Design Leadership at Scale

DLSCA01 - April 2024

DLSD01 – Alpha – 2024

DLSE03 - February 2024 - Executive

DLS02 – Beta Cohort – November 2023

DLS01 – Alpha Cohort – August 2023

DLS Director is for established design leader positioning themselves for future executive roles.

DLSD04 - Delta - 2024

DLSCS02 - October 2024

DLSD02 - Beta - 2024

DLSE04 - June 2024 - Executive

DLSD03 - Gamma - 2024

October 1-10, evening PT, morning next day, APAC

Cohort 2

DLSCS01 - September 2024

Cohort 1 – October 2024

Cohort 03

DLSD Q1 2025

[moved] - Feb 2025

DLSE05 - Dec 2024 - Executive

Cancelled - Mar 2025 - Executive

Cohort 04

DLSE06 – Q2 2025

DLSCS03 - Sept 2025

What keeps design executives up at night? It's rarely the design challenges themselves. More often, it's the broader questions that come with leading design at scale: How do we transform an entire business through design? Build teams that can consistently deliver excellence? Create systems that scale while preserving innovation? In this piece, I share a framework that helps maintain strategic clarity while building for lasting impact...

Strategic Design Leadership: Essential Questions for Design Executives


In a competitive market, distinguishing yourself and having a strong network amplifies your opportunities and provides career optionality. In this session, Maven co-founder, Gagan Biyani, interviewed PayPal CDO, Rachel Kobetz, and &amp;GSD CXO, Kristin Skinner, about how to stand out from the crowd, build a stellar network, and make moves that accelerate your design leadership career.

How Design Leaders Stand Out In A Competitive Market


Learn about the 12 qualities of effective design teams to better understand what it takes to make the most of your design team.

12 Qualities of Effective Design Teams

Learn best practices to build a durable design organization operating system.

Kristin Skinner


Design Leadership at Scale: Operations

Manager, Global Design Operations

Sr Program Manager, Events for Creatives

DesignOps manager (soon to be laid off)

Learn the core principles of effective design leadership in scaled enterprises


Doug Powell


Executive Design Leader, former IBM & Expedia


Design Leadership at Scale: Director

UX Director 

Senior UX Deisgner & Manager

UX Manager

Senior Brand Strategist and Designer

UX Lead

Senior Product Design Manager

Service Design Consulting and Coaching

This advanced course equips senior design leaders to move from tactical design execution to strategic leadership. You will learn how to align design with business strategy, lead cross-functional transformation, and position design as a key driver of innovation and business growth. What you’ll learn: 1. Shift from tactical to strategic design leadershipMove beyond day-to-day operations by aligning design with broader business objectives and leading with strategic vision to shape company outcomes. 2. Connect design, business, and technologyMaster the integration of business priorities, emerging technologies, and experience strategy to drive innovation, while building the fluency to influence C-suite decision-making. 3. Lead organizational change through designFoster a design-driven culture and lead organizational change by positioning design as a strategic asset. You'll learn to scale your team, build influence, and drive design maturity across the organization. 4. Transform product culture and scale design for growthIntegrate design thinking throughout the product lifecycle to drive continuous innovation. Build scalable operations and systems that support growth while balancing operational efficiency, creativity, and quality in fast-paced environments. 5. Design the future of businessHarness future-leaning capabilities, emerging technologies, and new ways of working to elevate design’s role as a strategic differentiator and build your legacy as a future-ready leader. Plus: 2 in-depth Office Hours with Rachel for personalized guidance tailored to your specific leadership challenges.

Expand your impact and position design as a competitive advantage.


Course modules


Monday, Feb 12


90-minute Live Sessions (2x a week)

Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays


60-minute Q+A (1x a week, optional)

Office Hours w/ Rachel


Online modules with videos and resources

Self study + weekly projects


Course schedule

Senior Design Leaders taking on their first executive role. Ready to expand influence and lead design’s integration into business strategy.

Senior Design Executives leading large teams and portfolios. Leaders aligning design with business goals and scaling cross-functional teams.

