As a Staff Design Program Manager on the Core Design team, you’ll play a role in driving high impact product initiatives from conception to launch. You will partner closely with design leadership, product designers, PMs, and engineers to scope work effectively, set up the right rituals (ex: crits, reviews, planning), and establish clarity across teams. Your strong design acumen allows you to recognize who to involve and when from the team and translates design strategy into actionable plans. You’ll also help evolve the systems and operating processes that make our design org more effective.
This role requires a visionary leader who thrives in ambiguity, possesses exceptional problem-solving skills, and is passionate about creating an environment where designers can thrive and do their best work.
Responsibilities- Program Strategy & Delivery: drive large, complex product and design features from inception through launch, managing scope, dependencies, and timelines.
- Design Acumen in Practice: Facilitate design crits, reinforce design principles, and ensure the right quality op mechs are in place across the design org.
- XFN Collaboration: partner with design, PM, and eng leaders to align on goals and planning, clarify ownership, and unblock
- Rituals & Quality: optimize design crits, reviews, and design quality practices that raise the bar without slowing the team down
- Process Improvement: design and operationalize scalable processes (frameworks, playbooks). Teach others how to create, flex, and scale team best practices. Maintain the right balance of operational excellence, innovation, and speed across teams/orgs against company wide goals.
- Visibility & Communication: clear tracking and reporting across all of design
- Experience working in a mid to large size Design org
- Highly strategic thinker who can also get things done. We’re in a critical point where we need to balance discovery and action; getting a plan in place and making iterations
- Ability to build great relationships with key stakeholders especially at the leadership level
- 8+ years program management experience in product design orgs
- Track record of shipping large product and design features from inception to launch
- Strong design acumen including: Working knowledge of Figma, design specs, and prototypes. Ability to facilitate and contribute to design crits (reinforcing design principles and system, helping connect crit to business goals). Understanding and applying core design principles (ex: hierarchy, accessibility, interaction/visual patterns) when scoping or planning work. Knowing who to involve and when (product design, UXR, content design, and others)
- Experience optimizing design team rituals and operations (crits, reviews, design quality, planning)
- Experience working across the product development lifecycle
- Strong communication skills (written and verbal)
- Background working with AI-powered design tools or interfaces preferred.
- Proven ability to lead design efforts in remote or distributed team environments, driving collaboration across time zones and org silos.
- Experience supporting vision or strategy projects (ex: north star product explorations, future of product narratives)
- Proven ability to represent the function and the broader Design team externally
US Zone 1
This role is not available in Zone 1
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We're a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers who are shaping the future of Dropbox—and with it the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the flexibility of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection, making space for both meaningful work and meaningful relationships. With our start-up mindset and enterprise-level opportunities, you can be who you are and grow into who you’re meant to be. Here, you can own your impact to make work more intuitive, joyful, and human—for you as a Dropboxer and for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If you're ready to push boundaries—and yourself—Dropbox is ready for you.
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We believe people do their best work when empowered with autonomy and harmony, and we understand there’s no substitute for human connection. Our Virtual First model combines the flexibility of remote work with the power of in-person collaboration to create the best of both worlds: a distributed workplace, anchored in community.
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