Staff Design Program Manager, Etsy
Design Systems
$170-220k
More information about location
2+ days a week in office (Brooklyn, New York)
eCommerce platform for handcrafted goods
Open for applications
eCommerce platform for handcrafted goods
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$170-220k
More information about location
2+ days a week in office (Brooklyn, New York)
1001+ employees
Company mission
To keep human connection at the heart of commerce.
Role
Who you are
- 8+ years in program management, project management, or design operations within product development
- Direct experience with design systems and component libraries
- Experience working with content designers
- Ability to context switch smoothly between tactical execution and strategic planning, delivering at a high bar on both
- Clear, succinct communication that adapts depth and detail to the audience and moment
- A focus on improving team flow, decision quality, and craft standards, not just velocity
- Strength in planning and negotiation with leaders while building trust through ownership and follow‑through with ICs
- A generous collaborative spirit with a passion for leveling up the operational skills of those around you
- Familiarity with Jira, Figma, Notion, and Google.2F.1-IC4
What the job involves
- We’re hiring a Staff Design Program Manager to drive the operations that power Etsy’s UX Foundations team
- You’ll blend hands‑on program and project management with strategic operational impact to help the team plan, build, review, and drive adoption of our design system and content strategy across product teams
- The role primarily supports the Design Systems and Content Design teams, with flexibility to take on org-wide initiatives
- This is a full-time position reporting to the Director of Design Program Management
- What does the day-to-day look like?
- Operational Excellence & Stability
- Architect Team Stability: Design and maintain the operational infrastructure that allows the UX Foundations team to work with deep focus. You will "shield" the team by streamlining intake and ensuring the roadmap is realistic and well-protected
- Master the Backlog: Drive the end-to-end lifecycle of the Design System and Content Design backlogs. You’ll ensure work is granular, actionable, and aligned with quarterly goals
- Define Prioritization Logic: Establish and socialize clear, observable principles for how the team prioritizes work—balancing urgent "bug fixes" with long-term "foundational builds."
- Optimize Team Rhythms: Create high-signal, low-friction cadences (standups, retros, crits) that improve team flow, decision quality, and craft standards
- Org Wide Scope: Lead occasional org‑wide programs with the Director of Design Program Management to extend practices beyond the Design Systems team
- Governance & Organizational Relationships
- Orchestrate Design Org Integration: Facilitate the high-level framework for how product teams interact with UX Foundations. You will focus on the interplay between core standards and local team needs, ensuring product designers have the structure to stay consistent and move fast without creating bottlenecks
- Drive Organizational Alignment: Act as the primary link between UX Foundations and the broader Product Design organization. You’ll ensure that system updates are synchronized with product release cycles
- Strategic Visibility: Develop streamlined, audience-appropriate reporting (dashboards, newsletters, executive summaries) that makes the team’s impact and progress observable to collaborators and leadership
- Content Design & Cross-Functional Ops
- Content Design Scaffolding: Build the operational framework for Content Design. This includes running their backlog, developing capacity deployment strategies, and ensuring their work is integrated into broader design reviews
- Technical & Brand Liaison: Partner with Engineering Ops and Brand Design to ensure the design system remains technically viable and brand-aligned. You’ll participate in (but not necessarily lead) technical discussions regarding the design-to-code pipeline
- External Partner Management: Serve as the operational lead for design agencies or vendors as needed, ensuring external work meets Etsy’s standards and is integrated seamlessly into the team’s workflow
- Of course, this is just a sample of the kinds of work this role will require! You should assume that your role will encompass other tasks, too, and that your job duties and responsibilities may change from time to time at Etsy's discretion, or otherwise applicable with local law
Our take
Created as an alternative to more corporate eCommerce sites, Etsy is a peer-to-peer (P2P) website where users buy and sell handmade crafts, vintage items, art and photography. The online marketplace works similarly to Amazon and eBay, only with an emphasis on unique items rather than mass-produced merchandise.
Since its IPO in 2015, it has managed to hold its own in an increasingly competitive eCommerce industry, including from Amazon's handmade section that launched in 2015. Further, by providing sellers with ownership over pricing and branding, the site is attractive for those wanting to set up a business on an established platform.
However, the seller-side of Etsy is not without problems. A hike in transaction fees and the introduction of mandatory marketing fees for artists with high turnovers created significant discontent amongst sellers. Despite this, Etsy continues to connect artists and consumers, attracting shoppers with its message of extraordinary, handmade and affordable products.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
8% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
May 2012
$40m
LATE VC
Aug 2010
$20m
SERIES E
Total funding: $91.7m
Company benefits
- Equity (offers vary by country)
- Performance bonuses
- Paid gender neutral parental leave
- Adoption and family planning
- Back-up care
- Volunteer time off
- Donation matching
- Employee resource groups
- Global virtual events
- Employer paid health benefits
- Fitness benefits
- Wellness programming
- Mental health benefits
- 401K matching/Pension contributions
Company HQ
Downtown Brooklyn, NY
Leadership
Josh Silverman
(CEO)Previously senior executive at eBay, CEO of Shopping.com, CEO of Skype and President of Consumer Products & Services at American Express.
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