Senior Design Program Manager

NextDeavor • San Francisco, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

You will organize and scale design programs that turn ambiguous, early-stage strategic work into repeatable processes that drive business impact. You will partner with design leadership, product, engineering, and research stakeholders to align cross-functional work and ensure timely decision-making. This role is embedded across multiple projects and supports horizontal initiatives.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in design operations or program management within a design and technology environment
• Proven experience building operational processes and programs from scratch in teams or organizations with little existing structure
• Demonstrated ability to manage cross-team programs with competing priorities and no single owner
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to synthesize multi-threaded work for senior leadership
• Ability to work horizontally across a large organization and build alignment with independently operating teams
• Familiarity with AI tools and curiosity about applying them to design or program workflows
• Familiarity with 2D and 3D workspaces sufficient to navigate conversations and make content legible to stakeholders
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Responsibilities

• Translate ambiguous, early-stage strategic work into structured programs with clear owners, milestones, and success criteria
• Manage programs spanning multiple product teams, track dependencies, surface blockers, and keep work moving across organizational boundaries
• Drive cross-functional working models across design, product, engineering, and research so the right people have the right information at the right time
• Support and run rituals and reviews, including scheduling, facilitation, documentation, and follow-through
• Maintain portfolio-level systems for tracking and reporting project status, priorities, and key decisions
• Manage and communicate cross-organization design decisions and create visibility into team work for leadership
• Collaborate with Program Managers and PMs to build operational infrastructure: rituals, documentation standards, intake processes, and coordination frameworks
• Apply AI tooling to program management workflows to improve tracking, reporting, and communication

Benefits

• health, vision and dental benefits for contract employees
• Paid sick leave eligibility is contingent on state of residence
• Optional 401k Plan (excludes employer match)
• Opportunity to get your foot in the door at a well-established corporation, with potential for extended or permanent full-time employment

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior