Design Program Manager – Wearables Design Systems

Ursus, Inc.; Burlingame (CA); Hybrid; USD 125,361 - 139,137; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision benefits

401K with company matching

Job summary

A leading technology firm in Burlingame, CA, is seeking an experienced Design Program Manager to enhance design operations within their Wearables team. The role involves optimizing workflows for design systems projects, collaborating with product designers and cross-functional teams, and driving efficient operations. Candidates should have proven expertise in project management and experience in consumer electronics. This is a hybrid position requiring 3 days onsite and offers competitive pay ranging from $91 to $101 per hour.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience as a producer or project manager in product design.
• Experience in consumer electronics or hardware.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment with effective time management.

Responsibilities

• Optimize design operations for efficiency on design systems projects.
• Communicate project progress to stakeholders effectively.
• Support additional design operations initiatives as needed.

Skills

Design program management experience

Collaborative with cross-functional teams

Proficiency with project management tools

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Tools

Project management software

Job description

Design Program Manager - Wearables Design Systems

Location: Burlingame, CA (Hybrid; 3 days onsite)

Duration: 6 months (possible extension)

Pay Range: $91 - $101/hr.

Top 3 Skills

• Design program management for wearable or consumer electronics products, including design systems projects, with 5+ years supporting product design teams
• Experience collaborating with product designers, 2D/3D artists, and cross‑functional teams (engineering, product management, content design, user research)
• Proficiency with project management tools for tracking design work, resource allocation, and reporting

Company

Our client is a Fortune 500 multi‑national technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, CA.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced 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.

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 internal project management systems to track design work, ensure deliverables for key milestones, and report progress to cross‑functional teams 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 toward 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.

Education / Certifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field (Design, Engineering, Project Management, Business) preferred
• Project management certifications (PMP, Agile/Scrum) are a plus but not required

Benefits Summary

Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate or annual salary only, unless otherwise stated. In addition to base compensation, full‑time roles are eligible for Medical, Dental, Vision, Commuter and 401K benefits with company matching.

EEO Statement

Compliance with 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 is required. 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. Applicants are evaluated for their ability to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, manage stress, work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness, meet client expectations, maintain standards, and safeguard business operations and company reputation.