Staff Design Operations Program Manager

Mercury; New York, Portland, San Francisco (NY, OR, CA); Hybrid; USD 199,900 - 249,900; Full time

Job summary

Mercury is seeking a Staff Design Operations Program Manager to define and execute the Design Ops strategy across a growing design organization. You will shape the AI-first tooling and processes, build scalable operating systems, and ensure high-quality rituals and culture.

You will partner with design leadership, Product Ops, and executives to resolve cross-functional challenges and advance Mercury's design maturity.

Qualifications

• Independently set strategy for a horizontal function and translate it into action.
• Able to influence senior and executive stakeholders with credibility.
• Demonstrated high standard of quality and accountability beyond own work.
• Proven ability to break down silos and align across teams and platforms.
• Comfort making decisive calls and driving to conclusions with partial consensus.
• Owns strategy and execution end-to-end from concept to delivery.
• Represents the function externally through community, branding, or industry presence.
• Able to foresee and mitigate risks across people, process, and tools at dept level.

Responsibilities

• Set and drive Design Ops strategy and roadmap from concept to delivery.
• Define Design's AI-first approach and tooling strategy with Design Leaders and Product Ops.
• Architect scalable operating systems for growing design org with lightweight processes.
• Define culture rituals and outcomes; own execution with design managers and partners.
• Lead external presence strategy for Mercury Design, coordinating with Comms.
• Define onboarding and enablement; set quality bars for ramping in Designers.
• Build cross-functional relationships across Product Ops, Research Ops, Eng Ops, and Design leadership.
• Serve as strategic thought partner to VP of Design and design managers; translate goals into Design Ops roadmap.
• Define success metrics and cadence; justify investments and potential headcount growth.

Skills

Strategy definition

Stakeholder management

Cross-functional collaboration

Executive influence

Communication

Decision making

Independent worker

External representation

Job description

San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, Portland, OR, or Remote within Canada or United States

A race is won by the driver, but it's decided in the pit lane: the crew that changes four tires in under two seconds so the driver never has to think about anything but the road ahead. Design Ops plays that role for Mercury's 40+ person design team, building the systems, tools, process, and rituals that let designers focus entirely on the work, not the mechanics behind it. We're looking for a Staff Design Operations Program Manager to serve as that pit crew as we build radically different banking.

You'll define where Design Ops needs to go and why, build the systems and judgment that let the design org compound its quality and velocity as it grows, and represent that point of view with design leadership, cross‑functional partners, and outside the company.

This role owns strategy and execution. Design Ops is a team of one today, so you'll set direction and run the work yourself, from concept to delivery. You'll be relied on by other departments and executive stakeholders to move ambiguous, cross‑functional problems to resolution.

Key Responsibilities

• Set and run Design Ops' strategy: Own the strategic direction for Design Ops (where the function needs to go, why, and what we're deliberately not doing), and drive it through execution yourself, from roadmap to delivery.
• Own Design's AI‑first point of view: Set the strategy and decision framework for how Design adopts AI tooling and reshapes its process, in partnership with Design Leaders and Product Ops. Be ready to build yourself: the skills, agents, and workflows designers will use day to day. Partner with Procurement to secure access to new tools.
• Architect systems that scale: Design, build, and run the operating system that lets the design org keep scaling year over year without adding overhead. Keep processes lightweight: introduce only what's needed to advance quality and give the team visibility.
• Set and execute the design culture strategy: Define what culture and quality rituals should exist (all‑hands, onsites, team rituals) and the outcomes they need to drive, then own the execution, looping in design managers or cross‑functional partners for support.
• Build and run Design's external presence strategy: Own the strategy for how Mercury Design shows up externally to support hiring and brand, and drive execution, from content to events to award submissions in partnership with the Comms team.
• Define and run onboarding & enablement: Set the strategy and quality bar for how new designers ramp, in partnership with EPD Ops, and own the programming.
• Be the cross‑functional connective tissue: Build relationships across Product Ops, Research Ops, Eng Ops, and design leadership that make you a first call on ambiguous, cross‑functional problems. Break down silos, navigate competing priorities, and move multi‑stakeholder programs to a conclusion, including with executive partners.
• Be a strategic thought partner to the VP of Design and design managers: Bring an independent point of view to conversations on team health, quality, and priorities, and translate design leadership's goals into Design Ops' strategy and roadmap.
• Define what gets measured: Set the success metrics and reporting cadence for design programs across the org, and use them to make the case for where to invest next, including additional Design Ops headcount as the function's remit grows.

Ideal Candidate

• A track record of independently setting strategy for a horizontal function: defining the thesis, not just executing a project list handed to you.
• Excellent interpersonal, presentation, and communication skills, including a demonstrated ability to build trust with and influence senior and executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated high bar for quality that others point to as the standard, and a track record of fostering accountability beyond your own work.
• Proven ability to break down silos and influence without authority across teams, product areas, and platforms, including navigating complex or conflicting stakeholder interests.
• Comfort making the call and driving decisions to a conclusion without full consensus, while still managing stakeholder expectations.
• A builder's mindset: comfortable owning strategy and execution alone, from concept to delivery.
• History of representing a function's point of view externally: community engagement, employer branding, or industry presence.
• Skill in anticipating and mitigating risk across people, process, and tools at a department level, and adapting quickly as priorities shift.

The total rewards package at Mercury includes base salary, equity (stock options), and benefits.

Our salary and equity ranges are highly competitive within the SaaS and fintech industry and are updated regularly using the most reliable compensation survey data for our industry. New hire offers are made based on a candidate’s experience, expertise, geographic location, and internal pay equity relative to peers.

Our target new hire base salary ranges for this role are the following:

• US employees in New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $199,900 - $249,900
• US employees outside of the New York City, Los Angeles, Seattle, or the San Francisco Bay Area: $179,900 - $224,900
• Canadian employees (any location): CAD $189,000 - $236,200

Mercury is a fintech company, not an FDIC‑insured bank. Banking services provided through Choice Financial Group and Column N.A., Members FDIC.

Mercury values diversity & belonging and is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. All individuals seeking employment at Mercury are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities or special needs. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.