Staff Design Program Manager (Core AI)

Grammarly offers a dynamic hybrid working model for this role. This flexible approach gives team members the best of both worlds: plenty of focus time along with in-person collaboration that helps foster trust, innovation, and a strong team culture.

About Grammarly

Grammarly is the trusted AI assistant for communication and productivity, helping over 40 million people and 50,000 organizations do their best work. Companies like Atlassian, Databricks, and Zoom rely on Grammarly to brainstorm, compose, and enhance communication that moves work forward. Grammarly works where you work, integrating seamlessly with over 500,000 applications and websites. Founded in 2009, Grammarly is No. 7 on the Forbes Cloud 100, one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Companies, one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies in AI, and one of Inc.’s Best Workplaces.

The Opportunity

To achieve our ambitious goals, we’re seeking a Staff Design Program Manager. This role will manage operations and inspire multiple teams of product designers based in our San Francisco and Berlin hubs. This role will partner closely with cross-functional teams in Product, UX Research, Data Science, and Engineering to shape the future of AI-powered communication tools. In the Product organization, the Design organization has the unique opportunity to define how people interact with our product and how our brand comes to life in every interaction and iteration. This opportunity is for a design operations leader who can adapt to our current processes and creatively develop, recommend, and experiment with new ones. 

Our core product experience design teams comprise Product Designers, Content Designers, User Experience Researchers, and Design Operations. Whether it's a student writing their first essay in English, someone navigating a new country, or professionals trying to convey their ideas clearly, our work genuinely enhances how people connect and express themselves. You will join our growing AI-native, core product function, crafting experiences that leverage the next generation of AI-powered Agents and the platforms they work on. Your work will impact millions each day and redefine how people write, learn, and communicate.

As a Staff Design Program Manager, you will anticipate challenges and opportunities to mitigate risks—risks related to project or initiative delivery, quality, and design burnout. You will apply your breadth of experience to systems, models, processes, and prototypes, as well as iterate on the ways our team works, extending from design sprints to comprehensive updates to our Product Development Lifecycle. You will also align cross-functional partners and build trust across teams. You will primarily work with Directors of Product Design and collaborate with partner Engineering and Product teams within our core product teams. This role reports to the Head of Design Operations. 

In this high-impact role, you will:

• Collaborate closely with senior product and design leaders to continuously evolve operations and materialize the long-term design direction for Grammarly.
• Own and provide design operations for key product surfaces and act as the lead program manager on high-impact projects.
• Mentor and help elevate the craft of designers across the design team.
• Build close partnerships and drive alignment with key stakeholders across engineering, product, and design.
• Partner with Product Design Leadership on the strategy, scoping, and execution of foundational design processes, including roadmapping, end-to-end development process, and implementation across multiple product pillars of designers, engineers, product managers, and marketers. 
• Be responsible for developing and implementing foundational documentation and processes for core design teams by assessing current tools and gaps, and quickly iterating on improvements to achieve a longer-term vision for more seamless workstreams. 
• Support Design Operations on initiatives that affect all of Grammarly Design—including learning and development, resourcing strategies, tool education, brand and asset management, and process improvement that will help us scale and operate effectively.
• Develop and manage a portfolio of programs as the individual directly responsible for ensuring that everyone fully understands their responsibilities to accomplish shared goals. This includes tracking progress and pulling in leadership when needed to guarantee efficiency and driving the delivery of initiatives across multiple teams and product contexts.

Qualifications

• Has 7+ years of experience managing design operations at scale and—as a plus—experience working at a product company or design agency.
• Is exceptionally organized, cares about the details, and navigates ambiguity to bring clarity to multiple initiatives. 
• Has contributed to or led design operations to scale in-house design teams across multiple product areas. 
• Has strong system thinking and analytical skills to establish and configure growth design programs, tools, and processes.
• Leads as an action-oriented problem solver who can multitask to support the team but knows when to step back.
• Harnesses excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Can present complex processes to stakeholders, roll them out to all of our cross-functional partners, and encourage alignment across functions and departments.
• Consistently focuses themselves and the team on the highest-impact activities to foster growth, collaboration, culture, and positive business outcomes.
• Can build an inclusive and diverse operations model for our core design teams.
• Has a demonstrated ability to work independently with minimal guidance, proactively manages tasks and priorities across multiple projects, analyzes and executes work efficiently, collaborates effectively with cross-functional teams, and thrives in fast-paced, results-driven environments.
• Embodies our EAGER values—is ethical, adaptable, gritty, empathetic, and remarkable.
• Is inspired by our MOVE principles: move fast and learn faster; obsess about creating customer value; value impact over activity; and embrace healthy disagreement rooted in trust.

Compensation and Benefits

Grammarly offers all team members competitive pay along with a benefits package encompassing the following and more: 

• Excellent health care (including a wide range of medical, dental, vision, mental health, and fertility benefits)
• Disability and life insurance options
• 401(k) and RRSP matching 
• Paid parental leave
• 20 days of paid time off per year, 12 days of paid holidays per year, two floating holidays per year, and flexible sick time
• Generous stipends (including those for caregiving, pet care, wellness, your home office, and more)
• Annual professional development budget and opportunities

Grammarly takes a market-based approach to compensation, which means base pay may vary depending on your location. Our US locations are categorized into two compensation zones based on proximity to our hub locations.

Base pay may vary considerably depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. The expected salary ranges for this position are outlined below by compensation zone and may be modified in the future. 

We encourage you to apply

At Grammarly, we value our differences, and we encourage all to apply—especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech organizations. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, political belief, or any other characteristic protected by law. Grammarly is an equal opportunity employer and a participant in the US federal E-Verify program (US). We also abide by the Employment Equity Act (Canada).

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