SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Ontic is an AI-powered Connected Intelligence Platform that helps corporate and government security teams identify threats, assess risk, and respond faster. Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies use Ontic for executive protection, threat intelligence, and corporate investigations.
As Design Manager, you will lead a team of 5–6 product designers, serving as both operational leader and people manager. You'll own work allocation, day-to-day project coordination, and career development for your team. Key responsibilities include:
**Operational Leadership:**
- Assign design work based on priorities, skills, and availability
- Keep projects moving and unblock designers when they encounter obstacles
- Serve as the primary design counterpart for Engineering and Product leads on planning and delivery
- Track team health and identify who is thriving versus who needs support
- Resolve blockers and cross-team friction
- Maintain shared design tools, processes, and working agreements between Design, Engineering, and Product
- Identify and implement process improvements that reduce friction and accelerate progress
- Set high standards for the team's use of AI in design work and evolve those standards as tools improve
- Occasionally pick up hands-on design work as team capacity requires
**People Management:**
- Build and maintain individual growth plans for each designer aligned to their level
- Own the performance review cycle, including calibration, ratings, and written feedback
- Provide regular coaching and feedback through 1:1s
- Lead sourcing, interviewing, and hiring for open roles
- Plan team capacity against roadmap needs and escalate gaps to leadership
**Requirements:**
- 5+ years of product design experience, including 2+ years leading design teams
- Design experience in enterprise SaaS; understanding of B2B software complexity, stakeholders, and constraints
- Strong technical craft in interaction design and user experience
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Direct people management experience, including 1:1s, performance reviews, growth planning, and difficult conversations
**Nice to Have:**
- Experience improving design team processes or workflows, especially with AI tools
- Experience implementing and scaling an established design system
- Experience in heavily regulated, data-heavy problem spaces
- Strong portfolio of UX design work
