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Design Manager Jobs in Berkeley, CA (NOW HIRING)

Senior Product Design Manager

Oakland, CA ยท On-site

$201.76 - $252.21/hr

This is a people management and product leadership role for a design leader who wants to shape technical data products at scale. You will manage and develop a team of product designers, shape the UX ...

Senior Product Design Manager

Oakland, CA

$145K - $191K/yr

This is a people management and product leadership role for a design leader who wants to shape technical data products at scale. You will manage and develop a team of product designers, shape the UX ...

Senior Product Design Manager

Oakland, CA ยท On-site

$201.76 - $252.21/hr

This is a people management and product leadership role for a design leader who wants to shape technical data products at scale. You will manage and develop a team of product designers, shape the UX ...

Senior Product Design Manager

Oakland, CA ยท On-site

$145K - $191K/yr

This is a people management and product leadership role for a design leader who wants to shape technical data products at scale. You will manage and develop a team of product designers, shape the UX ...

We're looking for a Senior Product Design Manager to help shape the future of EvenUp's product design practice. Reporting to the Head of Design, you'll lead a small team of embedded product designers ...

Senior Product Design Manager

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site

$202K - $237K/yr

We're looking for a Senior Product Design Manager to help shape the future of EvenUp's product design practice. Reporting to the Head of Design, you'll lead a small team of embedded product designers ...

We're looking for a Senior Product Design Manager to help shape the future of EvenUp's product design practice. Reporting to the Head of Design, you'll lead a small team of embedded product designers ...

Manager, Product Design

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site +1

$222K/yr

Run and improve team processes like critiques, reviews, and design sprints * Stay in the work, both managing people and helping oversee strategy and execution hands-on * Thrive in fast-paced ...

Showing results 21-40

Design Manager information

See Berkeley, CA salary details

$51.4K

$140.2K

$246.7K

How much do design manager jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for design manager in Berkeley, CA is $140,187.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,200.00 and $176,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a design manager?

Design Managers are professionals responsible for overseeing the design process within a project or organization. They coordinate and lead design teams, ensure design objectives align with business goals, and manage timelines, budgets, and resources. Design Managers often act as a bridge between creative teams and other departments, facilitating communication and ensuring that the final product meets both aesthetic and functional requirements. Their role can span across industries such as architecture, graphic design, product design, and digital media.

What does a design manager do?

A design manager oversees a design team during a project and typically works in the construction and architecture industries. As a design manager, you may work for specialty companies that contract out to construction firms on a per-project basis. Or, you may spend your career working as an in-house design manager for a construction company or architect firm. Regardless of the location of your job as a design manager, your duties revolve around supervising the design of a building project and include adhering to legislation and codes, eliminating safety and financial risks, and advising clients during development.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a design manager?

To thrive as a Design Manager, you need a strong background in design principles, project management, and leadership, typically supported by a degree in design or a related field and several years of design experience. Familiarity with design software such as Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, and project management tools like Asana or Trello is essential. Exceptional communication, team leadership, and problem-solving skills help distinguish top performers in this role. These skills and qualities are crucial for effectively leading creative teams, delivering high-quality design outcomes, and meeting client or organizational goals.

How does a design manager typically balance creative vision with project deadlines and client expectations?

A Design Manager is responsible for guiding their team's creative direction while ensuring projects are delivered on time and within budget. This often means carefully prioritizing tasks, setting clear milestones, and communicating regularly with clients and stakeholders to manage expectations. They serve as a bridge between creative teams and project managers, helping to resolve conflicts and maintain a productive workflow. By fostering open collaboration and providing constructive feedback, Design Managers help ensure both the creative vision and practical project requirements are met.

What is the difference between Design Manager vs Graphic Designer?

AspectDesign ManagerGraphic Designer
Required CredentialsBachelor's degree in design, management experienceBachelor's degree in graphic design or related field
Work EnvironmentLeads design teams, oversees projectsCreates visual content, works independently or in teams
Industry UsageUsed in corporate, agency, and studio settingsCommon in advertising, publishing, branding

The main difference between a Design Manager and a Graphic Designer lies in their responsibilities and scope. Design Managers oversee design teams and strategic project planning, while Graphic Designers focus on creating visual content. Both roles require relevant design credentials, but Design Managers also need leadership experience. Understanding these distinctions helps in choosing the right career path or job search focus.

What degree do you need to be a design manager?

A design manager typically holds a bachelor's degree in design, graphic design, industrial design, or a related field. Many also pursue a master's degree or additional certifications to enhance their skills and qualifications for leadership roles in design teams.