Design C-Suite navigating rapid transformation and growth. Leaders using design to drive innovation and lead organizational change.

Who is this course for

What you will get out of this course


Position yourself as a strategic design leader by mastering business fluency and aligning design with organizational goals. You’ll unlock new opportunities for executive-level roles and influence high-stakes conversations that shape the future of your career.

Accelerate your career


Learn how to connect design to measurable business outcomes, elevating your function as a key driver of business strategy. By demonstrating the tangible impact of your team’s work, you’ll influence priorities, drive innovation, and secure greater investment.

Amplify your impact


Build strong relationships across the C-suite, foster cross-functional collaboration, and articulate design’s strategic value effectively. You’ll craft a communication strategy that aligns with business goals and positions design as a critical component in key decisions.

Expand your influence and communication


This intensive two-week course is curated for senior leaders with demanding schedules. Recorded sessions are available for flexibility, allowing you to review key lessons at your convenience.

Designed for busy senior design leaders


Shape the future of business. Develop the vision, strategy, and influence to make design a critical driver of transformation.


Rachel Kobetz

Chief Design Officer @ PayPal


Design Leadership at Scale: Career Strategy is tailored specifically for design leaders looking to define their career path. (6 hours live class, combining lectures, breakout groups, online content, and two in-depth office hours with Rachel and Kristin to discuss your specific challenges and opportunities.) The course is built on practical insights and experiences, offering a hands-on approach to career development. Rachel and Kristin have defined hiring practices for some of the largest global companies and hired thousands of designers; now, they’re bringing the same career coaching and frameworks to this course. Whether you want to advance within your current organization or explore new opportunities, this course will help you define your blueprint for success. // Course Content // 1: ARCHITECT YOUR CAREER • Define Your Leadership Trajectory:&nbsp;Explore diverse pathways in design leadership and carve out a unique trajectory that positions you as a standout leader. • Hone Your Leadership Edge:&nbsp;Understand the essentials that set you apart as a design leader, with a focus on practical application and self-assessment. • Leverage Your Unique Strengths:&nbsp;Conduct a deep dive into your capabilities and align them with industry benchmarks to create a personalized growth plan that propels your career forward. • Craft a Strategic Career Plan:&nbsp;Develop a forward-looking, actionable career strategy that aligns your skills with your professional aspirations, ensuring you’re always moving towards your ultimate goals. 2: ADVANCE YOUR IMPACT • Elevate Your Expertise:&nbsp;Pinpoint critical areas for growth and take decisive steps to elevate your expertise, ensuring you stay ahead at every stage of your career. • Define Success on Your Terms:&nbsp;Set and achieve clear, measurable goals that align with your personal vision of success, driving your progress and holding yourself accountable. • Map Your Career Strategy:&nbsp;Create a comprehensive, action-oriented career roadmap, drawing on expert strategies for long-term success. • Become an Industry Standout:&nbsp;Learn advanced strategies for distinguishing yourself in a competitive market and gain the insider knowledge needed to make your mark. • Make Informed Career Moves:&nbsp;Equip yourself with the knowledge to select the right roles and opportunities that align with your long-term vision, ensuring each move advances your career strategy. BONUS: • Evaluating Opportunities:&nbsp;Learn the art of assessing companies and roles through the lens of experienced design executives. • 2 In-depth Office Hours / Q+A Sessions:&nbsp;Dedicated sessions with Rachel and Kristin to discuss your specific challenges and opportunities, receiving tailored guidance to propel your career forward. Accelerate your career and refine your path. This immersive is an investment in defining and achieving your design leadership career goals.

Shape a design career that provides you growth, development, and success.


Course syllabus

Ambitious Senior Managers, Directors, and VP-level design leaders&nbsp;in both startups and large technology product companies.

It's ideal for those planning on staying and growing at your current company for the next 3+ years or are thinking of changing companies.

This course is&nbsp;not&nbsp;for aspiring design managers and early-career design managers. It does not focus on the detailed steps of skill-building.

