Design Program Manager, AI Evals (London, United Kingdom)
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Key details
What makes this role novel
This role manages the operational infrastructure for evaluating AI-generated design output at scale—a function that requires coordinating contractor networks, setting quality standards for AI evals, and optimizing evaluation pipelines. This specific work (design eval program operations) did not exist as a distinct job category before the emergence of large generative AI systems in 2022–2023.
Job Description
Figma is growing our team of passionate creatives and builders on a mission to make design accessible to all. Figma’s platform helps teams bring ideas to life—whether you're brainstorming, creating a prototype, translating designs into code, or iterating with AI. From idea to product, Figma empowers teams to streamline workflows, move faster, and work together in real time from anywhere in the world. If you're excited to shape the future of design and collaboration, join us!
As Figma's AI capabilities expand, so does the work required to evaluate them. We're looking for a Design Program Manager, Evals to own the operating engine behind our design eval programs - the contractor and vendor operations, program rhythms, and quality standards that determine how fast and how well we can assess AI-generated design output. You'll help set the quality and velocity bar across the entire eval pipeline, and shape where our contractor and vendor investment goes.
You'll be a close operating partner to our Design Director for AI Research, working alongside design program management and technical program management counterparts across the organization. You'll own the day-to-day - hiring and enabling contractors, managing vendor logistics and budgets, keeping eval workstreams moving - while building a point of view on how the program should evolve. You should be able to look at design output, speak credibly to craft, and translate that judgment into standards others can apply consistently.
What you'll do at Figma:
- Drive quality and velocity across the design eval pipeline - running annotation rhythms, raising calibration and judgment standards, and closing the loop between eval output and product decisions
- Set the standard for high-quality reference designs so the eval pipeline has a reliable benchmark for what good looks like
- Own contractor hiring end to end: sourcing, screening, and closing - including the judgment call on when to scale headcount up or pull back based on eval demand
- Manage vendor logistics - budgets, SOWs, contracts, and purchasing - partnering with Legal, Security, and Procurement
- Run day-to-day program management for contractors and eval workstreams: status, blockers, timelines, and dependencies
- Partner with model designers to review contractor eval output and hold the quality bar
- Identify opportunities to automate or remove operational overhead across eval workstreams, including through internal tooling
We’d love to hear from you if you have:
- 3+ years of experience in design program management, DesignOps, or an adjacent design role
- Deep craft expertise - you can speak to UI judgment and coach others on what good design looks like
- Experience procuring, onboarding, and managing design contractors or third-party vendors
- Experience driving operational programs that improve how teams work: rituals, processes, and documentation
- Strong project management and written communication skills, including coordinating contractors and vendors across multiple time zones
While it’s not required, it’s an added plus if you also have:
- Hands-on depth with Figma's product offering — auto layout, variables, components, Slides
- Experience orchestrating AI tools, APIs, or workflow automations to simplify program management work
- Hands-on experience running or participating in design eval or quality review programs
At Figma, one of our values is Grow as you go. We believe in hiring smart, curious people who are excited to learn and develop their skills. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the points outlined in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
At Figma we celebrate and support our differences. We know employing a team rich in diverse thoughts, experiences, and opinions allows our employees, our product and our community to flourish. Figma is an equal opportunity workplace - we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity/expression, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to accommodations-ext@figma.com. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get a job, but successfully perform their job tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.
Examples of accommodations include but are not limited to:
- Holding interviews in an accessible location
- Enabling closed captioning on video conferencing
- Ensuring all written communication be compatible with screen readers
- Changing the mode or format of interviews
To ensure the integrity of our hiring process and facilitate a more personal connection, we require all candidates keep their cameras on during video interviews. Additionally, if hired you will be required to attend in person onboarding.
By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with Figma's Candidate Privacy Notice.
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