Senior Program Manager, Design

Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.

01The Community you will join

Airbnb’s Design Operations team ensures the Design organization runs effectively and at scale, enabling teams to deliver products that are usable, lovable, and globally impactful. This team partners closely with Design, Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Creative and business leaders, fostering strong alignment and seamless day-to-day operations. The environment is highly collaborative, fast-moving, and focused on scaling design impact through operational excellence.

The Difference You Will Make As a Senior Design Program Manager, you will drive the end-to-end program management of a design team focused on delivering critical product initiatives. You will scope, plan, execute, and launch programs that directly impact Airbnb’s hosts and guests while aligning closely with roadmap commitments. Success in this role means ensuring cross-functional alignment, proactively managing risks, and driving operational consistency that enables Design to deliver measurable outcomes at scale.

02A Typical Day

• Partner with Design Managers, Directors, and cross-functional leaders to align on program scope, timelines, goals and deliverables.
• Establish operating rhythms across design teams, including communication cadences, resource planning, and leadership check-ins.
• Support the planning and execution of quarterly and annual product launches, ensuring design workstreams are delivered with quality and on time.
• Serve as the bridge across Design, Engineering, Product Marketing, Business teams and other key cross-functional partners, ensuring visibility, communication, and risk management.
• Anticipate and resolve obstacles across teams, proactively elevating risks and implementing solutions.
• Uphold design standards and best practices by driving consistent adoption of the design process & tools and continuously refining workflows to improve quality and efficiency

03Your Expertise

• 7+ years of experience in Consulting, Program Management, Product/Project Management, or related fields.
• Proven ability to manage and deliver impactful design initiatives in large digital product organizations.
• Strong track record in navigating ambiguity, structuring solutions, and driving initiatives from conception through launch.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to balance long-term thinking with near-term execution.
• Demonstrated leadership in mediation, negotiation, and conflict resolution, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience establishing systems and scalable processes where little exists, with a flexible, solutions-oriented mindset.
• Passion for organizational excellence, detail orientation, and thriving in a fast-paced, hyper-growth environment.
• Deep appreciation for the Product Design process and experience working within cross-functional, product-driven organizations.

Reasonable Accommodations: We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process for applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or an accommodation, please let your recruiter know once you are contacted about a role.

A Note on Recruiting Scams: Scammers sometimes pose as Airbnb recruiters to get money or personal information from candidates. A few things that will always be true for Airbnb’s hiring process: our open roles are posted on Airbnb’s Career’s Page at careers.airbnb.com, and our recruiters correspond only from @airbnb.com or @ext.airbnb.com email addresses. Our recruiters will never ask for your Social Security number, bank account details, passport, or payment app information while you are interviewing. We’ll also never ask you to pay a fee, send money, deposit or cash a check, or purchase work-related equipment (such as a company laptop) during the interview process. We encourage candidates to remain vigilant of these recruiting scams and not share sensitive information if you do not believe an individual is actually affiliated with Airbnb.