other cross-functional teams.The DPM will drive operational excellence, program execution, workflow optimization, and team effectiveness, enabling product designers and design leadership to focus on delivering high-quality experiences at scale.The role will support high-visibility consumer products, including Feed, Notifications, and Reels, with exposure to AI product initiatives. The ideal candidate is highly organized, comfortable operating autonomously, understands how design fits into the product development lifecycle, and can quickly adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced environment.Key ResponsibilitiesDrive the planning, execution, and delivery of design programs and initiatives across the Discovery Design organization.Partner closely with Product Design Managers and Product Designers to identify operational needs, remove blockers, and improve execution.Develop and maintain processes, workflows, tools, and operating frameworks that improve team efficiency and collaboration.Serve as a cross-functional connector between Design, Product, Engineering, Research, Content Strategy, and other partner organizations.Manage work intake and prioritization, coordinating incoming work across multiple product and design workstreams.Track project portfolios, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables to maintain operational visibility.Support resource and capacity planning in partnership with design leadership.Establish and manage recurring team rhythms, meetings, reviews, critiques, and operating cadences.Prepare agendas, pre-reads, documentation, and other materials to ensure leadership and stakeholders are prepared for key meetings.Coordinate design reviews and critiques, communicating timelines, expectations, and required materials.Identify opportunities to streamline workflows, reduce operational friction, and improve design development processes.Support program initiatives, team events, offsites, onboarding, and other team culture activities.Maintain accurate and accessible documentation and knowledge-management practices.Act as a proactive thought partner to product designers, recommending solutions to process and operational challenges.Leverage AI tools and capabilities to improve operational workflows, program execution, and team productivity.Operate effectively in an environment where priorities can shift quickly and work is assigned through a structured Design Operations intake process.Must Have Qualifications5+ years of experience in program management, design operations, product operations, or a related field.Prior experience working at a large-scale technology company, with prior experience at the client's organization considered a significant advantage for rapid ramp-up.Demonstrated experience working directly with design teams in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.Strong understanding of the role of Design within the product development lifecycle and how to effectively partner with product designers and design leadership.Working knowledge of AI tools and applications, particularly how AI can be leveraged to improve business processes, operations, workflows, and team productivity.Proven ability to manage multiple concurrent programs, projects, and competing priorities.Strong program management, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders without direct authority.Demonstrated experience building, implementing, and improving operational processes.Experience managing project timelines, milestones, dependencies, risks, and deliverables.Ability to work autonomously and execute with limited oversight once priorities and context are established.Experience with project management methodologies and tools, including Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid approaches.Demonstrated ability to maintain operational rigor across sprints, reviews, team cadences, and established processes.Preferred QualificationsPrevious experience supporting Design Operations or Product Design teams within a large technology organization.Experience supporting design teams at a technology company.Familiarity with Figma, FigJam, or similar design collaboration tools.Experience working with enterprise-scale internal tools, processes, and operating rhythms.Experience supporting large-scale design sprints with short execution timelines.Experience supporting program initiatives, team events, offsites, or organizational programs.Experience working within discovery, exploration, or early-stage product development environments.Background in or strong understanding of UX, product design, design operations, or creative disciplines.Strong data literacy, including the ability to use metrics and operational data to inform decisions and measure program impact.Experience working with AI products or AI-enabled workflows.Experience supporting high-visibility consumer products or large-scale digital platforms.Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment with arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation. #TMMT