Senior Design Ops Specialist

Position overview:

Diligent is looking for a detail-oriented and proactive Senior Design Operations Specialist to play a vital role in enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of our Design department.  You’ll be part of a team that designs experiences which change the way organizations are run, empowering leaders to make better decisions for them – and the world. 

Your role:

In this role, you’ll lead and manage operational aspects of the Design department, ensuring our team has the support, tools, and processes they need to thrive.  Acting as an operational hub to enable the team to consistently meet business objectives, you will be involved with everything from closely collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure design projects run smoothly to managing critical vendor relationships that provide us with the tools and resources necessary to complete our work.

What you’ll be contributing:

• Program/project management: Lead and manage UX programs and projects, ensuring effective planning, communication, and execution across initiatives.
• Tooling enablement & vendor management:  Oversee UX tooling, establish relationships with vendors, and ensure teams have access to the right resources.
• Process development: Create and refine department processes to improve team efficiency, facilitate collaboration, and streamline day-to-day operations.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Partner with stakeholders across UX, Product Management, Engineering, etc. to align on project goals, timelines, and deliverables.
• Rituals, meeting, and workshops: Plan and facilitate department meetings, rituals, and workshops, keeping teams informed, aligned, and motivated.
• Resource management: Utilize data to make informed decisions on resource allocation, identify trends, and provide actionable insights to improve team efficiency
• Financial management:  Leverage strong Excel skills to track budgets, resources, and timelines, producing regular reports for leadership and stakeholders
• Team support: Act as a guide for team members, helping them navigate the organization, remove roadblocks, and achieve their objectives.

Why you will succeed in this role:

• You want to make a difference and share our belief that great governance tools help leaders make sound decisions on behalf of their companies, charities, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, communities and ultimately, the people within them.
• You are a solid program manager and find yourself gravitating to design teams.
• Operational excellence and continuous improvement are words that make you smile
• Making others effective is what you enjoy and excel at.
• You're a natural leader capable of bringing together a diverse set of stakeholders.
• You take ownership of your work – you make decisions, defend them soundly, and hold yourself responsible for the outcomes they produce.
• You enjoy a high-paced team environment where you have an opportunity to contribute and make a difference.
• You want to help to build a culture of design excellence.

Who we’re looking for:

• Experience: 4+ years in design operations, program management, or project management, ideally within a product design or creative agency environment
• Operational excellence: Proven track record in building programs, optimizing processes, budget management, and resource allocation in a fast-paced environment
• Stakeholder management: Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build relationships and influence a diverse set of cross-functional stakeholders.
• Organizational skills: Detail oriented and highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
• Problem-solving ability: A proactive approach to identifying and resolving issues, facilitating smooth operations across the UX department and related projects
• Communication skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of translating complex information for diverse audiences.
• Tools knowledge: Familiarity with modern project management, design, and UX tools, such as Airtable, Confluence, Jira, Figma, Asana, Monday.com, or others.  Microsoft Office particularly Excel.
• Design knowledge:  Strong understanding of design processes, workflows, and the work that designers do from ideation to final delivery