Director of Design Operations

The Opportunity

Adobe is seeking a Director of Design Operations to join our design organization; a centralized, multidisciplinary team of 700+ persons, spanning 30+ locations and working across 100+ products. We're looking for a leader to accelerate the scaling our business and evolve how we engage as part of the product life cycle. In this role you will be a key partner to our senior design leader for the Cross-Cloud Product and Platform (CCPP) organization. This is a highly influential role across the organization and requires someone with a true passion for business strategy and operations, and flawless execution of strategic objectives.

This individual will define and run programs that drive strategic alignment across functions. As a partner to design leadership, they will advise and influence how and where we invest, and additionally how we organize. They will be visible across the business in their communications, leading in a transparent manner. They will partner and be an exemplar across our operations team for evolving best practices. They will drive optimization of our organization to align the best people, with the necessary skills, to be able to contribute at the right time and deliver the best experiences for users.

What you'll do

• Work as a trusted advisor and thought partner to design leadership in crafting the design strategy, vision and operational plan for CCP&P design

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

• Scale strategic design initiatives in partnership with design leadership, 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

• Lead, coach, and foster a team of high-talent program managers in a robust, cross-disciplinary and cross-geo design organization

• Foster a culture of collaboration 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

• Own and drive communications and operations for a large design team to keep the team informed and motivated, always prioritizing and supporting a healthy design culture

What you need to succeed

• 10+ years of experience working in Design Operations, Creative Program Management, or similar field

• 7+ years of leadership experience with a history of people management and operational excellence

• Experience working with in-house creative teams, including collaborating with designers, content strategists, researchers, prototypers, engineers, and product managers

• Experience working directly with product and engineering on ambiguous problems and crafting big picture strategies

• Ability to establish credibility and rapport with senior executives

• Experience leading and scaling operations for critical business units in SaaS or Digital environments

• Experience building and fostering a robust, collaborative, inclusive team environment

• High emotional intelligence and the ability to adapt your communication and operational style situationally

• Strong verbal, presentation, and written communication skills

• Passion for user experience and design with an understanding of the design process

Adobe Design creates tools that amplify the world's ability to create and communicate. We're a global team of designers, researchers, prototypers, content strategists, program managers, and more who work across Adobe's three product lines: Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud.