Design Program Manager – Portfolio Management

General Motors is committed to leading change in the automotive industry with a vision for a world with Zero Crashes, Zero Emissions, and Zero Congestion. They are seeking a Design Program Manager to define and manage the design portfolio across the Human Interface Design team, ensuring alignment with cross-functional goals and software design strategies.

Responsibilities:

• Lead end-to-end portfolio and resource management across the Human Interface Design organization, spanning Vehicle OS generations, Mobile Apps, Web Properties, Foundations, and Advanced UX workstreams to create a comprehensive design roadmap
• Partner with the Director of Design Operations, Directors of Design, and Product and Engineering Portfolio managers to design, refine, and operationalize a 3–5-year view of what HID is doing, why it matters, and how it connects to GM, Vehicle OS, Vehicle HW, Foundations and Web & App strategy ​
• Apply deep domain knowledge across HID’s multiplatform ecosystem to build capacity models and multi-year staffing scenarios to identify risks, constraints, and interdependencies early, and develop clear mitigation strategies and action plans that maintain alignment and momentum across teams
• Relentlessly prioritize the portfolio, map dependencies early, tracks mitigations, and partner with Product and Engineering portfolio peers and senior HID leadership to co-own cross-functional roadmaps and reduce escalations.​
• Use strategic influencing and relationship building skills to align teams and leaders around shared priorities, ensuring work is appropriately staffed and consistently delivered
• Demonstrate professional courage and operational urgency, motivating collaborators to elevate engagement, meet commitments, and navigate ambiguity with confidence
• Employ modern portfolio management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Lean) and leverage GM enterprise tools—including the Atlassian suite, Jira Advanced Roadmaps, and Power BI—to own operational alignment and cross-org visibility
• Communicate portfolio health, outcomes, and risks with transparency, tailoring insights and narratives for Directors, VPs, and cross-functional partners
• Contribute thought leadership, role model effective operational behaviors, and mentor others to elevate HID’s portfolio management maturity and operational excellence

Requirements:

• BS in Business, Engineering, Human Centered disciplines, or equivalent experience demonstrating strong analytical and operational capability
• 7+ years of experience in Project Management, Product Management, or Operations leadership managing large, diverse, and multiprogram portfolios spanning complex ecosystems such as software, hardware, services, or automotive systems
• Proven ability to plan, manage, and optimize portfolios at scale, including multi-year roadmaps, cross-platform design initiatives, and high-dependency workstreams (e.g., Vehicle OS generations, mobile apps, web properties, design systems, and advanced UX)
• Expertise in portfolio management frameworks and capacity planning tools, including the Atlassian suite, Jira Advanced Roadmaps, Power BI, and related enterprise systems
• Ability to interpret technical documentation, UX workflows, and design system dependencies and translate them into actionable portfolio and resource plans
• Demonstrated strength in building data driven forecasts, scenario models, and resource strategies to inform leadership decisions
• Exceptional communication and storytelling skills, with the ability to synthesize complexity into clear narratives for Directors, VPs, Tech Leads, PMs, and Designers
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills with a demonstrated ability to influence without direct authority across multiple functions and levels
• Proven ability to operate in ambiguity, create clarity, and lead teams through changing tools, processes, and operating models
• Calm under pressure, skilled at managing escalations, resetting expectations, and navigating competing priorities in fast-moving environments
• Analytical mindset with a commitment to continuous improvement in systems, processes, and operational rigor
• 10+ years of experience leading project, product, or portfolio management efforts within complex, multiplatform ecosystems—ideally spanning software, hardware, services, or automotive domains
• Demonstrated ability to operate in ambiguity while creating clarity for cross functional teams, guiding partners through shifting tools, processes, and operating models
• Proven change leadership experience, especially in environments undergoing largescale transformation across systems, operating models, or organizational structures
• Experience building or scaling portfolio management and governance frameworks that support multiyear planning, capacity modeling, and strategic prioritization across large design or product organizations
• Familiarity with automotive product development, complex ecosystems where timing, dependencies, and cross functional alignment are critical to success
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PRINCE2, Six Sigma, or Certified ScrumMaster