Yum! Brands
As the
Senior Manager of Design Operations
at Yum Digital & Technology, you’ll be a key operational leader ensuring the Design, Research, and Strategy teams are empowered to operate with clarity, consistency, and focus. You’ll oversee the tools, systems, and practices that support scaled, high-performing collaboration across the Byte ecosystem—while also cultivating the rhythms and structures that keep the team connected, informed, and aligned. This role is ideal for a systems thinker and strategic operator who can translate ambiguity into action, build trusted cross-functional relationships, and drive sustained operational maturity. You will manage complex tooling ecosystems, lead Figma consolidation across brands, standardize core processes, and bring cohesion to the day-to-day and strategic operating model of the design organization. Key Responsibilities: Team Enablement & Organizational Operations Establish and lead the
team operating cadence , including regular ceremonies such as design reviews, critiques, all-hands, milestone showcases, and retrospectives. Partner with design leadership to manage team-wide communications, meeting structures, planning cadences, and operational documentation. Drive visibility and accountability across strategic initiatives, design goals, and cross-functional engagements by managing progress tracking and alignment checkpoints. Help foster a cohesive and inclusive team culture through operational rituals, team engagement strategies, and internal storytelling. Tooling & Platform Governance Lead the
consolidation and governance of Figma
across the organization, including shared libraries, permission models, taxonomy, and maintenance practices. Own the strategy, configuration, and administration of
core design and research tools
(e.g., Figma, UserTesting, Miro, Dovetail, Jira, Confluence), ensuring reliability, scalability, and adoption. Define access protocols, system roles, and training resources for tool usage across multi-disciplinary teams. Vendor Management, Procurement & Licensing Manage vendor relationships for design and research platforms, including
contracting, license procurement, renewals, and cost forecasting . Partner with Legal, Finance, Procurement, and IT to ensure tool compliance, streamline onboarding/offboarding processes, and optimize spend. Audit existing tool usage to reduce redundancy, improve ROI, and guide long-term platform strategy. Process Optimization & Operational Design Build and scale
intake, prioritization, and workflow systems
to support how design work is requested, resourced, tracked, and delivered across product spaces. Standardize project management practices across design pods and functions, tailoring them to meet the needs of discovery, delivery, and strategy teams. Maintain clear and current process documentation, change logs, and learning resources that support team onboarding and evolution. Cross-Functional Alignment Serve as a
key operational partner
to leaders in Product, Engineering, Brand, Franchise Ops, and Research—connecting design workflows to broader planning cycles and delivery milestones. Anticipate and coordinate cross-functional dependencies and roadblocks to keep execution on track and aligned with business goals. Help shape how the design team interfaces with the broader organization through repeatable engagement models and shared accountability frameworks. Required Qualifications: 10+ years of relevant experience in
design operations, program management, product ops, or operational leadership
within creative or digital organizations. Experience driving
enterprise-wide tooling consolidation
(especially Figma) and managing the administration and governance of creative and research tools. Demonstrated success managing
vendor relationships, procurement workflows, contracts, and licensing budgets . Strong operational planning and facilitation skills—able to lead team cadences, coordinate across functions, and translate vision into action. Deep understanding of design methodologies, product development life cycles, and how to scale human-centered design practices. Known for creating clarity, instilling structure, and enabling others to execute with excellence and autonomy. Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred. Salary Range: $153,000 to $198,000 annually + bonus eligibility.
This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Senior Manager of Design Operations
at Yum Digital & Technology, you’ll be a key operational leader ensuring the Design, Research, and Strategy teams are empowered to operate with clarity, consistency, and focus. You’ll oversee the tools, systems, and practices that support scaled, high-performing collaboration across the Byte ecosystem—while also cultivating the rhythms and structures that keep the team connected, informed, and aligned. This role is ideal for a systems thinker and strategic operator who can translate ambiguity into action, build trusted cross-functional relationships, and drive sustained operational maturity. You will manage complex tooling ecosystems, lead Figma consolidation across brands, standardize core processes, and bring cohesion to the day-to-day and strategic operating model of the design organization. Key Responsibilities: Team Enablement & Organizational Operations Establish and lead the
team operating cadence , including regular ceremonies such as design reviews, critiques, all-hands, milestone showcases, and retrospectives. Partner with design leadership to manage team-wide communications, meeting structures, planning cadences, and operational documentation. Drive visibility and accountability across strategic initiatives, design goals, and cross-functional engagements by managing progress tracking and alignment checkpoints. Help foster a cohesive and inclusive team culture through operational rituals, team engagement strategies, and internal storytelling. Tooling & Platform Governance Lead the
consolidation and governance of Figma
across the organization, including shared libraries, permission models, taxonomy, and maintenance practices. Own the strategy, configuration, and administration of
core design and research tools
(e.g., Figma, UserTesting, Miro, Dovetail, Jira, Confluence), ensuring reliability, scalability, and adoption. Define access protocols, system roles, and training resources for tool usage across multi-disciplinary teams. Vendor Management, Procurement & Licensing Manage vendor relationships for design and research platforms, including
contracting, license procurement, renewals, and cost forecasting . Partner with Legal, Finance, Procurement, and IT to ensure tool compliance, streamline onboarding/offboarding processes, and optimize spend. Audit existing tool usage to reduce redundancy, improve ROI, and guide long-term platform strategy. Process Optimization & Operational Design Build and scale
intake, prioritization, and workflow systems
to support how design work is requested, resourced, tracked, and delivered across product spaces. Standardize project management practices across design pods and functions, tailoring them to meet the needs of discovery, delivery, and strategy teams. Maintain clear and current process documentation, change logs, and learning resources that support team onboarding and evolution. Cross-Functional Alignment Serve as a
key operational partner
to leaders in Product, Engineering, Brand, Franchise Ops, and Research—connecting design workflows to broader planning cycles and delivery milestones. Anticipate and coordinate cross-functional dependencies and roadblocks to keep execution on track and aligned with business goals. Help shape how the design team interfaces with the broader organization through repeatable engagement models and shared accountability frameworks. Required Qualifications: 10+ years of relevant experience in
design operations, program management, product ops, or operational leadership
within creative or digital organizations. Experience driving
enterprise-wide tooling consolidation
(especially Figma) and managing the administration and governance of creative and research tools. Demonstrated success managing
vendor relationships, procurement workflows, contracts, and licensing budgets . Strong operational planning and facilitation skills—able to lead team cadences, coordinate across functions, and translate vision into action. Deep understanding of design methodologies, product development life cycles, and how to scale human-centered design practices. Known for creating clarity, instilling structure, and enabling others to execute with excellence and autonomy. Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree or equivalent experience preferred. Salary Range: $153,000 to $198,000 annually + bonus eligibility.
This is the expected salary range for this position. Ultimately, in determining pay, we'll consider the successful candidate’s location, experience, and other job-related factors.
#J-18808-Ljbffr