Program Manager(UX Design/Research)

Apetan Consulting LLC is seeking a UX Tools Program Manager to lead the planning and delivery of internal tools for UX research and design teams. This role focuses on program management, stakeholder alignment, and optimizing tool usage to enhance user experience and outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Drive the program lifecycle for internal tools from discovery and requirements through launch, adoption, and ongoing optimization
• Build and maintain a multi-quarter roadmap that aligns with business priorities, user needs, and technical constraints; clearly communicate trade-offs and progress to stakeholders
• Partner with cross-functional teams (Design/UX, UX Research, Product, Engineering, IT, Security, Procurement, Legal, Analytics) to define requirements, integrations, and success metrics
• Lead implementation and migration projects, including change management, training plans, documentation, and stakeholder communications
• Coordinate vendor management activities (RFPs, evaluations, pilots, contract renewals, SLAs, and feature requests) in partnership with Procurement and Legal
• Manage day-to-day tool operations, including user provisioning, access requests, license management, and account administration
• Serve as the primary point of contact for tool-related questions, troubleshooting, and escalations from UX research and design teams
• Coordinate with IT and Security teams to ensure proper SSO configuration, access controls, and compliance with data governance policies
• Monitor tool usage, identify opportunities for optimization, and proactively address adoption barriers
• Maintain up-to-date tool documentation, training materials, and best practice guides
• Own governance and standards across the tools landscape: access control, data hygiene, lifecycle management, and compliance considerations
• Develop enablement materials (guides, office hours, training sessions) to drive adoption and best practices across teams
• Identify and mitigate risks and dependencies; run effective rituals (intake, prioritization, status reviews, retros)
• Maintain a strong feedback loop with users; translate insights into backlog items and incremental improvements

Requirements:

• 4–7 years of program or product management experience, with at least 2 years owning internal tools, platforms, or productivity systems
• Demonstrated success delivering cross-functional programs on time with clear outcomes and measurable impact
• Strong requirements gathering and process design skills; ability to translate ambiguous needs into actionable plans
• Experience with vendor evaluations and contract/SLA considerations; comfort managing pilots and migrations
• Proven ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution and hands-on coordination
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; can influence without authority and present to diverse audiences
• Solid understanding of security, compliance, and access controls in the context of SaaS tools and internal platforms
• Comfortable managing competing priorities and context-switching between strategic initiatives and day-to-day operational needs
• Experience in UX/design operations, developer productivity, or product/platform operations
• Hands-on familiarity with common tool categories, including: Design systems and tooling (Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite), UX research platforms (UserTesting, User Interviews, Respondent, Great Question), Research repository and insight management tools (Dovetail, Aurelius, Confluence), Analytics/insights tools, Work management and collaboration platforms, SSO/identity management
• Experience supporting teams with onboarding, training, and troubleshooting for design and research tools
• Technical literacy to partner effectively with IT and Security teams on integrations, SSO configuration, and access management