Design Manager Jobs in California

INTRODUCTION

We're looking for a Group Product Design Manager to lead a talented team of designers as we expand Adobe's analytics capabilities—to answer new questions, reach new audiences, and power entirely new user experiences. Analytics tools, data infrastructure, and insights workflows are all undergoing a transformational leap, with AI enabling new ways of working across large organizations. The roles of data experts are evolving, new users’ expectations are climbing, and teams are re-thinking how they want to collaborate. This design leadership role is pivotal in making sure that the values of human judgment, teamwork, and access stay central to this transformation and new product experiences.

ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In this role, you will:

• Lead a design squad focused on innovation & rapid delivery of customer value
• Be a player/coach who inspires by showing, not just telling, and stays connected to the work
• Oversee day-to-day team operations (lead standups, design crits, experience reviews)
• Develop & run collaborative design activities (workshops, spikes) for your squad & partners
• Structure teams for impact and influence cross-functional working models
• Explore emerging product spaces (AI agents, LLMs, generative UIs) and new team tooling

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

What you need to succeed:

• You've led teams that thrive. You have a track record of building high-performing, inclusive teams where people feel they belong and can do their best work. Your leadership style balances giving designers agency with creating tight collaboration. You’ve hired strong talent, developed seniors, and mentored juniors. Your 10+ years of product design experience and 5+ years of design leadership tell this story.

• You've executed transformational work. You've shipped products or UX strategies that genuinely changed the game. You know what it takes to get there, and you’re ready to lead that kind of change again. You've navigated organizational complexity, advocated through resistance, and maintained quality under pressure. You know how to keep a team energized & focused through ambiguity and rapid change.

• You communicate and influence exceptionally well. You can take something complex and make it clear. You tell stories that align cross-functional partners and inspire teams. You've influenced outcomes in environments where you didn't have direct authority to lean on.

• You're fluent in modern tools and you set high standards for craft and delivery. You're proficient with AI-native design tools and understand how they're changing cross-functional workflows. You have strong opinions about craft and product quality, and you know how to lift a team's output, across both user value and usability.

• You bring a growth mindset to everything. You're genuinely energized by how product design is evolving. You bring curiosity, continuous learning, and a maker’s mindset to your work. You’re comfortable exploring, experimenting, and prototyping. You have a bias to action.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

What may help you thrive:

• A background in product management or strategic roadmap development
• Technical experience or strong familiarity with engineering fundamentals
• Data-informed decision-making practices, or a background in user research
• Experience designing for data & analytics tools, visualizations, AI experiences
• Experience designing systems for communication & collaboration
• Multi-surface/platform thinking, particularly at enterprise scale

WHY THIS ROLE

This isn't a maintenance role. You'll be building something genuinely new at a company with extraordinary reach and impact. You’ll be part of a strong, diverse team that truly values joy, candor, and innovation. You'll work with a design leadership team that believes design should be a strategic force multiplier, not just a supporting function. And you'll do it at a moment when the industry is being reshaped, which means you get to help define what great looks like.

ABOUT ADOBE DESIGN

Adobe Design creates tools that amplify the world’s ability to create and communicate. We’re a global team of designers, researchers, prototypers, content strategists, program managers, and more who work across Adobe’s three product lines: Creative Cloud, Document Cloud, and Experience Cloud.

ABOUT ADOBE

Adobe empowers everyone to create through innovative platforms and tools that unleash creativity, productivity and personalized customer experiences. Adobe’s industry-leading offerings including Adobe Acrobat Studio, Adobe Express, Adobe Firefly, Creative Cloud, Adobe Experience Platform, Adobe Experience Manager, and GenStudio enable people and businesses to turn ideas into impact, powered by AI and driven by human ingenuity. Our 30,000+ employees worldwide are creating the future and raising the bar as we drive the next decade of growth. We’re on a mission to hire the very best and believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. At Adobe, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere in the organization. The next big idea could be yours.

LET’S ADOBE TOGETHER

At Adobe, we believe in creating a company culture where all employees are empowered to make an impact. Learn more about Adobe life, including our values and culture, focus on people, purpose and community, Adobe for All, comprehensive benefits programs, the stories we tell, the customers we serve, and how you can help us advance our mission of empowering everyone to create.

Adobe is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based on gender, race or color, ethnicity or national origin, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Learn more. Adobe aims to make our Careers website and recruiting process accessible to any and all users. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation to navigate our website or complete the application process, email accommodations@adobe.com or call +1 408-536-3015.

AI USE GUIDELINES FOR INTERVIEWS

Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process. At Adobe, we empower employees to innovate with AI — and we look for candidates eager to do the same. As part of the hiring experience, we provide clear guidance on where AI is encouraged during the process and where it’s restricted during live interviews. See how we think about AI in the hiring experience.

EXPECTED PAY RANGE

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several U.S. geographic markets, and we pay differently based on those defined markets. The U.S. pay range for this position is $155,100 - $293,800 annually. Pay within this range varies by work location and may also depend on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for the job location during the hiring process. In California, the pay range for this position is $202,900 - $293,800. At Adobe, for sales roles starting salaries are expressed as total target compensation (TTC = base + commission), and short-term incentives are in the form of sales commission plans. Non-sales roles starting salaries are expressed as base salary and short-term incentives are in the form of the Annual Incentive Plan (AIP). In addition, certain roles may be eligible for long-term incentives in the form of a new hire equity award.

STATE-SPECIFIC NOTICES

California: Fair Chance Ordinances Adobe will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and “fair chance” ordinances.

Colorado: Application Window Notice If this role is open to hiring in Colorado (as listed on the job posting), the application window will remain open until at least the date and time stated above in Pacific Time, in compliance with Colorado pay transparency regulations. If this role does not have Colorado listed as a hiring location, no specific application window applies, and the posting may close at any time based on hiring needs.

Massachusetts: Massachusetts Legal Notice It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.