What does a design manager earn?

A design manager's salary varies depending on experience, location, and industry, but typically ranges from $80,000 to $150,000 annually. They often oversee design teams, coordinate projects, and use tools like Adobe Creative Suite or CAD software, with higher salaries generally associated with larger companies or senior roles.

What is the highest paying career in design?

In design, executive roles such as Creative Director or Design Director tend to have the highest salaries, often exceeding six figures, especially in large corporations or agencies. Specialized fields like UX/UI design, product design, and design consulting can also offer high compensation, particularly with extensive experience and advanced skills in tools like Adobe Creative Suite or Sketch.

What are the most commonly searched types of Design jobs in Berkeley, CA?

The most popular types of Design jobs in Berkeley, CA are:

What are popular job titles related to Design Manager jobs in Berkeley, CA?

For Design Manager jobs in Berkeley, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Design Manager jobs in Berkeley, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Design Manager jobs in Berkeley, CA are:

What cities near Berkeley, CA are hiring for Design Manager jobs?

Cities near Berkeley, CA with the most Design Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Design Manager job openings in Berkeley, CA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 87% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 83% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $140,187 per year, or $67.4 per hour.

Senior Product Design Manager

Triwill Group

Oakland, CA โ€ข On-site

$201.76 - $252.21/hr

Other

Medical, PTO

Re-posted yesterday


Key responsibilities

  • Manage and coach a team of product designers working on dbt platform and CLI-based products.

  • Define and drive UX strategy for dbt's product experience, connecting design priorities to product outcomes.

  • Set design direction for complex workflows used by technical practitioners and lead design strategy for AI-powered experiences.


Job description

From Fivetranโ€™s founding until now, our mission has remained the same: to make access to data as simple and reliable as electricity. With Fivetran, customer data arrives in their warehouses, canonical and ready to query, with no engineering or maintenance required. Weโ€™re proud that more organizations continue to leverage our technology every day to become truly data-driven.

About Us

Fivetran and dbt Labs are bringing together two industry-leading companies with a shared mission: helping organizations unlock the full value of their data. Together, weโ€™re delivering the data infrastructure layer that helps organizations move, transform, and trust their data โ€” from the moment data moves, through every transformation, to the context teams and AI systems rely on. Fivetran helps organizations automate data movement across the systems, clouds, engines, and tools they rely on. dbt Labs pioneered analytics engineering, helping teams transform data into reliable, governed insights. Together, we support thousands of organizations as they build a trusted foundation for analytics, AI, and better business decisions. As we bring our teams and technology together, weโ€™re building on the strengths of both companies while continuing to deliver the products and experiences our customers know and trust. Itโ€™s an exciting time to join us: weโ€™re creating a company with the scale, talent, and technology to help more organizations put their data to work with greater speed, confidence, and impact. During this transition period, you may see references to both Fivetran and dbt Labs throughout our recruiting process as we integrate our teams, systems, and career sites.

About the role

Fivetran + dbt Labs is hiring a Senior Manager to lead the Product Design team responsible for dbt Labs. This role reports to the Director of Product Design.

This is an exciting time to join! As Fivetran and dbt Labs come together, you will help shape a coherent product experience, guide the design team through change, and influence the future of AI-powered data products. You will join a strong and talented design organization whose members care deeply about their craft, the practitioners they serve, and one another.

This is a people management and product leadership role for a design leader who wants to shape technical data products at scale. You will manage and develop a team of product designers, shape the UX strategy for dbt products, and partner with Product and Engineering leaders to define how data teams build, transform, govern, and trust their data. You will lead through strategy, coaching, direction, and cross-functional partnership.

What you\'ll do

Lead the dbt product design team

You will manage and coach a team of product designers who work across dbt platform and CLI-based products. Designers own the full design process from problem definition and research to UX/UI and partnering with eng/PM through delivery. You will build a culture where designers feel supported, challenged, and empowered to do thoughtful, high-quality work for deeply technical users. You will set clear expectations, give actionable feedback, support career growth, and create the conditions for strong design craft.

Own UX strategy for dbt

You will define and drive UX strategy across dbtโ€™s product experience. You will identify the highest-impact experience opportunities, connect design priorities to product outcomes, and partner with Product and Engineering leadership as a strategic peer in roadmap and product direction conversations.

Provide design direction for technical data products

You will set direction for design work across complex workflows used by technical practitioners. You do not need to be an engineer, but you do need enough technical fluency to understand the domain, evaluate tradeoffs, and partner credibly with engineering leaders. You should be comfortable discussing data workflows, ELT, analytics engineering, developer tools, and infrastructure-oriented product experiences.

