Job Title: Design Program Manager – Wearables Design Systems  
Location: Burlingame, CA (hybrid, 3 days onsite)
Duration: 6 Months (with a possibility to extend)
 
About the Role:

• We are seeking an experienced CW Design Program Manager (DPM) to drive, innovate, and support design operations within our 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 org.
• 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.

 
About the Team:

• Wearables Design Team: Cross-functional group including Design Program Managers, Product Designers, and Product Design Managers.
• Collaborative & Innovative: Focused on delivering world-class user experiences for wearable products.

 
Must-Have Skills:

• Design Program/Project Management: 5+ 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.

 
Nice-to-Have Skills:

• 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.

 
Minimum Years of Experience: 8+
 
Degrees / Certifications

• 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.

 
Day-to-Day Responsibilities

• Managing the intake and prioritization of requests from designers, requiring extensive communication with various stakeholders and coordinating collaboration requests between the design systems team and product designers.
• Assisting with resource allocation.
• Facilitating communication regarding changes.
• Partnering with Cross-Functional (XFN) teams and Product Managers (PMs) on design systems development.
• Overseeing task prioritization for the team.
• Actively removing impediments to workflow.

 
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 Client’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.

 
Skills & Experience

• 5+ 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.

 
Process
Rounds: 1–2

• Initial Meeting: Design Systems Manager
• Follow-up Meeting: Hiring Manager

 
  
 
At SPECTRAFORCE, we are committed to maintaining a workplace that ensures fair compensation and wage transparency in adherence with all applicable state and local laws. This position’s starting pay is: $ 90.00/hr.