Lead Design Program Manager

Blink UX is a product design firm that partners with ambitious companies to create products and experiences through strategy, research, and design. The Lead Design Program Manager will serve as the operating backbone for eCommerce Design, managing major design programs, experimentation sprints, Jira operations, reporting, capacity tracking, stakeholder communication, and AI-enabled workflow improvements.

Responsibilities:

• Own the Jira operating model for eComm Design: ticket intake, kanban board, sprint planning, status definitions, sub-task rules, and how blocked or stalled work gets flagged
• Help maintain the team dashboard and reporting so leadership can see work in progress without needing a meeting
• Drive story pointing and due dates on every ticket, and coach designers and Product partners until it sticks
• Track designer capacity, spot overload and underuse early, and help the manager make resourcing calls with real data
• Run the ops cadence: check-ins, ticket clean-up, and audits
• Document ways of working so process survives turnover and new teammates can get up to speed fast
• Lead design program management for major initiatives, from kickoff through post-delivery dev support
• Run the working rhythm: daily design syncs, UX x PM working sessions, and weekly status updates
• Translate cross-domain timelines (Product, Dev, Offers, Biller, QE) into design milestones, handoff dates, and clear risks
• Keep design aligned with finalized requirements and call out early when design is running ahead of them
• Manage scope by documenting the original ask and making mid-project changes visible and debatable
• Facilitate the Experimentation & Growth sprint cycle: check-ins, grooming, sprint review and planning, and candidate prioritization
• Keep experiment tickets tied to KPIs, owners, dependencies, and outcomes so results can be found and reused
• Help evolve a more outcome-driven experimentation process and how results are shared with leadership
• Schedule and manage team Studio Reviews, Director office hour reviews, and Hot Sheet updates
• Give senior leaders a clear read on status, tradeoffs, and asks, and get decisions unstuck when they are waiting on one person
• Run kickoffs that bring in Design early, so designers are co-creators and not order-takers
• Manage inbound requests: push back on side-channel asks, set expectations on priority, and hold the line on intake
• Navigate disagreements between teammates and partners and surface tension instead of absorbing it
• Use AI (Claude, Jira and Confluence connectors, Figma) to speed up reporting, status updates, and admin work, and own the accuracy of everything you send
• Help design teams find real use cases for AI, with a focus on building confidence and saving time
• Act as a thought partner to the design manager on team health, capacity, and priorities
• Partner with peer DPMs on shared practices, and coach new DPMs and project coordinators
• Champion the value of design visibility, tracking, and shared definitions of done across the team and partner orgs

Requirements:

• 7+ years of program or project management in a design, product, or technology environment, with a record of delivering complex, cross-functional work
• Deep Jira fluency: workflows, dashboards, JQL, custom fields, and reporting
• Proven experience designing and rolling out process or operating models, not just following them
• Experience with Agile practices (sprints, grooming, story pointing, retros) in a mixed team where not every pod runs the same way
• Strong working knowledge of design processes, Figma, design systems, and UX terminology
• Confluence and documentation habits that keep knowledge shared and current
• Comfort presenting status, risks, and tradeoffs to Directors and VPs, in writing and live
• Ability to work with ambiguity and juggle several large programs, each with its own stakeholders and pace
• Working knowledge of AI tools such as Claude, plus curiosity and a track record of helping others adopt them
• Strong facilitation and conflict skills: direct, friendly, and willing to name the issue
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• Automation experience is a plus
• PMP, SAFe, or similar certification is a plus