Discipline ladder

Design Ops & Program Management

One ladder, two paths. A shared foundation through Level II, then a documented branch into design ops (systems, tooling, process) and program management (execution, coordination, delivery) tracks.

On the branch decision: The branch at Level III is a career conversation, not a performance evaluation. Neither track is more senior or more valued. Both have equal advancement paths to principal and to management. Lateral movement between branches is supported at Level III with a gap assessment.

Track overview

Design ops track
I–IIShared foundation
IIISr. design ops specialist
IVStaff design ops leadEligible
VSr. staff design ops lead
VIPrincipal design ops lead
Program mgmt track
I–IIShared foundation
IIISr. design program manager
IVStaff design program managerEligible
VSr. staff design program mgr
VIPrincipal design program mgr
Management track
Not applicable
Not applicable
IVDesign ops manager
VSr. design ops manager
VI–VIIDirector / Sr. Director

Shared levels: I and II

Level IDesign ops / program coordinatorTask scope
Scope: Executes well-defined operational and coordination tasks under close guidance.
Core competencies
  • Manages and tracks tasks across multiple work streams without dropping items
  • Communicates status updates clearly and proactively
  • Maintains team tooling, documentation, and shared resources accurately
  • Identifies blockers and escalates promptly
Discipline skills
  • Maintains design team documentation, wikis, and process guides
  • Supports onboarding logistics for new team members
  • Tracks project timelines and flags risks to schedule
  • Coordinates cross-functional meeting logistics and follow-ups
AI fluency expectation
  • Uses AI for documentation drafting, meeting summaries, and status report generation
  • Reviews AI-generated outputs before sharing — understands they require human verification
Nothing falls through the cracksTeam notices when they're absentEscalates early and clearly
Level IIDesign ops / program specialistTeam / project scope
Scope: Independently manages operational workstreams or a defined program. Identifies process gaps and proposes improvements. Branch conversation initiated at end of this level.
Core competencies
  • Manages a complete operational workstream without daily oversight
  • Identifies process inefficiencies and proposes concrete improvements
  • Builds relationships across design, product, and engineering
  • Communicates status and risk to stakeholders proactively and precisely
Discipline skills
  • Owns specific operational systems (tooling access, onboarding, design system maintenance support)
  • Manages timelines for a defined program or initiative
  • Runs rituals (standups, retros, reviews) for a project or team
  • Documents processes clearly enough for others to follow without explanation
AI fluency expectation
  • Uses AI to automate repetitive operational tasks: status reporting, documentation updates, meeting prep
  • Identifies where AI tooling could improve design team workflows and proposes experiments
Branch conversation: At the end of Level II, the individual and their manager discuss which path fits better. Ops track: drawn to building systems, improving tooling, and designing the infrastructure design teams run on. PM track: drawn to running complex programs, managing cross-functional dependencies, and keeping large initiatives on track.

Branched levels: III through VI

Level III — OpsLevel III — PMSenior specialist

Design ops track

Scope: Owns design ops systems and infrastructure for the full design org. Mentors L1–L2.
Systems and infrastructure
  • Owns and evolves the design tool stack: Figma org, asset libraries, plugin strategy
  • Designs and runs the design system operations model
  • Builds onboarding programs that bring new designers to productivity faster
  • Identifies and closes operational debt proactively
Practice and enablement
  • Develops training and enablement materials for design tools and workflows
  • Runs design team rituals and improves them based on retrospective feedback
  • Tracks design team health metrics and surfaces insights to leadership

Program management track

Scope: Manages a significant cross-functional design program end-to-end.
Program execution
  • Owns end-to-end delivery for a cross-functional design program
  • Maps and manages dependencies across design, product, engineering, and research
  • Identifies and mitigates risks to program delivery proactively
  • Runs program rituals and retrospectives that improve execution over time
Stakeholder and communication
  • Manages stakeholder expectations across multiple teams and levels
  • Produces program status communication that is trusted and acted on
  • Escalates issues with context and recommended paths, not just flags
AI fluency expectation (both tracks)
  • Ops: Evaluates and pilots AI tooling for design workflow automation; builds team-level AI workflow standards
  • PM: Uses AI for program risk analysis, status synthesis, and stakeholder communication drafting
  • Both: Identifies where AI creates operational risk and builds checks for it
Level IV — OpsLevel IV — PMStaff lead Transition eligible

