The Design Studio Leader plays a pivotal role in guiding the strategic direction, operational efficiency, and cultural development of our design center of excellence - The Design Studio. You will champion the growth and success of our design talent—ensuring team members have the support, mentorship, and learning opportunities they need to thrive—while driving increased productivity, leveraging AI-driven tools, and maintaining a high-density talent environment. Reporting to senior leadership, you will ensure the studio’s work aligns with business priorities and that our customers receive the highest quality experiences.

What You’ll Do:

• Talent Growth & Development:
• Cultivate a growth-oriented environment by mentoring designers, enabling professional development pathways, and nurturing a culture of continuous learning.
• Implement regular skill assessments and learning sessions to raise the level of craftsmanship and increase overall talent density within the team.
• Encourage knowledge-sharing and peer coaching to build a cohesive, high-performing design community.
• Resource Management & Allocation:
• Strategically allocate resources to ensure the right mix of expertise for each project, optimizing both efficiency and overall team impact.
• Forecast staffing needs, proactively address capacity constraints, and maintain a flexible pool of internal and external talent.
• Empower design leads with self-service tools to independently plan and adjust resource allocations, promoting autonomy and reducing bottlenecks.
• Productivity & Operational Excellence:
• Continuously refine workflows, eliminate administrative overhead, and streamline processes to enhance productivity and shorten delivery cycles.
• Drive adoption of best practices in time management and project execution, ensuring teams focus on high-value work that aligns with strategic priorities.
• Maintain visibility into project statuses and resource utilization through intuitive dashboards and project management tools.
• Creating end-to-end cohesion, visibility, and transparency for the customer experience
• Consistently drive cohesion for our E2E customer journeys with our key personas
• Partner with Design Systems and Research to ensure that we have identified gaps end-to-end and that we empower designers to work with engineering to improve gaps that have business impact.
• Leveraging AI & Technological Innovation:
• Identify and implement AI-driven design tools and platforms that amplify team capabilities, speed up production, and improve design quality.
• Foster a culture of experimentation and innovation, encouraging team members to explore new technologies and methods that elevate design outcomes.
• Integrate AI into daily workflows to automate repetitive tasks, optimize resource allocation, and provide data-driven insights for better decision-making.
• Transparency & Communication:
• Establish clear, open lines of communication with design leads, team members, and cross-functional stakeholders to ensure visibility into upcoming initiatives, project timelines, and resource availability.
• Host regular stand-ups, weekly syncs, and monthly all-hands meetings to share updates, discuss challenges, and celebrate successes.
• Provide regular status reports and maintain transparent documentation of decisions, progress, and areas for improvement.
• Strategic Alignment & Flexible Support:
• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, marketing, and other departments to ensure design efforts are aligned with overarching business goals.
• Respond swiftly to changing project requirements, including ad hoc requests, by reallocating resources and leveraging surge support.
• Continuously assess and refine the design team’s strategic direction, ensuring that decisions around people, tools, and processes drive meaningful business impact.

What You’ll Bring:

• Previous experience leading creative teams and managing resource allocation in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven track record of mentoring and developing talent, as well as fostering an environment where high-caliber designers want to join and stay.
• Comfort with emerging technologies, including AI-driven design tools, and a desire to champion their integration into the studio’s workflow.
• Strong communication skills, organizational acumen, and the ability to balance multiple priorities effectively.

Key Attributes:

• People-Centric: Passionate about supporting team member growth, recognizing achievements, and fostering an environment where talent flourishes.
• Forward-Thinking: Embraces technology and innovation, using AI-driven insights to make data-informed decisions and boost productivity.
• Strategic & Agile: Skilled at anticipating change, prioritizing resources, and adapting quickly to new challenges.
• Collaborative Leader: Encourages inclusive dialogue, open feedback, and cross-functional teamwork to produce exceptional design outcomes.

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