Program Manager
San Diego, CA

Job Description

Job Description

Program Manager I

Provide creative oxygen for one team of 15 designers located across 4 locations (including San Diego, Mountain View, India and remote) by empowering the design team to maximize its productivity; manage its design requirements/initiatives and operational needs.

Responsibilities

* Collaborate with and lead the Experience Design team in process and prioritization to align the delivery of high-quality design work
* Interface with internal business partners and act as a bridge between the Design team and the Development (Engineering), Product Management, Marketing and Partnerships teams- connecting all groups and making sure inter-dependencies are understood and planned for effectively.
* Identify team needs with regards to process, tools, documentation, asset management, etc.
* Maintain continuous pulse on process performance and implement or drive required changes to make sure designers are working at optimum efficiency.
* Lead or collaborate with Design team leadership in key project decision-making, including: requirements gathering, scheduling, resource allocation, and coordination of teams and approval processes.
* Field incoming project requests and define projects for the Experience Design team.
* Autonomously runs multiple projects; Establishes project timelines and work breakdown plans to effectively manage a variety of small to large offline projects through all phases of implementation
* Resource both short and long-term projects for flawless execution
* Drive resourcing meetings/conversations to ensure bandwidth is balanced across design team and all projects are sufficiently resourced
* Facilitates team communication via driving operating mechanisms (weekly recurring meetings)
* Proactively identifies risks, escalates them appropriately and proposes solutions
* Works with cross functional stakeholders to gather necessary requirements prior to assigning design resources for project kickoff
* Drive and facilitate culture building activities for the Design Team including onboarding of new team members, offsite meetings and events, teambuilding, creative rituals etc.

Skills

* Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
* 3 - 5 years of production / project management and/or account management experience in a fast paced, fluid environment
* Experience working with creative/design teams, understanding how to integrate process with creative minds.
* Experience with Agile development and methodologies
* Thorough understanding of the creative development processes
* Ability to understand complex programs, scope and prioritize projects, define schedules, and work independently
* Strong organizational and prioritization skills with the ability to analyze alternative solutions and prioritize quickly within tight deadlines
* Excellent communication skills with the ability to interact with all levels of leadership
* Exceptional attention to detail and ability to maintain information
* Ability to multi-task successfully under tight deadlines
* Works independently and takes initiative to resolve questions and anticipates future needs before they arise
* Solution-centric and customer service-oriented mindset
* Calm and even-tempered demeanor in all professional circumstances
* Team player who collaborates well with others
* Experience with JIRA, Smartsheet, Workfront, Basecamp or similar project management tools (JIRA preferred)
* Experience with Microsoft Suite and Google Apps

Provide creative oxygen for one team of 15 designers located across 4 locations (including San Diego, Mountain View, India and remote) by empowering the design team to maximize its productivity; manage its design requirements/initiatives and operational needs., * Collaborate with and lead the Experience Design team in process and prioritization to align the delivery of high-quality design work * Interface with internal business partners and act as a bridge between the Design team and the Development (Engineering), Product Management, Marketing and Partnerships teams- connecting all groups and making sure inter-dependencies are understood and planned for effectively. * Identify team needs with regards to process, tools, documentation, asset management, etc. * Maintain continuous pulse on process performance and implement or drive required changes to make sure designers are working at optimum efficiency. * Lead or collaborate with Design team leadership in key project decision-making, including: requirements gathering, scheduling, resource allocation, and coordination of teams and approval processes. * Field incoming project requests and define projects for the Experience Design team. * Autonomously runs multiple projects; Establishes project timelines and work breakdown plans to effectively manage a variety of small to large offline projects through all phases of implementation * Resource both short and long-term projects for flawless execution * Drive resourcing meetings/conversations to ensure bandwidth is balanced across design team and all projects are sufficiently resourced * Facilitates team communication via driving operating mechanisms (weekly recurring meetings) * Proactively identifies risks, escalates them appropriately and proposes solutions * Works with cross functional stakeholders to gather necessary requirements prior to assigning design resources for project kickoff * Drive and facilitate culture building activities for the Design Team including onboarding of new team members, offsite meetings and events, teambuilding, creative rituals etc.