Design ops track

Ops strategy
  • Sets the design ops roadmap and prioritizes investments in infrastructure and tooling
  • Builds design ops capability that scales with team growth (19 to 38+)
  • Defines design team operating model: rituals, workflows, decision-making structures
  • Owns design team measurement: quality metrics, velocity, tooling adoption, team health
Influence and leadership
  • Drives cross-functional alignment on how design integrates with product and engineering processes
  • Represents design ops in leadership conversations
  • Develops senior design ops specialists
  • Builds vendor relationships for design tooling

Program management track

Portfolio management
  • Manages and coordinates across a portfolio of concurrent design programs
  • Builds the program management framework the broader design org uses
  • Drives resourcing and capacity planning conversations with design leadership
  • Provides leadership with portfolio-level visibility: health, risk, progress
Influence and leadership
  • Shapes how cross-functional product delivery works at the org level
  • Develops senior design program managers
  • Represents design program health in executive planning conversations
Level V — OpsLevel V — PMSr. staff leadDomain scope
Ops track
  • Defines category-level design ops approaches recognized beyond the company
  • Builds design ops capability and culture that outlasts individual contribution
  • Advances design ops as a discipline externally
  • Advises senior leadership on design infrastructure as a strategic investment
PM track
  • Defines how complex design programs are run at an industry level
  • Builds program management capability and culture across the org
  • Advances design program management as a discipline externally
  • Advises senior leadership on execution strategy and organizational resourcing
Level VI — OpsLevel VI — PMPrincipal leadOrg-wide scope
Ops track
  • Sets design ops philosophy for the entire org
  • Partners with CPO and design leadership on design infrastructure as a strategic asset
  • Advances design ops practice at the industry level
PM track
  • Sets design program management philosophy for the entire org
  • Partners with CPO and engineering leadership on how complex programs are delivered
  • Advances design program management practice at the industry level

Management ladder

The management track draws from both ops and PM IC tracks. Managers lead teams that may include both specializations and need credible feedback ability across both.
Level IVDesign ops managerTeam scope (2–5 ICs)
People management
  • Runs 1:1s focused on operational and program management skill development
  • Gives specific, actionable feedback on systems design, process quality, and program execution
  • Develops career plans using both the ops and PM IC ladders
  • Attracts and retains strong ops and PM talent
Practice and team leadership
  • Sets quality bar for operational systems and program delivery
  • Prioritizes team's work against design org strategic needs
  • Builds an ops and PM practice that makes the design org measurably more effective
  • Removes organizational friction that slows design delivery
AI fluency expectation
  • Drives the design org's AI tooling strategy in partnership with staff ops ICs
  • Creates structured learning time and hack events for the team
Design org operates more smoothly because of this teamICs grow in both tracksTrusted by design leadership as an operational partner
Level VSr. design ops managerMulti-team scope
People and org leadership
  • Develops managers and senior ICs across both tracks
  • Builds team structure and staffing plans for ops and PM
  • Drives hiring strategy for design ops and program management
Strategy and operations
  • Sets design ops and program management strategy for the org
  • Owns design team operating model, tooling investment, and measurement framework
  • Partners with senior product and engineering leadership on how design integrates at scale
Level VIDirector of design opsOrg-wide scope
Organizational leadership
  • Builds and scales the design ops and PM org
  • Defines the operating model for the full design function
  • Owns design team measurement and accountability infrastructure
Business and strategy
  • Represents design operations at the executive level
  • Ties design ops investment to design org effectiveness and business outcomes
  • Partners with CPO, CTO, and HR on how design scales as the company grows
Level VIISr. director of design opsCompany scope
Company leadership
  • Sets design operations philosophy company-wide
  • Partners with CEO and CPO on organizational design and scaling strategy
  • Owns design team culture and operational excellence as company assets
Discipline and market
  • Recognized externally as a design ops and program management leadership voice
  • Advances design operations as a strategic discipline