About the Work
Planning Center makes software that helps churches help people — and the people who run those churches are real, busy, and deserve tools that actually work. Our Design Managers are responsible for both the people and the work: you lead a team of Product Designers, set the design direction for your area in alignment with the other areas of the company, and stay close enough to the craft to raise the bar on what ships.
This role sits within the Product org and reports directly to the Director of Product Design. You'll partner with your Area Triad (Product Manager and Senior Engineering Manager) to shape what gets prioritized and how it gets built, while developing every designer on your team to do their best and most independent work.
We're looking for someone who has done the job before — who has hired, coached, and had the hard conversations — and who genuinely believes that investing in people is how you get great design at scale.
Responsibilities
- Lead and develop a team of Product Designers through regular 1:1s, feedback, performance conversations, and growth planning
- Partner with your Area Triad (PM and ENG lead) to define design strategy and turn business goals into clear design direction
- Set and hold a high bar for design craft. Give feedback that is specific, grounded, and connected to the user
- Step in to do hands-on design work when the team needs support or additional bandwidth
- Run design reviews, crits, and stakeholder conversations that move work forward with the right people in the room
- Coach designers to form a clear point of view and own their problem space, rather than waiting for direction
- Hire and onboard new designers as the team grows
- Contribute to the evolution of Planning Center's design system and push for cross-product consistency
- Establish and refine design processes that scale with team growth and product complexity
- Model thoughtful use of AI tools and help your team build real confidence using them
What You Bring
- 3+ years leading a team of product designers, including hiring, coaching, and performance management
- Experience partnering in a product trio or cross-functional structure to set direction and make trade-offs
- A track record of shaping ambiguous problems alongside product and engineering -- not just executing well-scoped design work
- Strong design craft with the ability to set a high bar and give feedback that raises others' work
- Clear, confident communicator in writing, in conversation, and in cross-functional stakeholder settings
- Fluency in Figma and a curiosity about where design tools and practice are heading
Nice to Have
- Experience contributing to a design system or working closely with a design systems team
- Background as an IC product designer before moving into management
- Familiarity with church management software or the faith-based sector
- Experience integrating AI-assisted design tools into your own workflow and helping your team do the same
Who We Look For
The best fits for any role on the Planning Center team are people embodying our Core Values:
- Engage with Humility - We actively participate with openness and receptiveness. We are ready to listen, learn, and speak thoughtfully and kindly—regardless of skill level, expertise, or place on the org chart.
- Invest in our team - We give our time and energy to our team’s success—improving collaboration with effective communication, making space for diverse perspectives, sharing knowledge, and asking questions.
- Do Our Best Work - We aspire to do our best possible work—continually looking for ways to improve the quality of our individual output and contribute to our team's overall success and growth.
- Focus on Customer Impact - We advocate for our customer’s best interests in our decision-making—we can trace the goal of every project back to creating positive value for our customers.
- Think Holistically, Work Iteratively - We focus on taking practical steps towards our goals with an awareness of the broader context—thinking big, working small.
We believe the strongest teams are made up of people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and we are committed to cultivating that diversity here at Planning Center. We're building an inclusive, supportive place for you to do your best work. Planning Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer and participates in the U.S. Federal E-Verify program.
The Hiring Process
During the hiring process, you’ll have a chance to interact with several members of our team. We want this process to feel clear, respectful, and human— you’re getting to know us just as much as we’re getting to know you.
Applications will be accepted until July 13, 2026 at 8:00am PT. We review applications on a rolling basis and may close the posting early once we’ve built a strong pool of candidates, so we encourage you to apply early!
Below is an outline of the steps in our hiring process.
- Step One: Apply with a resume and complete the application questions so we can learn more about your background and experience
Our application questions are a chance for us to get to know you, so feel free to answer them the way you might in a cover letter and in your own words.
- Step Two: Initial phone screen with someone from our Talent Acquisition team to get to know one another and discuss work and culture
- Step Three: Interview with Design Managers and the Director of Product Design
- Step Four: Interview with team members from Engineering and Product
- Step Five: Final interview with the Director of Product Design
- Step Six: Pending all goes well, we'll extend an offer
Compensation & Logistics
- This is a US-based role; candidates must reside in and be authorized to work in the United States (we are currently unable to offer employment to those with H-1B visas)
- Candidates must be willing to travel three times each year to connect with the rest of the team
- The annual salary range for this position is $198,000 - $225,000
Benefits
We love our team—it’s one of the core pillars that guides how we work every day. That’s why we invest deeply in your well-being, growth, and balance. Here are some highlights (you can explore all our benefits here):
Get paid:
We offer competitive pay no matter where you live. We also contribute to your 401(k), provide a charitable giving match of up to $2,000 per year, offer a generous allowance for continued education, and include a coworking stipend.
Be healthy:
You’ll receive generous paid sick and vacation time, $200 per month for physical fitness and mental health, and 95% medical plus 100% dental premium coverage.
Get out:
Enjoy paid Fridays off year-round, because we believe doing your best work includes having the time and space to rest, recharge, and live fully. We also offer a month-long sabbatical every five years, a week off between Christmas and New Year’s, a week each year to serve with a globally focused non-profit, and two weeks of paid vacation (increasing to three over time).