What you’ll get out of this course

Gain insights on what hiring managers look for in candidate profiles. Understand factors that make a portfolio stand out, tactics that increase your chances of being hired, recognized, and promoted, + selecting the role and organization that aligns with your career objectives.

Get the career outcomes you want


Immerse yourself in the intricate landscape of the design industry. Gain clarity on various career paths and development tactics, setting the stage for&nbsp;better&nbsp;informed career decisions. Conduct an analysis of the design sector to spot the right opportunities.&nbsp;

Gain deeper design industry understanding 


Formulate a definitive, actionable career plan, anchored in your unique strengths and goals. Establish a personal framework that propels your professional growth and development.

Develop your career blueprint


Equip yourself with strategies to navigate the uncertainties of the job market. Learn the key to distinguishing yourself in a competitive market.&nbsp;

Navigate the current environment


Forge valuable connections with fellow professionals and seasoned industry experts in a dynamic, collaborative setting. Become part of the Defining Experience community to keep the momentum and conversation going.

Grow your professional network


Take advantage of two dedicated Q+A sessions with Rachel and Kristin for tailored advice and insights.

Exclusive Office Hours


Leave with a collection of essential frameworks and actionable tools designed for making informed decisions, effective career planning, and planning your next steps with confidence.

Toolkit for Success


Frameworks, tactics, and approaches we’ve shared in career conversations for years, so you can build a great design leadership career.


Chief Design Officer, PayPal


Chief Experience Officer, &GSD


Learn the core principles of effective design leadership in scaled enterprises in this rigorous two-week course for established design leaders positioning themselves for future executive roles. / Course Content /This course will focus on making the transition from leading functional teams or programs, to leading a cross-functional organization with enterprise-wide impact. Content will include:• Identifying your core leadership qualities and superpowers• Mapping your organization and understanding key cross-functional relationships• Learning the signals of mature design organizations• Measuring and articulating the value of design to your business• Increasing your impact and influence across the enterprise This course will deliver a wide range of curricular content through a variety of live and asynchronous learning experiences:• Pre-recorded video lectures• Reading assignments• Live group discussions• Q&amp;A with guest speakers from the industry• Hands-on project work• Collaborative small group working sessions• Office hours for specific questions and deep dives / Time Commitment /The course is a blend of “live” sessions (on zoom), along with asynchronous pre-recorded videos, reading material, and lightweight projects. Most students spend a total of 16-20 hours over the course of the 2 weeks. All sessions are recorded, so it’s usually not a problem to miss a session.

Establish yourself as a leader 


If your events are recurring and at the same time, it might be easiest to use a single line item to communicate your course schedule to students

Tuesdays & Thursdays

Feel free to type out dates as your title as a way to communicate information about specific live sessions or other events.

May 7, 2022

Schedule items can also be used to convey commitments outside of specific time slots (like weekly projects or daily office hours).

Weekly projects

Design Directors&nbsp;leading teams in highly matrixed environments where influence across, up, and down is crucial for success.

Senior Design Managers leading functional teams in complex organizations, and positioning themselves for future roles.

Design Program Managers&nbsp;leading operations across multiple teams.

Understanding of the core principles of design leadership


Examining of the components of mature design organizations


Developing insights into increasing impact and influence to drive business impact


Learning the keys to measuring and articulating the value of design to the business


An advanced-level course for senior and rising design leaders ready to address the most common challenges Design Leaders face. Learn how to build your durable design operating system to withstand scale, restructuring, evolution, and growth. Establish mechanisms and high-leverage activities that maintain quality and effectiveness for your teams and for the business. Course Topics + Content Build and activate high-impact teamsApply effective organizational design, strategic planning, and performance measurement Define and optimize your operating systemEstablish rhythms and rituals, shape a positive design culture, streamline processes and workflows, and build a robust reporting and communication strategy Identify the most effective design team structuresLearn how to choose the right team structures for your organization Activate your team’s strengths through organizational designAnticipate common challenges within and across teams and learn strategies for effectively addressing them Create your organization’s ideal design teamTogether, we’ll design and build your design team and organization 7 Live, Interactive Sessions, with timezone-friendly options for most APAC/EMEA/AMER locales - One Welcome Kickoff Session- Three Live, Interactive Learning Sessions including Q&amp;A sessions with guest experts- Two Office Hours / Q+A sessions with Kristin for personalized guidance- One Reflection/Wrap-up Session

Design Your Organization's Operating System 

Directors+ of Design and Operations leading teams across a portfolio of products and services.

