Instacart

Staff Design Program Manager

Instacart

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: Canada

Visit company website

Explore more

✨ AI Apply
Apply

Salary

💰 CA$168,000 - CA$177,500 per year

Job Level

Lead

About the role

  • Drive end-to-end program delivery for complex, multi-quarter design initiatives spanning Design, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Business Development—ensuring clear goals, crisp execution, and predictable outcomes.
  • Build and deploy AI-enabled workflows to automate status reporting, resource tracking, documentation synthesis, and stakeholder communications; champion AI fluency across the Design org to improve speed and quality.
  • Own operations and vendor management for design tooling (e.g., Figma, prototyping, asset management, collaboration platforms): negotiate contracts, optimize licensing, ensure compliance, and manage contractor/agency engagements.
  • Establish scalable systems for capacity planning, resource allocation, and roadmapping; implement metrics and integrations that create seamless workflows across tools and teams.
  • Partner with the Instacart Design System (IDS) team to align programs with system evolution and component adoption; lead governance programs that scale IDS usage across product teams.
  • Translate leadership vision into actionable operating models, run planning cycles and milestone reviews, and bring clarity to complexity in a high-change environment.

Requirements

  • 12+ years of experience in program management or design operations within design and/or product organizations
  • Hands-on experience with design systems concepts (component libraries, tokens, documentation, cross-platform patterns)
  • Technical fluency collaborating with design systems and engineering teams, including familiarity with system architecture, component APIs, design-to-code workflows, and technical constraints
  • Proven track record building and scaling operational systems in fast-paced environments, including taking programs from 0→1 and maturing them for scale
  • Demonstrated AI fluency using LLMs and/or automation platforms to streamline workflows and improve program efficiency
  • Vendor and contract management experience: negotiating software contracts, optimizing licensing/spend, and ensuring compliance in partnership with Finance, Legal, and IT
  • Proficiency with design and program management tooling (e.g., Figma, Linear or Jira, asset management tools, research repositories, prototyping tools)
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience presenting to and influencing executive leadership and cross-functional stakeholders
  • Bachelor’s degree in a related field (e.g., Design, HCI, Engineering, Business) or equivalent practical experience.
Benefits
  • Health insurance
  • Equity grants
  • Annual refresh grants
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
program managementdesign operationsdesign systemscomponent librariesdocumentationcross-platform patternsAI fluencyautomation platformsoperational systemscapacity planning
Soft Skills
communication skillsinfluencingnegotiationclarity in complexitycollaborationleadershipstakeholder managementproblem-solvingadaptabilitystrategic thinking
Certifications
Bachelor’s degree in DesignBachelor’s degree in HCIBachelor’s degree in EngineeringBachelor’s degree in Business