Design Program Manager

About the opportunity

Product Design at Gusto is made up of over 60 creative, collaborative people who care deeply about our mission to empower small businesses and their employees. We’re a cross-functional bunch focused on Design, Research, Writing, Ops and Front-end Development who are always looking for opportunities to build understanding and empathy for the people who use Gusto. We don’t care a whole lot about swim lanes and we work closely with our partners in Product, Engineering, Data, and Marketing to design, build and ship experiences that make a difference. We are passionate advocates for thoughtful, crafted, and inclusive experiences and we believe great design can make hard things possible, even delightful. Read more about Design at Gusto

As the Design Program Manager, you will work in Design Operations within the Engineering, Product Design, Product Management, and Data Science (EPDD) organization.You will be responsible for driving the execution of multiple programs, coordinating with cross-functional partners, managing ceremonies, stakeholder communication, and driving community engagement for the Product Design crafts, including Product Designers, Content Designers, UX Researchers, and Front-end Developers. In this role, you will report to and serve as the primary partner to the Head of Design Operations within Gusto’s Product Design organization. You will also be a part of the Product Design community, and partner closely with cross-functional operational teams. 

Here’s what you’ll do day-to-day:

• Program prioritization and coordination – examples include bringing the strategy to life for our Accessibility Program, Community Program, and various Research Programs.
• Identify and flag risks that may impact the success of our Programs.
• Manage access to Product Design tools, monitor adoption, and evolve investment needs based on use cases.
• Keep multiple teams and projects on track in parallel - develop an understanding of organizational goals and make recommendations for prioritization to achieve those goals through clear communication and commitments.
• Communicating decisions, progress against measurable goals, and providing key updates to cross-functional teams and stakeholders. Partner with the Head of Design Operations in tracking team expenses.
• Build community through planning events, organizing guest speakers, and supporting craft development opportunities for Product Design.
• Contribute to creating and maintaining Product Design resources and documentation.
• Work with cross-functional partners in EPDD to drive forward understanding of customer problems, key opportunities from an operational perspective, and define both the long-term Program visions and short-term releases that unlock employee and customer value.
• Provide and seek feedback from partners to always push the bar for quality.
• Advocate for great UX.

Here’s what we're looking for:

• 2-4 years of experience working in complex operational roles. Bonus if your prior work is related to the Design or UX domain.
• Proven ability to measure progress and deliver consistent, iterative results
• A growth mindset and adaptability to change.
• Proactive in identifying positive, measurable changes in our organization.
• Strong coordination skills to drive cross-team collaboration to help grow and maintain strong partnerships across Gusto.
• Incredibly organized and detail-oriented, able to prioritize multiple assignments.
• Ability to effectively communicate and collaborate with a diverse range of people and job functions.
• Experience serving as a project lead from conception to completion.
• Ability to maintain complete confidentiality on all business matters.
• Proficiency with Google Apps (Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, etc.) and Slack. Confluence, Jira, and Asana knowledge are a plus.

At Gusto, we strive to provide rewards that empower employees to achieve their financial and personal goals. We offer competitive compensation packages with a strong emphasis on equity based compensation (ownership in Gusto). To learn more about Gusto’s compensation philosophy and benefits offerings please view our Total Rewards Approach page.

Our cash compensation range for this role is $104,000/yr to $137,000/yr in Denver & most remote locations, and $130,000yr to $156,000/yr in San Francisco & New York.  Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.