Design Program Manager

Design Program Manager

Location: Hybrid (3x in Office) - Burlingame, CA

Duration: Initial 6-month contract with possibility for extension

Pay Rate: $90/hr on W2

Target Start: January 2026

Benefits: Medical, dental, vision; paid vacation/sick leave; 401k

Our client is seeking an experienced Design Program Manager (DPM) to drive, innovate, and support design operations within their Wearables team.

This role partners closely with Design Program Management, Product Design Managers, and Product Designers to enable world-class user experiences for wearable devices.

You will report to a DPM within the Wearables organization.

We’re seeking a proactive self-starter, someone who is deeply curious, brings both sharp analytical skills and strong interpersonal awareness, and thrives on continuous learning and overcoming challenges.

You should be passionate about building strong relationships, comfortable navigating ambiguity, and motivated to help the team deliver innovative design systems solutions for our next-generation wearable products.

Key Responsibilities:

• Optimize and streamline design operations to drive team efficiency and impact, specifically for design systems projects.
• Communicate clearly and effectively by succinctly articulating requests, questions, and findings to ensure stakeholders are informed of work and progress.
• Develop and leverage frameworks to create efficiencies, streamline operational responsibilities, improve communication, and help the design team deliver on business goals related to design systems.
• Cultivate strong relationships and serve as a dependable point of contact with stakeholders and partners across design and cross-functional product teams.
• Project management: Utilize Meta’s internal project management systems to track design work, ensure deliverables for key milestones, and report progress to XFN and Design leadership.
• Operational effectiveness: Identify and address workflow or tooling issues, set and measure performance goals, and foster a collaborative process to improve operational processes for UI input initiatives.
• Support additional design ops initiatives as needed to drive effectiveness and efficiency of the Wearables design team. Build and execute project plans, gain stakeholder buy-in, and communicate progress.

Qualifications Needed:

• 8 years of experience as a producer, project manager, or program manager supporting product design teams with a background in consumer electronics, hardware or digital products.
• Experience working with product designers to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of design team workflows and outcomes, especially for UI input projects.
• Experience working with 2D and 3D artists, Creative Director and Designers.
• Experience working on design systems
• Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (engineering, product management, content design, user research, etc.).
• Track record of operating independently, being detail-oriented, and delivering results in a highly organized manner.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with independent time management, task prioritization, and a drive to identify problems and work towards solutions.
• Provide flexible processes that meet team needs and help keep work on track.
• Experience working with product design teams at scale.
• Proficiency with professional project management tools for tracking design work, resource allocation, and reporting.
• Comfortable working in environments with ambiguity and rapid change.
• Experience using data to identify problems and communicate solutions.

Must-Haves:

• Design Program/Project Management: 8 years supporting product design teams, especially in consumer electronics, hardware, or digital products.
• Design Systems Experience: Proven track record working on design systems and improving design team workflows.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong ability to work with engineering, product management, content design, user research, and other XFN partners.
• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (e.g., Design, Engineering, Project Management, Business) preferred.
• Project management certifications (e.g., PMP, Agile/Scrum) are a plus but not strictly required.

Nice-to-Have:

• Design systems experience
• 2D/3D Art Collaboration: Experience working with 2D/3D artists, Creative Directors, and Designers.
• Data-Driven Problem Solving: Comfortable using data to identify workflow issues and communicate solutions.

Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act, Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, qualified applicants will be considered for assignment with arrest and conviction records. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, standards, and accompanying requirements, and safeguard business operations and company reputation. #TMN