Design Operations Manager

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Strategy & Process Improvement:
• Develop and implement scalable design processes, frameworks, and workflows to improve efficiency and consistency across teams.
• Establish best practices for design project intake, prioritization, and execution.
• Optimize documentation, templates, and collaboration practices to improve accessibility and productivity.
• Integrate design methodologies with agile and cross-functional workflows.

Project & Programme Management:
• Plan, track, and oversee multiple design projects to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.
• Manage resource allocation across teams and initiatives based on priorities and capacity.
• Act as a central point of coordination between design, product, engineering, and marketing teams.
• Build and maintain dashboards, trackers, and reports to provide visibility into design workstreams.

Cross-functional Collaboration & Communication:
• Foster strong collaboration between design, product, and engineering teams.
• Facilitate design critiques, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Communicate design operations strategy, progress, and impact to stakeholders.
• Advocate for design by linking design outcomes to business goals.

Tools & Infrastructure:
• Identify, implement, and manage tools for design collaboration, asset management, and workflow automation.
• Ensure effective usage and integration of platforms such as Figma, Miro, Jira, Notion, and Confluence.
• Manage vendor relationships including design tools, agencies, and freelancers.

Governance & Quality Assurance:
• Develop and maintain design standards, guidelines, and governance models.
• Establish feedback loops and metrics to track design efficiency and effectiveness.
• Ensure adherence to accessibility standards, brand guidelines, and regulatory requirements where applicable.

Requirements:
• Minimum 5 years of professional experience in design operations, programme management, or related roles within a design or product-led organization.
• Strong understanding of UX/UI design processes, principles, and design systems.
• Proven experience building and optimizing design workflows in fast-paced environments.
• Hands-on experience with design and project management tools such as Figma, Jira, Asana, Notion, Trello, or similar platforms.
• Experience working in agile, cross-functional teams across product, engineering, and marketing.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and facilitation skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively, manage dependencies, and handle multiple initiatives simultaneously.