Design Ops Competencies
These competencies outline the expectations and growth path for Design Operations managers at each level. Use this framework to understand your current level and what’s needed to advance to the next level.
Design Ops Manager I (L1)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Developing an understanding of business needs and priorities, and are beginning to apply this understanding to solve design team needs • Able to identify team needs and work with your manager to identify solutions • You’re able to translate operational decisions into execution tasks |
| Influence (Team) | • Have a developing understanding of how your operational work impacts the design organization and empowers team members to do their work • Beginning to use your understanding of processes to coordinate systems that make design more efficient • You are supportive and engaged with the design organization and culture |
| Thinking (Team) | • Spend time fully understanding project needs, and partner with your manager to contribute to the coordination and organization of assigned projects • Starting to propose improvements to existing processes • Contribute to project planning and coordination • You are learning to create clear timelines and ownership responsibilities, and you communicate clearly with project partners |
Design Ops Manager II (L2)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Have a developing understanding of business priorities, and can confidently apply your understanding to solve design team needs • Are beginning to develop cross-functional and external business partnerships that support your projects and focus areas |
| Influence (Team) | • Have a clear understanding of the why behind your project work and are able to articulate how it will affect individuals, the org, and our larger goals • Beginning to proactively own team communications related to your systems and projects, and can identify ways that ops can affect broader design org goals |
| Thinking (Team) | • Spend time fully understanding project needs, and are beginning to contribute to the project planning process • Propose improvements to existing processes, prioritize your own work, and track project goals and progress • Beginning to lead steps in the project planning process (i.e. ownership assignments, crafting budgets, tracking deliverables) |
Senior Design Ops Manager (L3)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Have a strong understanding of business operations, are able to drive cross-functional alignment, and confidently apply your understanding to solve org needs across several areas and priorities • Beginning to contribute to scaling operations, and advocate for the resources needed to drive operations at scale |
| Influence (Team) | • Have a clear understanding of the why behind your project work and are able to articulate how it will affect individuals, the org, and our larger goals • You use this understanding to influence broader org planning • Proactively identify team needs across multiple functions, and use research or evidence to influence stakeholder or leadership decisions |
| Thinking (Team) | • Spend time fully understanding org needs, and establish clear processes with multiple stakeholders or teams • Can prioritize your work effectively based on business and customer needs, and document your thinking with minimal guidance • You’re comfortable working with project tools to document your work and are defining new tools, templates, or systems to recommend better ways of working |
Lead Design Ops Manager (L4)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Have an expert-level understanding of design and business operations, and confidently apply your understanding to solve org needs across multiple disciplines • Proactively influence cross-functional decisions that impact design, as well as design org decisions that impact cross-functional teams • You are able to articulate and measure the success of your operational impact |
| Influence (Team) | • Play a key role in setting the direction for the org by defining the business value of our operational processes • Have a deep understanding of the why behind our systems and how they affect the broader design org and our business goals • You use this understanding to influence annual planning and key objectives • Leading strategic planning conversations within your program and the broader design org |
| Thinking (Team) | • Have a deep understanding of your problem space, and establish clear working process with your teams and stakeholders • Prioritize and document design work effectively based on business and team needs, with minimal to no guidance • Proactively influence the overall design process or project strategy, and drive and facilitate process changes with product teams and stakeholders |
Staff Design Ops Manager (L5)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Have an expert-level understanding of design fundamentals and business strategy, and confidently apply your understanding to solve needs across the design org • You’re coaching others who are developing their operational skillset • Proactively provide clear feedback cross-functionally that impacts design processes and org programs |
| Influence (Team) | • Play a key role in setting processes across the team, and define the business value of DesignOps across executive leadership • You have a deep understanding of the why behind your work and how it will affect our customers, our business, and company-wide goals • Leading strategic planning conversations across the cross-functional organization |
| Thinking (Team) | • Have a deep understanding of your problem space, and establish a clear working process across teams and stakeholders • Autonomously delivering on org design projects that are L-XL in size (quarter-long, and beyond) • Proactively shaping how new processes influence the overall product development process, and defining the scope and prioritization for operational projects across the company |
Principal Design Ops Manager (L6)
| Area | Competencies |
|---|---|
| Skill (Individual) | • Apply an expert-level understanding of design principles to high-priority projects, and coaching and developing an understanding of operational and strategic excellence across the company • Driving large, long-term organizational development projects, and advocating for process and quality at the company level |
| Influence (Team) | • Have a deep understanding of company-wide goals, and you influence C-Suite decision-making and strategy • Proactively driving strategic conversations at the executive and company level |
| Thinking (Team) | • Have a deep understanding of the company’s organization and processes, and establish new ways of working for design at large • Proactively scoping and autonomously delivering on company-level projects that are L-XL in size (quarter-long, and beyond) • Actively defining the scope and prioritization for operational and foundational work |