Senior Leaders and Practitioners who are establishing, evolving, and leading a Design Organization or Operations practice.

Operations leaders who want to sharpen skills, learn new approaches and methods, and accelerate their organizations.

You'll learn how to establish mechanisms, routines, and high-leverage activities that maintain and enhance culture, quality, and community as you grow.

Best practices to build infrastructure that scales

<ul><li>Design and structure a high-performing design organization.</li><li>Effectively prioritize and plan work to maximize impact.</li><li>Utilize visual staffing tools to manage resources efficiently.</li><li>Implement accountability measures to maintain high-quality standards.</li></ul>

Build and activate high-impact teams

<ul><li>Establish effective rhythms and rituals that enhance team productivity and alignment.</li><li>Shape a positive design culture that fosters innovation and collaboration.</li><li>Optimize processes and workflows for greater efficiency.</li><li>Develop and implement robust reporting and communications</li></ul>

Define and optimize your operating system

<ul><li>Learn approaches and tactics that address common organizational and team challenges</li><li>Mitigate these challenges via a fixed vs. flexible framework</li><li>Gain new strategies to keep your team focused and thriving</li></ul>

Identify and anticipate the most common team and organizational challenges 

Guest Experience: Experienced leaders will join to share their stories and give examples of how they navigated similar challenges Instructor Experience: You'll learn directly from Kristin's first-hand experience establishing and leading multiple large-scale global design orgs

Access to first-hand experience and guidance customized to your unique situation

Included are multiple, moderated Q&amp;A sessions with Kristin and other industry leaders so that you can get expert advice on your unique challenges and aspirations.

Q&A Sessions with industry experts

How Top Design Leaders Influence At Scale

Chief Design Officer, PayPal

Doug Powell

Executive design leader, consultant & coach

Kristin Skinner

Chief Experience Officer, Author, Global VP Design

Bob Baxley

Writer, Speaker, Advisor –  Former Apple, Pinterest, Yahoo!, ThoughtSpot

Develop strong relationships with partners, stakeholders, and executives through ongoing communication.

Increase your impact through XFN partnerships

Understand cultural dynamics, power players, and how decisions get made.

Build trust and influence across teams

Team across the enterprise and cross the finish line together.

Leverage the power of shared outcomes to drive collaboration

Warm the room for strategic conversations, make your proposals collaborative, and optimize your 1:1s.

Understand how to gain buy-in, approval, and support

How Design Leaders Stand Out in a Competitive Market

Gagan Biyani

Co-founder of Maven

Learn the nuances of distinguishing yourself and making your mark in a competitive landscape.

How to become an industry standout

Establish relationships with hiring managers, recruiters, and execs that keep you top of mind ahead of role openings.

How to build and leverage your network

Learn how to select the right roles and opportunities that align with your long-term career vision.

How to make informed career moves

Team Tactics for Increasing Influence + Impact

Executive Design Leader, former IBM & Expedia

Use your design skills to gain visibility and provide value to cross-functional stakeholders

Leverage design superpowers to showcase leadership

Our teams need to be ready to thrive in an ever-changing environment

Anticipate and embrace disruption

Engage with your stakeholder teams and leaders by inviting them into your process

Lead with inclusion and active learning

Org Design For Your Design Org

Chief Experience Officer, &GSD

Learn how to establish a strong foundation and organization design framework for your design organization

Identify the most effective design team structures

Identify the qualities of effective design teams, essential for successful creative + operational partnership

Activate your team’s strengths through Creative + Ops

Learn how to assess your team’s effectiveness through Foundation, Output, and Management

Design Leadership at Scale

Design Leadership at Scale

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