Shape AI and agentic product experiences

You will lead design strategy for AI-powered and agentic experiences within dbt. This requires more than adding AI features to existing workflows. You will help the team design systems that make AI assistance understandable, useful, and safe for high-stakes technical work. As dbt builds experiences where both humans and AI agents interact with the same data infrastructure, you will also think about how product surfaces need to work for both personas.

Help integrate Fivetran and dbt Labs design

You will play an important role in co-creating a unified product experience and design culture. This is a change-leadership role. You will partner with the Director of Product Design to merge systems, processes, and culture. You will help designers navigate a new organizational context, build strong cross-functional relationships, and create clarity during a period of product and company evolution.

Build an AI-native design operating model

You will operationalize AI across the design lifecycle (from research synthesis and ideation to prototyping, documentation, and design QA). You will establish shared workflows, quality standards, and review practices that help the team move faster without compromising product quality or consistency. In partnership with the Director of Product Design and Product and Engineering leadership, you will also define cross-functional standards for when AI-generated work requires design review, ensuring clear expectations for human oversight, quality, and continuous improvement.

What we\'re looking for

Required experience

  • You have 8+ years of product design experience and at least 5 years managing product designers.
  • Strong people management skills, including coaching, performance development, direct feedback, and team culture building.
  • Strong cross-functional leadership with Product, Engineering, Research, Data, Marketing, and executive stakeholders.
  • Deep care for craft, with a leadership style focused on direction, critique, strategy, and coaching rather than acting as the primary IC designer.
  • Designing for, or leading teams that design for, technically complex products such as ELT, data infrastructure, analytics engineering, developer tools, cloud platforms, data governance, observability, or adjacent enterprise infrastructure products.
  • Designing AI-powered or agentic product experiences. You understand the difference between a lightweight AI feature, a copilot, and an agentic workflow.
  • Experience operationalizing AI workflows for product design teams that goes way beyond AI prototyping. You have defined how designers use AI across the design lifecycle and have established the workflows, standards, review practices, and quality thresholds needed to make AI-assisted work effective at team scale.
  • Owning UX strategy for a meaningful product area. You can show how your design strategy influenced product direction, not just how your team delivered screens.
  • Strong technical fluency. You can reason about complex systems, understand engineering constraints, and discuss tradeoffs with Product and Engineering partners.
  • Experience designing for expert technical users such as data engineers, analytics engineers, software engineers, platform teams, or security teams.

#LI-DJ1 #LI-Hybrid

The compensation range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire compensation for the target position and level, and may include sales incentives or target bonuses depending on the role. Our compensation ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Our job titles may span more than one career level. Within the range, individual compensation is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, business need, market demands. The compensation range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Your recruiter can share more about the specific compensation range for your location during the hiring process.

Oakland Pay Range

$201,765โ€”$252,206 USD

Perks and Benefits

  • 100% employer-paid medical insurance*
  • Generous paid time-off policy (PTO), plus paid sick time, inclusive parental leave policy, holidays, and volunteer days off
  • RSU stock grants*
  • Professional development and training opportunities
  • Company virtual happy hours, free food, and fun team-building activities
  • Monthly cell phone stipend
  • Access to an innovative mental health support platform that offers personalized care and resources in areas such as: therapy, coaching, and self-guided mindfulness exercises for all covered employees and their covered dependents.

May vary by country and worker type - please reach out to your recruiter for more information

Click here to learn more about Fivetran's Benefits by Region.

Weโ€™re honored to be valued at over $5.6 billion, but more importantly, weโ€™re proud of our core values of Get Stuck In, Do the Right Thing, and One Team, One Dream. Read about us in Forbes.

Fivetran brings together high-quality talent across the globe to make data access as easy and reliable as electricity for our customers. We value and recognize that our customers benefit from having innovative teams made of people from many backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Fivetran promotes diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging through attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it helps us build a world-class company to better serve our customers, our people and our communities.

To learn more about Fivetranโ€™s culture and what itโ€™s like to be part of the team, click here and enjoy our video.

To learn more about our candidate privacy policy, you can read our statement here.

We are committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in our interview process. If you require accommodations at any stage of the process due to a disability, medical condition, or any other circumstance, please dont hesitate to submit your request by filling out this form. We will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate your participation and ensure a fair and accessible interview experience. Your request and any information provided will be kept confidential and will not impact your candidacy. We look forward to hearing from you and accommodating your needs to the best of our ability.

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