Head of Design Operations
About The Position
Superhuman is redefining how the world works, and we're looking for a Director of Design & Research Operations to help lead that transformation. Design & Research Operations sets the operational foundation for how our design and research teams function — ensuring designers can focus on craft and researchers can generate insights that meaningfully shape product decisions. We're looking for a strong leader to elevate what we've built and push it further. As the leader of Design & Research Operations, you'll work closely with Design and Research leadership to shape strategy, drive operational excellence, and build the culture and practices that ensure research insights meaningfully inform design and product decisions. You'll serve as a key cross-functional partner to design, research, product, and engineering—removing friction, building scalable systems, and creating the conditions for designers to focus on craft and researchers to focus on generating the insights that shape what we build.
Requirements
- 7+ years in design operations, research operations, design program management, or a related operational role within a design- and/or research-driven organization
- Proven ability to embed structure and process within creative teams without stifling the work — you know how to make rigor feel enabling, not restrictive
- A track record of building systems that scale. Frameworks, processes, and tools that teams actually adopt and that help organizations move faster without losing quality.
- Experience running operations for a mid-to-large design and/or research team, ideally in a fast-moving product or tech environment
- You lead with data and land change through relationships — bringing evidence to every conversation while tailoring your approach to what each stakeholder needs to move forward
- You're energized by ambiguity and default to action — but you know when to slow down, build alignment, and make sure the team is moving in the right direction
Responsibilities
- Serve as the connective tissue between Design, Research, Product, and Engineering, ensuring teams stay aligned, unblocked, and set up to deliver high-quality work.
- Partner with Design & Research leadership to define the vision for craft and research excellence, and build the systems, programs, and culture that elevate both — raising the bar on design quality while making insight-driven decision-making the default across the team.
- Act as a strategic liaison across departments, from Finance to Legal to Marketing, ensuring Design goals are understood, resourced, and prioritized.
- Connect strategy, business goals, execution, and customer needs into a coherent operational picture that keeps the design team focused and moving forward.
- Shape the team's culture and practices around how research informs design and product work, ensuring we have the right rituals, norms, and systems that allow insights to inform product decision-making.
Benefits
- Excellent health care (including a wide range of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and fertility benefits)
- Disability and life insurance options
- 401(k) and RRSP matching
- Paid parental leave
- 20 days of paid time off per year
- 12 days of paid holidays per year
- two floating holidays per year
- flexible sick time
- Generous stipends (including those for caregiving, pet care, wellness, your home office, and more)
- Annual professional development budget and opportunities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
