Job Description Summary:Amplify's creative team is a group of designers, artists, and storytellers. We sketch, we write, we push pixels, we also love paper. We live for the big ideas, and we sweat the details. We work on digital, print, environmental, interactive, and animation projects. We have a strong hands-on and highly collaborative approach to both product development and graphic design systems and ensure ideas are realized to the highest standards of execution.
We are seeking a Design Manager focused primarily on talent development, organizational health, and long-term capability building within our design organization. This role is centered on helping designers grow: strengthening craft, supporting career progression, cultivating team effectiveness, and building an environment where people can do the best work of their careers.
Approximately 80% of this role is dedicated to people leadership and organizational development. The remaining 20% focuses on strategic investigation into emerging design practices, technologies, workflows, and industry trends to help shape active work and the future evolution of our team's capabilities and operating models.
This is an ideal role for a leader who is energized by coaching, mentorship, systems thinking, and the development of healthy, high-performing creative organizations.
Essential Responsibilities:Talent Management & Team Development- Manage and support a team of designers through coaching, mentorship, performance management, and career development, ensuring designs are intuitive, effective, and deeply aligned with real classroom needs.
- Conduct regular growth conversations, development planning, and performance reviews.
- Help individuals identify strengths, growth opportunities, and meaningful career trajectories.
- Foster an inclusive, psychologically safe, and collaborative team culture.
- Support onboarding, retention, succession planning, and internal mobility efforts.
- Partner with recruiting teams on hiring strategy, interviewing, and talent evaluation.
Organizational Health & Effectiveness- Improve team operations, communication practices, and collaboration models.
- Identify organizational friction points and implement workflow improvements that enhance team effectiveness and sustainability.
- Help establish healthy management practices, feedback systems, and growth frameworks.
- Partner cross-functionally with Design Directors and project leads to support team alignment and organizational clarity.
- Contribute to the development of scalable management practices and design organization standards.
Craft Growth & Capability Building- Support the continued growth of design craft across the organization through coaching, critique culture, mentorship programs, and learning initiatives.
- Identify skill gaps and create development opportunities aligned to organizational priorities.
- Help shape internal learning pathways, design competencies, and capability frameworks.
Future Trends & Innovation- Investigate emerging trends in design practice, collaboration tooling, and organizational design.
- Assess evolving industry directions and their implications for team skills, operating models, and creative processes.
- Recommend thoughtful experiments with AI workflow enhancements that improve quality, sustainability, or effectiveness.
- Share insights and strategic recommendations with design leadership.
Required Qualifications:- 7+ years of experience in product design, with at least 2 years of experience managing designers.
- Experience building great products and ability to impart that experience through leading and developing designers within complex product or organizational environments.
- Demonstrated strength in coaching, mentorship, feedback, and performance management.
- Strong emotional intelligence, communication skills, and organizational awareness.
- Experience building healthy team cultures and scalable management practices.
- Deep understanding of modern product design workflows and creative collaboration.
- Curiosity about emerging technologies, AI-assisted design workflows, and evolving design practices.
- Ability to balance strategic thinking with practical people leadership.
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience designing for K-12 educators and/or students
- Familiarity with classroom workflows, curriculum products, or assessment systems
- Background in learning science, accessibility, or inclusive design
- Experience working across both digital and print-connected ecosystems
- Any lived experience with teaching, tutoring, or supporting K-12 students, especially in digital learning contexts
- Familiarity with AI-assisted design tools
