Staff Design Program Manager

adobe; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 146,300 - 277,400; Full time

Job summary

Adobe is seeking a Staff Design Program Manager to guide multi-disciplinary programs across the Cross-Cloud Products & Platform design team. You’ll partner with design, product, and engineering leaders that drive Platform, Genuine, and Monetization Growth portfolios.

You’ll build alignment, own management tools, prioritize work to meet timelines, and measure impact. This role requires deep design and product thinking, strong communication, mentorship, and the ability to navigate a complex

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of applicable experience in a design and technology environment.
• Demonstrated delivery of large-scale programs and projects.
• Strong verbal, presentation, and written communication skills.
• Strong conflict resolution skills and the ability to lead in an environment of ambiguity with a diverse range of partners.
• Experience with a large internal design team, including product design, user research, content design, design operations, and the overall product design process.
• Ability to help plan design resourcing needs and map out quarterly priorities in partnership with design leadership.
• Deep experience working with tools like Jira and an ability to use coding tools to enhance the benefit and use of these tools.
• Ability to distinguish critical from non-critical issues and set teams focus and priorities accordingly.
• Experience organizing cross-functional activities into a complete plan, recognizing interdependence, and establishing a framework for the team to build out the plan and mentoring the execution of that plan.
• Comfort with ambiguity and decision-making with incomplete information.
• A love for fun while getting things done! We have a strong culture of collaboration that embraces sharing opinions but always underscored by kindness.

Responsibilities

• Trusted advisor and partner to design leadership in crafting the design strategy, vision and operational plan for your teams and CCP&PP design.
• Partner with cross-functional leadership to drive creative alignment and decision making, enabling and elevating a highly effective UX design organization.
• Own and drive communications and operations for a large design team to keep the team informed and motivated. Confidently convey program plans and design strategies using strong written, verbal, and presentation skills. Share standards to improve program execution and foster alignment across the design organization.
• Scale strategic design initiatives, making sure to connect the dots across a complex organization and diplomatically navigate challenges.
• Simplify large and complex problems through iterative operational improvements, while prioritizing and delivering solutions in an evolving environment.
• Foster a collaborative culture and user-focused design excellence through mentorship, coaching, and influence. You are an advocate for design-led product development and build bridges across the organization to represent design and uplevel our impact for our users.
• Evolve the Design Process and Design Operations practice by applying AI tooling to our day-to-day workflows like design development, dashboards, and executive reporting.

Skills

Trusted advisor

Cross-functional leadership

Program management

Communication

Mentorship

Design operations

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Jira

Coding tools

Job description

The opportunity

We are looking for a Staff Design Program Manager to join our team and provide immediate impact to the Cross-Cloud Products & Platform design team within the broader Adobe Design org. You’ll partner with leaders in design, product, and engineering teams that lead our Platform, Genuine, and Monetization Growth portfolios.

Your primary responsibilities include leading complex, multi-disciplinary programs and operationalizing design processes, owning management tools, building alignment, and prioritizing work to ensure timelines and business objectives are met. You’ll also serve as a key partner in planning and measuring & reporting impact.

Success requires strong relationships and rapport across teams, as well as influencing cross-functional teams and leadership effectively. A successful Staff DPM demonstrates deep application/platform and design knowledge in combination with business and project management domain expertise to drive successful programs.

What you'll do

• trusted advisor and thought partner to design leadership in crafting the design strategy, vision and operational plan for your teams and CCP&PP design.

• Partner with cross-functional leadership to drive creative alignment and decision making, enabling and elevating a highly effective UX design organization.

• Own and drive communications and operations for a large design team to keep the team informed and motivated. Confidently convey program plans and design strategies using strong written, verbal, and presentation skills. Share standards to improve program execution and foster alignment across the design organization.

• Scale strategic design initiatives, making sure to connect the dots across a complex organization and diplomatically navigate challenges.

• Simplify large and complex problems through iterative operational improvements, while prioritizing and delivering solutions in an evolving environment.

• Foster a collaborative culture and user-focused design excellence through mentorship, coaching, and influence. You are an advocate for design-led product development and build bridges across the organization to represent design and uplevel our impact for our users.

• Evolve the Design Process and Design Operations practice by applying AI tooling to our day-to-day workflows like design development, dashboards, and executive reporting.

What you need to succeed

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

• 10+ years of applicable experience in a design and technology environment.

• Demonstrated delivery of large-scale programs and projects.

• Strong verbal, presentation, and written communication skills.

• Strong conflict resolution skills and the ability to lead in an environment of ambiguity with a diverse range of partners.

• Experience with a large internal design team, including product design, user research, content design, design operations, and the overall product design process.

• Ability to help plan design resourcing needs and map out quarterly priorities in partnership with design leadership.

• Deep experience working with tools like Jira and an ability to use coding tools to enhance the benefit and use of these tools.

• Ability to distinguish critical from non-critical issues and set teams focus and priorities accordingly.

• Experience organizing cross-functional activities into a complete plan, recognizing interdependence, and establishing a framework for the team to build out the plan and mentoring the execution of that plan.

• Comfort with ambiguity and decision-making with incomplete information.

• A love for fun while getting things done! We have a strong culture of collaboration that embraces sharing opinions but always underscored by kindness.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Expected Pay Range

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $146,300 – $277,400 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process.

In California, the pay range for this position is $191,600 – $277,400.

At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP).

In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

State‑Specific Notices

California

Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado

Application Window Notice: If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Legal Notice: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.