Senior Manager, Design Operations & Strategic Initiatives

Capital One•McLean, VA

About The Position

Senior Manager, Design Operations & Strategic Initiatives We’re currently seeking a Senior Manager, Business Operations & Strategic Initiatives to partner with the Chief of Staff of Capital One’s Experience Design team. The Experience Design team at Capital One is at the forefront of enriching our customers’ digital and physical experiences and we are passionate about creating memorable, meaningful product experiences that build the Capital One brand with humanity and drive business advantage and innovation. We champion a thriving environment of collaboration, authenticity and healthy critique, in which we honor diversity of thought, create a culture of belonging, and elevate one another. If you’re a creative innovator who embraces an environment where you can experiment, learn, and change banking for good, we’d love to hear from you. Role Expectations The role of business operations and strategic initiatives is largely about relationships. This person is a connector for everyone else in the organization and operates as a strategic partner for the Chief of Staff. You’re great at balancing the big picture, strategic thinking with tackling the tactical execution, and can recognize overlaps in people, processes, systems, and many other facets of a functioning organization. As the Senior Manager of Business Operations & Strategic Initiatives, the primary responsibility will be to help enable a high performing organization in direct partnership with the Chief of Staff. As part of the function, you will be a key contributor to our Strategy & Operations practice that creates the systems and strategies that enable a team of design associates across the entire Experience Design organization. This role includes oversight of key initiatives within our portfolio where central coordination is key for well-managed delivery, including team routines, large-format and team meetings/events, recognition programs, and team communications leadership. What you’ll do: Serve as a trusted advisor, confidential thought partner, and sounding board to the Chief of Staff Develop and iterate management practices to enable our transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of our organization Shepherd Strategic Planning planning cycle (quarterly/annual) Contribute to defining business priorities and goals for the organization, inclusive of the strategy for cascading information through the organization. Help prepare agendas and coordinate materials for team-wide rituals and meetings. Gather materials and build pre-reads for regular business reviews of key experience investments and initiatives. Develop and execute the department communications strategy and related activities. Work closely with the Chief of Staff to develop and manage a strategy for supporting a thriving and supportive culture, and actively participating in shaping it. Show a high level of discretion, professional maturity, resilience, and adaptability. Manage internal channels, ensuring consistent messaging aligns with business objectives and are optimized for maximum reach and engagement. Support organizational changes through effective communication and engagement strategies. Manage all aspects of our team events and gatherings, including the end to end experience. Operate at tactical, strategic, and operational level. Create and maintain playbooks, processes, and messaging documents that are durable and repeatable. Handle oversight of special projects that don’t fit into traditional workstreams. Here are some of the expected competencies for this role: Operational Expertise: Leverage established expertise and leadership in operations to elevate the quality and maturity of the design practice at Capital One. Leadership: Create conditions for a positive and inclusive team environment and set a vision for an inclusive, collaborative culture that makes the team feel valued and heard. Human-Centered: Champion voices of both customers and partners, modeling the mindset that business and customer outcomes are not distinct but complementary, ultimately resulting in experiences that exceed baseline customer needs and expectations. Business-Focused: Demonstrate expert knowledge of products, processes, our customers, competitors and industry market trends, applying relevant insights to shape how Design should engage and solve business challenges. Problem-Solving: Structure ambiguous and unprecedented problems using a variety of qualitative and quantitative data and techniques to test hypotheses, generate insights and diagnose root causes and identify patterns Collaboration: Connect the dots across teams, portfolios, platforms and LOBs, bringing together partners and processes in ways that drive more coherent experiences, accelerate delivery and elevate the value of design. Communication: Present work across levels and job functions, modeling a strategic human-centered approach that integrates frameworks, data and research insights to make the complex accessible, influence senior stakeholders and achieve impactful results. The ideal candidate has a strong portfolio demonstrating your leadership, process, results and impact and is a self-starter that can work autonomously and can take initiative. The candidate also is confident to champion unpopular ideas even with more senior leaders, and has the ability to navigate “white space” or ambiguous situations. The candidate is comfortable building and maintaining relationships that inspire confidence and build trust and support at all levels of the organization. Strong business judgment, influencing skills, leadership, and integrity are essential for this position. Must possess a high “EQ” and be a collaborative team player.

Requirements

At least 5 years of experience in Strategy & Operations or Program Management
At least 5 years of experience of working on operations teams and cross functional programs
At least 3 years of experience managing or contributing to strategic plans
Strong facilitation skills; ability to drive to consensus/decisions
Strong project management and organizational skills. Meticulous attention to detail
Excellent written and verbal communication skills
Ability to maintain discretion in handling highly sensitive issues
Strong at building and maintaining relationships that inspire confidence and build trust and support at all levels of the organization
Demonstrate strong stakeholder management skills
Familiarity with program management methodologies and tools
Experience partnering across teams to shape strategy and operating models
Experience working collaboratively in global organizations with multiple stakeholders and diverse communities
Experience working directly with designers, researchers, and strategists
Strong business judgment, influencing skills, leadership, and integrity are essential for this position.
Must possess a high “EQ” and be a collaborative team player.

Responsibilities

Serve as a trusted advisor, confidential thought partner, and sounding board to the Chief of Staff
Develop and iterate management practices to enable our transparency, efficiency and effectiveness of our organization
Shepherd Strategic Planning planning cycle (quarterly/annual)
Contribute to defining business priorities and goals for the organization, inclusive of the strategy for cascading information through the organization.
Help prepare agendas and coordinate materials for team-wide rituals and meetings.
Gather materials and build pre-reads for regular business reviews of key experience investments and initiatives.
Develop and execute the department communications strategy and related activities.
Work closely with the Chief of Staff to develop and manage a strategy for supporting a thriving and supportive culture, and actively participating in shaping it.
Show a high level of discretion, professional maturity, resilience, and adaptability.
Manage internal channels, ensuring consistent messaging aligns with business objectives and are optimized for maximum reach and engagement.
Support organizational changes through effective communication and engagement strategies.
Manage all aspects of our team events and gatherings, including the end to end experience.
Operate at tactical, strategic, and operational level.
Create and maintain playbooks, processes, and messaging documents that are durable and repeatable.
Handle oversight of special projects that don’t fit into traditional workstreams.