Design Program Manager

Blink UX is the product design firm crafting your next breakthrough. We partner with ambitious companies like Amazon, Google, and NASA to create transformative products and experiences through strategy, research, and design. With headquarters and labs in Seattle and studios in Boston, San Diego, San Francisco, New York City, and Bengaluru, we partner with clients around the world.   This opportunity is a part of Blink's Embedded practice which supports long-term opportunities with some of Blink’s largest client partners.   Location: Remote- must be located in Denver, CO or Seattle, WA area Duration: ongoing

What you'll be doing

We are seeking a Principal Design Program Manager (DPM) to be the operating backbone for eComm Design. This person owns how design work gets requested, planned, tracked, reviewed, and delivered across web and app. They are equal parts program leader and systems builder: running high-visibility programs and our Experimentation & Growth sprints, while also building the Jira, reporting, and review structures that keep 20+ designers visible, protected, and shipping. This role will partner daily with Design, Product, Engineering, Research, and Marketing stakeholders - raising their hand when something needs to be called out, not smoothed over. We are also looking for someone who uses AI in their own workflow and helps the team do the same.

Key Responsibilities

• Design Operations & Systems
  • Own the Jira operating model for eComm Design: ticket intake, kanban board, sprint planning, status definitions, sub-task rules, and how blocked or stalled work gets flagged
  • Help maintain the team dashboard and reporting so leadership can see work in progress without needing a meeting
  • Drive story pointing and due dates on every ticket, and coach designers and Product partners until it sticks
  • Track designer capacity, spot overload and underuse early, and help the manager make resourcing calls with real data
  • Run the ops cadence: check-ins, ticket clean-up, and audits
  • Document ways of working so process survives turnover and new teammates can get up to speed fast
  • Program Ownership & Delivery
    • Lead design program management for major initiatives, from kickoff through post-delivery dev support
    • Run the working rhythm: daily design syncs, UX x PM working sessions, and weekly status updates
    • Translate cross-domain timelines (Product, Dev, Offers, Biller, QE) into design milestones, handoff dates, and clear risks
    • Keep design aligned with finalized requirements and call out early when design is running ahead of them
    • Manage scope by documenting the original ask and making mid-project changes visible and debatable