Design Program Manager

Technicon Design Sweden is seeking a highly organized and strategic Design Program Manager to join their client's Technology & Innovation team. This role involves managing creative programs, optimizing operational processes, and ensuring smooth collaboration across cross-functional teams. The DPM will act as the operational backbone for the design team, overseeing the entire design lifecycle and ensuring projects are delivered on time and to a high standard, fostering an environment where designers can focus and excel.

Must Have

• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and milestones
• Coordinate dependencies between design and development teams
• Manage intake and prioritization of design requests
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks proactively
• Ensure teams have necessary resources and information
• Act as the main point of contact for project status, risks, and decisions
• Align stakeholders on goals, deliverables, and success metrics
• Document and share program updates, roadmaps, and retrospectives
• Track progress and ensure timely, high-quality delivery
• 5+ years in Program Management, Project Management, or Design Operations
• Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional projects
• Strong understanding of design and development processes
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects
• Proficiency with Jira, Figma, Excel
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills
• Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change

Good to Have

• Experience in automotive, software, consumer tech, or innovation environments
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and product development lifecycles
• Experience with headcount and capacity planning for design teams
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Business, Communications, or Computer Science

Overview

Technicon Design Sweden has an exciting opportunity for a highly organized and strategic Design Program Manager to join our clients Technology & Innovation team. The DPM will manage creative programs, optimize operational processes, and ensure smooth collaboration across cross-functional teams. This role acts as the operational backbone for the design team, overseeing the entire design lifecycle and ensuring projects are delivered on time and to a high standard.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain project plans, timelines, and milestones.
• Coordinate dependencies between design and development teams.
• Manage intake and prioritization of design requests.
• Identify and resolve bottlenecks proactively.
• Ensure teams have necessary resources and information.
• Act as the main point of contact for project status, risks, and decisions.
• Align stakeholders on goals, deliverables, and success metrics.
• Document and share program updates, roadmaps, and retrospectives.
• Track progress and ensure timely, high-quality delivery.
• Foster an environment where designers can focus and excel.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years in Program Management, Project Management, Design Operations, or similar roles within design/UX/digital product development.
• Proven experience managing complex, cross-functional projects from concept to launch.
• Strong understanding of design and development processes (research, ideation, prototyping, testing, engineering handoff).
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects.
• Proficiency with tools like Jira, Figma, Excel.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change.

Nice to Have

• Experience in automotive, software, consumer tech, or innovation environments.
• Familiarity with agile methodologies and product development lifecycles.
• Experience with headcount and capacity planning for design teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Business, Communications, or Computer Science.

Personal Attributes

• Strong drive, leadership, and communication skills.
• Independent yet collaborative team player.
• Methodical, analytical, and flexible under tight deadlines.