Staff Design Operations Program Manager

Key Responsibilities

• Set and run Design Ops' strategy: Own the strategic direction for Design Ops (where the function needs to go, why, and what we're deliberately not doing), and drive it through execution yourself, from roadmap to delivery.
• Own Design's AI-first point of view: Set the strategy and decision framework for how Design adopts AI tooling and reshapes its process, in partnership with Design Leaders and Product Ops. Build the skills, agents, and workflows designers will use day to day. Partner with Procurement to secure access to new tools.
• Architect systems that scale: Design, build, and run the operating system that lets the design org keep scaling year over year without adding overhead. Keep processes lightweight.
• Set and execute the design culture strategy: Define culture and quality rituals (all-hands, onsites, team rituals) and own their execution.
• Build and run Design's external presence strategy: Own strategy for how Mercury Design shows up externally (content, events, award submissions) in partnership with Comms.
• Define and run onboarding & enablement: Set strategy and quality bar for how new designers ramp, in partnership with EPD Ops.
• Be the cross-functional connective tissue: Build relationships across Product Ops, Research Ops, Eng Ops, and design leadership. Break down silos and move multi-stakeholder programs to conclusion, including with executives.
• Be a strategic thought partner to the VP of Design and design managers: Bring independent point of view on team health, quality, and priorities.
• Define what gets measured: Set success metrics and reporting cadence for design programs and use them to make the case for investment.

Requirements

• Track record of independently setting strategy for a horizontal function.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills; ability to build trust with and influence senior and executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated high bar for quality and fostering accountability.
• Proven ability to break down silos and influence without authority across teams, including navigating complex stakeholder interests.
• Comfort making decisions without full consensus while managing expectations.
• Builder's mindset: comfortable owning strategy and execution from concept to delivery.
• History of representing a function externally (community engagement, employer branding, industry presence).
• Skill in anticipating and mitigating risk across people, process, and tools at a department level.

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience with AI tooling and workflows in a design context.
• Background in design operations, program management, or similar horizontal functions at scaling organizations.

Compensation

Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:

US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $199,900 - $249,900 US employees outside of the New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $179,900 - $224,900 Canadian employees (any location): CAD $189,000 - $236,200

The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options), and benefits.