Senior Design Program Manager, Design Foundations & AI Transformation

Department: Central Design

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

Lyft is seeking a Staff Design Program Manager for the Design Foundations & AI Transformation organization. Design Foundations is the infrastructure layer of Lyft's design organization — the systems, standards, and processes that every product team depends on. This role sits at the center of that work, owning program management across Design Systems, Content Design, illustration, iconography, and AI tooling.

This role also leads program management for the AI Taskforce and AI Education workstreams — initiatives aimed at transforming how Design+ practitioners work at Lyft through AI tools and infrastructure.

Design Program Managers are strategic partners with design leads, leading and driving the design work forward everyday. You will work across teams to shepherd and manage the delivery of design and customer experiences to completion. You’re a strong strategic thinker, you can execute the small tasks well, and you take a creative approach to operational challenges. You’re savvy at connecting the dots, and being a trusted partner to cross functional peers at Lyft. You’ll be a leader within the design organization and an advocate for the Design+ team and the design process.

Responsibilities:

• Own roadmap and execution for Design Systems, illustration, iconography, and AI projects end-to-end
• Drive program management for the AI Taskforce — coordinating across Education, Content Design, and Infrastructure Partnership tracks
• Shape and document workflows and processes that make the team faster and more effective
• Partner with designers, engineers, illustrators, and PMs to scope work, set timelines, and manage delivery
• Build and maintain visibility into project health, team utilization, and priorities for design leadership
• Lead planning and prioritization across cross-functional teams — balancing competing inputs without losing sight of the goal
• Facilitate design reviews, retros, and planning sessions
• Bring AI fluency to program management work — use tools like Figma, Jira, and AI assistants to accelerate your own workflow, and help the team adopt new tools effectively

Experience:

• 5+ years in design program management, product design, or a relevant design industry role
• 1+ years working with Design Systems
• Demonstrated ability to drive complex, cross-functional programs with multiple stakeholders and workstreams
• Comfort with ambiguity — you can take a loosely defined problem, build a plan, and move without heavy oversight
• Strong written and verbal communication; you know how to give direction clearly and tailor it to the audience
• Hands-on familiarity with AI tools and a genuine interest in how they change the way design teams work
• Experience with Figma, Jira, and GitHub a plus
• Attention to detail and organizational rigor; you don't let things fall through the cracks
• Resilience — design orgs are dynamic, priorities shift, and this role requires someone who stays grounded

Benefits:

• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
• Mental health benefits
• Family building benefits
• Child care and pet benefits
• 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
• In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
• Subsidized commuter benefits
• Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Your recruiter can share more information about the various in-office perks Lyft offers. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year. #Hybrid

The expected base pay range for this position in the San Francisco area is $118000 - $147500, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location. Your recruiter can share more information about the salary range specific to your working location and other factors during the hiring process.