Senior UX Program Manager, Search Design System

At Google, we "Focus on the user and all else will follow." UX Programs & Operations drives projects by increasing communication, streamlining the UX design process, and fostering a culture of user-centered development. You will join our multi-disciplinary UX team, collaborating with Engineering and Product Management, to create industry-leading products based on user insights.

As a UX Program Manager, you will combine expert project management with a passion for user experience to improve the design of products used by billions. Your role is to plan projects, define milestones, assess risks, create actionable insights, and ensure deadlines are met. You will harmonize the work of various UX disciplines and cross-functional partners to drive team objectives and create innovative experiences.

With more than one billion people searching on Google everyday, Search has become an essential product in our daily lives. In Google Search, we are reimagining what it means to search for information any way and anywhere.

We are looking for a high-impact, Senior UX Program Manager to join the Search Design System (SDS) team. SDS develops the central components, tokens, and guidance that power modern, high-quality, coherent UI across Search web, native apps, and emerging AI experiences.

In this role, you will be a key driver of the core system, owning planning through completion across this complex portfolio. Specifically focused on our components, tokens, and documentation offerings, you will partner with teams across Search to identify design system priorities, unblock workflows, and take ownership of design system delivery at a massive scale.

In Google Search, we're reimagining what it means to search for information – any way and anywhere. To do that, we need to solve complex engineering challenges and expand our infrastructure, while maintaining a universally accessible and useful experience that people around the world rely on. In joining the Search team, you'll have an opportunity to make an impact on billions of people globally.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $159000 - $231000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Drive UX operational processes for core components and tokens across web and native apps, optimizing for quality, coherence, and accessibility.
  
• Partner with Engineering to co-own, evolve, and govern the component maturity model and token lifecycle.
  
• Lead cross-functional collaboration across the product lifecycle connecting UX, Engineering, and Program Manager to build strong relationships, develop work plans, and drive programs to completion.
  
• Own internal communications, including newsletters, releases, and organization-wide forums, to drive system adoption across Search.
• Identify and address blockers, whether they relate to design workflows or operational inefficiencies, to maintain momentum in an ambiguous environment.
  

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
  
• 6 years of experience in program management within design or UX organizations.
• Experience with UX related projects and UX design, user research, or user centered development tools and methodologies.
• Experience implementing visual design systems across a range of platforms in an iterative software development environment.
• Experience in accessibility.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with the product development lifecycle.
• Experience analyzing data and leveraging insights to drive strategy.
• Experience managing risks (e.g., operational, product, team health).
• Experience managing UX infrastructure programs, such as design systems, platform components, design tokens, or developer/designer tooling.
• Experience integrating digital accessibility practices and standards (e.g., Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)) into UX infrastructure, component lifecycles, or design workflows.
• Experience driving cross-functional alignment and managing complex, multi-platform project lifecycles (e.g., Web, iOS, Android) with engineering and product management stakeholders.

Note: By applying to this position you will have an opportunity to share your preferred working location from the following: Mountain View, CA, USA; New York, NY, USA; San Francisco, CA, USA.

Applicants in San Francisco: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.