Video: Today’s Design Ops and Programs Landscape & Career Paths

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Today’s Design Ops and Programs Landscape & Career Paths

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Wednesday, October 4, 2023 • DesignOps Summit 2023

Abbey Smalley

Former Head of Design Programs, Amazon

Summary

Over the past year, Abbey Smalley, former Head of Design Programs at Amazon has taken a deep dive into the types of Design Ops roles and levels that exist in the market. She’s collected the themes of her findings as well as synthesized insights from interviewing several Design Ops professionals and hiring managers into a newly developed framework that will help you better understand the types of opportunities that exist in the field. She'll also share recommendations on core skills to learn and present in your portfolio to help you land your next dream role.

Key Insights

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Design ops and design program manager job titles in 2023 are highly inconsistent and rarely reflect the same scope across companies.
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Employers seek a mix of prior experiences including project management (40%), design (30%), design ops (20%), product lifecycle (14%), and communications (10%).
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Most design ops roles today expect candidates to be generalists rather than specialists, though design systems and research are common specialties when they exist.
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There is a significant gap in entry-level design ops roles, with few openings for candidates under 3 years experience.
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Salary ranges vary widely, but most fall between $140,000 and $270,000 annually, with top-end salaries linked to seniority, company size, and location.
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59% of design ops roles in 2023 require onsite presence, often in California, New York, or Texas; only 28% are fully remote, often with location restrictions.
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Design ops career ladders include four levels: lead, senior, manager of people, and principal or individual contributor track, but many companies only hire at lower levels.
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Design program manager roles are often not clearly distinguished from design ops roles; many require operational and program management tasks combined.
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Economic downturns have hit design ops practitioners hard, many of whom never experienced a market contraction before, reducing available roles.
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Hiring managers strongly agree portfolios with 2-4 case studies using frameworks like STAR are essential, showcasing operational artifacts such as project plans, communication, and metrics management.

Notable Quotes

"Design ops roles and titles do not equal the same scope or tasks between companies in 2023."

"I think a part of what makes a really strong design ops team is having a mix of previous experiences, to complement each other with different perspectives."

"The term program is being used in two very different ways today: managing a portfolio of products or managing a program initiative not tied to a product."

"This is the first economic downturn many in design ops are experiencing, which can feel very discouraging."

"The future is already here, it’s just not evenly distributed — some companies have mature design ops at scale, others are just beginning."

"More than 33% of design ops professionals hadn’t entered the workforce until after the great recession."

"Most roles require five or more years experience, and some require 10+ years even though roles weren’t called design ops back then."

"Hiring managers want to see case studies — two to three is typical; personally, I suggest three or four."

"Portfolios don’t need to show final design outputs, but artifacts that demonstrate process, communication, and metrics management."

"Senior leaders need to create more entry-level roles, standardize titling, set realistic years of experience, and allow location flexibility."

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