Senior PMO Manager, Industrial Design

About Us 

SharkNinja is a global product design and technology company, with a diversified portfolio of 5-star rated lifestyle solutions that positively impact people’s lives in homes around the world. Powered by two trusted, global brands, Shark and Ninja, the company has a proven track record of bringing disruptive innovation to market, and developing one consumer product after another has allowed SharkNinja to enter multiple product categories, driving significant growth and market share gains. Headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts with more than 3,600+ associates, the company’s products are sold at key retailers, online and offline, and through distributors around the world.  

 

OVERVIEW:

 

We are seeking a Director of Design Operations & Partnerships to architect the systems, culture, and external ecosystem that enable design excellence across our global organization. This role is not just about managing process - it’s about empowering creativity at scale, ensuring our Industrial Design and CMF leaders can focus on innovation while operations and partnerships are orchestrated with precision. You will partner closely with senior design leadership, PMO, TPM, NPI, and cross-functional leadership to align design delivery and resource planning with the broader product development schedule. At the same time, you will expand and manage a trusted external ecosystem of agencies, CMF labs, and research partners that extend our global design capabilities.

This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who thrives at the intersection of creativity, strategy, and operational excellence, and who wants to shape how design operates as a strategic driver of the business.

 

 

Here are some of the EXCITING things you’ll get to do:

Working Smart, Challenge and be challenge, Positive impact to the team, Clear and clean at operations and  proactive.

 

 

 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

Strategic Operational Leadership

• Define and lead the Design Operations function globally across Boston, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Vietnam.
• Build scalable operating systems, dashboards, and governance models that ensure design delivery is aligned, resourced, and accountable.
• Drive executive-level alignment by ensuring design priorities map directly to business and product development objectives.
• Anticipate risks, define escalation paths, and lead solutions that remove barriers for design teams.

 

Program & Resource Management

• Partner with PMO, TPM, and NPI to ensure design resources, schedules, and deliverables support the overall product development roadmap.
• Identify resourcing gaps and work with design leaders to prioritize initiatives, reallocate resources, and influence headcount planning.
• Own the design resourcing view across global hubs, integrating agency and external partner capacity into long-range planning.
• Oversee operational budgets and investments in tools, labs, and external vendors.

 

Partnerships & Ecosystem Development

• Build and lead a global network of agencies, CMF labs, and design research partners that enhance internal capabilities.
• Negotiate contracts, set performance standards, and ensure partners deliver high-quality results on time and on brand.
• Act as the executive owner of external design partnerships, ensuring alignment with business strategy and creative vision.
• Continuously expand the external ecosystem to stay ahead of industry capabilities and trends.

 

Leadership & Culture

• Build and lead a high-performing Design Ops team, including program managers and partnership managers.
• Mentor team members to develop influence, accountability, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Champion a culture of clarity, ownership, and operational excellence across the design organization.
• Act as a strategic advisor to design leadership, enabling them to focus on innovation and design direction.

 

ATTRIBUTES & SKILLS: .

• Bachelor’s degree in industrial design, Program/Project Management, Engineering, or related field; Master’s or MBA preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive leadership experience in the design industry, with a strong background in global design organizations or multinational product companies.
• Proven success in building and scaling design operations functions across multiple global hubs (U.S., China, APAC).
• Demonstrated ability to partner with senior design leadership and PMO, TPM, NPI, PD, Engineering, Supply Chain to align design delivery with strategic business and product development goals.
• Strong external network and extensive experience in partnership management - including design agencies, CMF labs, research partners, and suppliers.
• Expertise in resource planning, organizational design, and operational governance, with a track record of improving accountability and delivery at scale.
• Deep knowledge of product development lifecycles, ID/CMF/ENG integration, manufacturing process and design innovation processes.
• Exceptional communication, influence, and storytelling skills; able to operate confidently in executive forums and influence global decision-making.
• Bilingual fluency in English and Mandarin (required) to manage global teams, suppliers, and cross-regional stakeholders.
• Comfortable leading in fast-paced, multicultural environments with global visibility, operating across hubs in Boston, Shenzhen, Suzhou, and Vietnam while managing cross-time-zone alignment.