Director, Design Operations

Etsy•Brooklyn, NY

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

Etsy is seeking a Head of Design Operations to lead and strengthen the operational foundation of its Design and Research organization. This role involves being a strategic partner to design leadership and a hands-on practitioner, leading a small team while personally owning high-leverage programs. The ideal candidate is energized by building systems that enable creative teams to perform at their best. The Design and Research organization is over 130 people strong and supports all aspects of Etsy's buyer and seller experience. The DesignOps leader will shape how this organization plans, prioritizes, collaborates, and grows, partnering with leaders across Product, Engineering, Brand, and the cross-functional Ops community to ensure Design is a significant business driver. This is a full-time position reporting to the VP of Design and Research. The role includes an equity package, an annual performance bonus, and competitive benefits. The company is considering candidates based in the United States, with a preference for those living within commutable distance of Etsy's Brooklyn Office Hub, requiring in-office attendance once or twice per week for such candidates. Etsy offers various work modes to accommodate diverse needs and preferences.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in design operations, program management, or chief-of-staff roles within a design, product, or creative organization.
Experience leading a DesignOps function and managing a small team, with a track record of growing people and shaping the discipline.
A builder's mindset, with direct experience launching or evolving operational systems in a design or product organization.
Comfort moving fluidly between strategic leadership and hands-on execution.
Strong communication and influence skills, with a track record of partnering with senior leaders and earning trust without formal authority.
Experience designing and managing operating models at scale, including planning rhythms, intake and prioritization, capacity systems, and team rituals.
A history of partnering with Procurement, Finance, and Legal on tool selection, vendor management, and budget planning for creative teams.
Curiosity about AI and a point of view on how it can enable design teams to work more effectively.
Fluency with tools modern design teams rely on, including Figma, Jira, Notion, Cursor, Claude, and Google Workspace.

Responsibilities

Lead and grow the DesignOps team, managing practitioners, coaching them, and shaping the future of the function, including hiring.
Set the operating rhythm by establishing planning, prioritization, and review cadences for the Design and Research organization, resetting team rituals and work-tracking systems, and evolving the operating model.
Own high-leverage programs personally, such as AI training and enablement for the design team, scaling intake and capacity systems, or evolving work review and shipping processes.
Partner with design leadership as a thought partner, consulting on team health, aiding decision-making, and co-creating new initiatives, bringing clarity to ambiguous problems.
Steward the design tool stack and budget, owning the tooling strategy, partnering with Procurement for tool selection and adoption, managing vendor relationships, and ensuring return on investment.
Build bridges across Operations by partnering with Research Ops, Brand Ops, Product Ops, and Eng Ops to align practices and create consistency in teamwork.
Make the team's impact visible by developing communications like newsletters, dashboards, and executive summaries to showcase Design and Research's work to partners and leadership.