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Lead / Manager

Design Operations Lead

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Airtable

Airtable

San Francisco, CA
Hybrid
Posted March 31, 2026

Job Description

Airtable is the no-code app platform that empowers people closest to the work to accelerate their most critical business processes. More than 500,000 organizations, including 80% of the Fortune 100, rely on Airtable to transform how work gets done.

Design Operations Lead
 
Airtable is seeking a Design Operations Lead to elevate how design works across our organization. This is a unique opportunity to shape the connective tissue between design, engineering, product, and executive leadership—driving operational excellence, accelerating AI adoption, and building programs that stick. If you’re a scrappy, deeply curious operator who thrives in fast-moving environments and wants to have a direct impact on the craft, culture, and velocity of a world-class design team, this is the role for you.

What you'll do

  • Strengthen design team rituals and processes to drive alignment and clarity across leadership and teams
  • Lead and execute critical projects, ensuring speed, quality, and strong cross-functional communication
  • Accelerate AI enablement by building fluency with emerging tools and integrating them into design workflows
  • Improve the quality and impact of product design sprints and team deliverables
  • Develop and scale design education programs that foster growth and craft excellence
  • Launch and iterate on an external presence strategy for Airtable Design, including content and thought leadership
  • Balance proactive, reactive, and supportive work to ensure a healthy, high-performing team environment
  • Serve as a connective communication layer between design, EPD, and executive leadership

Who you are

  • 8+ years in design operations, program management, or a hybrid role embedded in a product design organization
  • Deep appreciation for design craft and ability to engage meaningfully on quality, not just logistics
  • Strong working knowledge of technology and AI tools, with hands-on experience integrating them into design practice
  • Sharp cross-functional instincts; able to navigate and build trust with designers, PMs, engineers, and marketers
  • Excellent written communicator who can synthesize complexity into clear, compelling narratives
  • Experience building lightweight programs and rituals (education, critiques, sprints) that teams actually use
  • Proven ability to prioritize and execute in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
  • Active AI practitioner who uses tools like Claude in daily work
  • Familiarity with Airtable or similar tools for operational infrastructure
  • Experience developing an external design brand through content, thought leadership, or industry presence
  • Exposure to 0→1 product development and experimental operational demands
  • Background spanning both brand/creative and product design functions

 

Airtable is an equal opportunity employer. We embrace diversity and strive to create a workplace where everyone has an equal opportunity to thrive. We welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities, and perspectives. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status or any characteristic protected by applicable federal and state laws, regulations and ordinances. Learn more about your EEO rights as an applicant

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