Design Operations Manager

Tyson Foods•Springdale, AR

About The Position

The Design Operations Manager is the central coordination point for the design organization, ensuring creative projects are prioritized, resourced, and executed effectively across the business. The role manages project intake and assignments, balances team capacity, and improves workflows to support business goals. Working with Brand, Marketing, Innovation, Sales, Packaging, Engineering, Procurement, Regulatory, Production, Operations, and external partners, the manager streamlines creative execution from project initiation through delivery. The role provides operational leadership, cross-functional coordination, external partner management, and process improvement so design resources align with business priorities and projects are delivered on time, within scope, and in accordance with brand standards. The manager oversees project workflows and creative asset delivery across brands, channels, and formats; develops processes and reporting; supports capacity planning and operational strategy; and provides data-driven recommendations. Applicants must reside in the United States. Sponsorship is unavailable. Relocation assistance is eligible. The role is listed as first shift. The successful candidate must be able to perform the physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Design, Marketing, or a related field.
At least 5 years of experience in design operations, creative services, project management, marketing operations, packaging, or a related discipline.
Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional projects from concept through implementation.
Experience managing multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced corporate environment.
Strong understanding of creative development, production processes, and packaging execution.
Experience partnering with suppliers, design agencies, production partners, engineering, packaging, procurement, regulatory, marketing, and legal teams.
Proficiency with project and workflow management tools.
Strong organizational, communication, and problem-solving skills.
Ability to influence without direct authority and drive results through collaboration and stakeholder management.
Must reside in the United States to be considered.
Sponsorship is not available.
Must be willing and able to perform the physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
Professional team members are expected to use approved AI tools responsibly, safeguard sensitive information, follow company policies, and validate outputs. Individual contributors should integrate AI into daily work, evaluate outputs critically, and apply professional judgment; people leaders should enable adoption and ensure accountability for AI-supported outcomes.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting CPG food organizations.
Experience with packaging artwork development, print production, commercialization, and product launch processes.
Experience implementing workflow optimization, resource planning, and creative operations best practices.

Responsibilities

Lead intake, prioritization, scheduling, and tracking of design projects and requests.
Manage project workflows and distribute workload based on team capacity and business priorities, partnering with Design Leadership on assignments.
Facilitate prioritization discussions and recommend staffing, outsourcing, or resource allocation when demand exceeds capacity.
Establish timelines, milestones, and deliverables; track action items and approvals.
Monitor project status, identify dependencies, risks, and bottlenecks, and facilitate solutions.
Maintain visibility of work across business units through project tracking, reporting, and resource planning.
Liaise between stakeholders and designers to clarify expectations, priorities, and requirements.
Partner with cross-functional teams to align project objectives and execution plans and ensure timely delivery.
Facilitate stakeholder alignment, decision-making, and issue resolution throughout the project lifecycle.
Build cross-functional relationships and advise on creative processes, project planning, and execution strategies.
Manage external design agency, packaging supplier, printer, prepress provider, and production vendor relationships, including timelines, deliverables, approvals, and communications.
Resolve technical challenges with suppliers, designers, and production partners while maintaining design intent through final production.
Evaluate supplier performance and identify improvements to quality, efficiency, and speed to market.
Support agency and vendor onboarding and ensure alignment with organizational processes and standards.
Develop, implement, and maintain standardized design workflows, operating procedures, and best practices.
Lead continuous improvement initiatives for efficiency, visibility, quality, and speed to market; identify opportunities to enhance design capabilities and team effectiveness.
Implement and optimize project management tools, dashboards, and reporting systems; drive adoption of tools, technologies, and ways of working.
Ensure compliance with brand standards, design guidelines, regulatory requirements, and operational processes.
Oversee delivery of creative assets across brands, channels, and formats.
Drive projects from concept through final implementation by coordinating stakeholders, suppliers, and business teams.
Balance speed, accuracy, quality, and operational efficiency while managing multiple priorities.
Contribute to capacity planning, resource forecasting, and operational strategy to support business growth.
Provide data-driven recommendations to improve prioritization, resource management, and workflow performance.
Advocate for operational excellence while enabling high-quality creative work that supports business goals.
Demonstrate responsible use of approved AI tools, protect sensitive information, follow company policies, and validate AI-generated outputs; for people leaders, drive responsible adoption and accountability for AI-supported outcomes.