---
title: 'Senior Design Program Manager II at Instacart'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-design-program-manager-ii-instacart-canada-kzs6zdy8vmph'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Senior Design Program Manager II at Instacart

- **Company:** Instacart
- **Location:** Canada
- **Compensation:** $143k–$151k
- **Work type:** remote
- **Posted:** 2026-10-02
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://instacart.careers/job/?gh_jid=8249753

## Job description

We're transforming the grocery industry

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. [Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)

## Overview

Instacart is on a mission to make eating well effortless for everyone and great design is a key ingredient. As a Senior Design Program Manager, you'll drive operational excellence and programmatic execution across the Design organization—building AI-enabled systems, scaling critical processes, and managing the tools and vendor relationships that power our creative work.

This role sits at the intersection of design craft, technical operations, and strategic execution. You'll bring strong design sensibility—whether from product design or design systems—to build scalable programs, automate workflows using AI, and ensure our design team has the infrastructure, tools, and processes to deliver world-class experiences efficiently. You'll work closely with the Instacart Design System (IDS) team, requiring technical fluency to bridge design, engineering, and tooling infrastructure.

## About the Role

You'll own end-to-end program execution for high-visibility design initiatives while building the operational backbone that enables the Design organization to scale. You'll leverage AI to automate workflows, manage critical vendor relationships (Figma, design tooling, contractors), and create repeatable systems that translate our design, creative and product strategy into shipped experiences.

You'll report to the Director of Technical Program Management and work closely with Design and Product Leadership, Marketing, Engineering, and several other cross-functional partners to deliver outcomes that matter.

## About the Job

- Programmatic Execution: Drive end-to-end delivery of complex, multi-quarter design initiatives across Design, Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, Business Development and other cross-functional teams. Enable seamless cross-functional collaboration and predictable program outcomes.
- AI Enablement: Build and deploy AI-enabled workflows that automate program management tasks—status reporting, resource tracking, documentation synthesis, and stakeholder communication. Champion AI fluency in Design to accelerate design-first thinking and increase operational efficiency.
- Operations & Vendor Management: Own strategic vendor relationships and contract management for design tooling (Figma, prototyping, asset management, collaboration platforms). Negotiate contracts, optimize licensing spend, and ensure infrastructure scales with growth. Manage contractor/agency relationships and partner with Finance, Legal, and IT on compliance and cost efficiency.
- Systems & Tooling: Champion team health through capacity planning, roadmapping, and resource allocation. Build operational metrics and tooling integrations that create seamless workflows across platforms.
- Design Systems & Cross-Functional Partnership: Partner with the Instacart Design System (IDS) team to align programs with system evolution and component adoption. Drive governance programs that scale IDS across product teams. Act as strategic partner to Product, Engineering, Marketing, Legal, and Operations. Translate design strategy into executable programs with clear visibility into progress and outcomes. Facilitate planning cycles and milestone reviews where design intersects with product roadmaps.
- Design Craft Integration: Apply design thinking and product sense to program design—understanding user needs, designing operational experiences, and iterating based on feedback. Build systems that empower designers and product managers to do their best work while balancing flexibility with consistency, creative exploration with scalable patterns, and craft excellence with business impact.

## About You

## Minimum Qualifications

- 6+ years in program management and design operations within design or product organizations, with deep experience driving operational excellence and culture for design and product teams.
- Strong product sense and design craft sensibility, with well-developed methods and tools for driving fluid programs forward into the market.
- Experience with all stages of the product development lifecycle, launching products end-to-end.
- (component libraries, tokens, documentation, cross-platform patterns)
- Technical fluency to collaborate with design system and engineering teams—understanding system architecture, component APIs, design-to-code workflows, and technical constraints
- Proven track record driving complex, cross-functional programs from 0→1 and scaling operational systems in fast-paced environments
- AI fluency: Experience leveraging AI tools (LLMs, automation platforms) to drive efficiency and scale programs
- Vendor/contract management experience: negotiating software contracts, managing relationships, optimizing spend, ensuring compliance
- Deep knowledge of design and program management tooling ecosystems (Figma, Linear, Jira, Dovetail, asset management, prototyping tools)
- Ability to drive organizational change and influence cross-functional partners—bringing clarity to complexity
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills; comfortable presenting to executive leadership

## Preferred Qualifications

- Design systems expertise: building/scaling systems, managing component libraries, defining tokens, driving adoption programs
- Experience building AI-powered workflows for creative operations or design tooling integrations
- Success translating leadership vision into actionable roadmaps and operating models
- Experience in hybrid/embedded team models with deep cross-functional partnership
- Comfort balancing hands-on execution with strategic oversight
- Track record using data and storytelling to influence leadership and secure buy-in for operational investments

#LI-Remote Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy [here](https://instacart.careers/flex-first/). Currently, we are only hiring in the following provinces: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings [here](https://instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart/).

For Canadian based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CAN $143,000—$151,000 CAD

## About Instacart

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Instacart is the leading online grocery platform in North America, offering same-day delivery and pickup services from over 700 retail partners.
- **Entity Type**: Private (venture-backed)
- **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA
- **Founded**: 2012
- **Founders**: Max Mullen (co-founder) [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)

## Core Business
- Primary industries: Online grocery delivery, internet & web services
- Target customers: B2C consumers; also B2B partnerships with retailers and brands
- Mission: “Our mission is to create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together.” [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)

## Products & Services
- **Instacart Platform**: Same-day delivery and pickup from grocery stores, superstores, and local shops. Customers order via mobile app or website.
- **Instacart+**: Premium membership offering reduced delivery fees, lower service fees, and special perks.
- **Retail Partnerships**: Instacart powers e‑commerce and fulfillment for over 700 retailers across the U.S. and Canada.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available (private company).
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue not disclosed; employee count between 1,001 and 5,000 per Glassdoor. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not listed in provided sources – state “Not publicly available” per search results.
- **Growth Signals**: 47% of job seekers rate their interview experience positively; 59% of employees would recommend the company. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm) The company highlights a “high-impact environment” where you can “do in two years what might take five at another company.” [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)

## Competitive Advantages
- **Network effects**: Largest online grocery platform in North America with deep integrations across major retailers.
- **Scale & brand recognition**: Highly trusted name in grocery delivery, with a large base of both consumers and shoppers.
- **Flex First model**: A remote-friendly culture that allows hiring top talent across the U.S. and Canada, reducing geographic constraints.

## Strategic Focus
- **Flex First & distributed work**: Empowering employees to work from home or offices, with periodic “Team Jams” for in‑person collaboration. [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
- **Continued platform growth**: Expanding retailer partnerships and improving the shopping experience for customers, shoppers, and brands.
- **Employee experience**: Investing in learning & development, wellness, and community impact programs to attract and retain talent.

## Why Work Here
- **Flex First philosophy**: Employees can work remotely from anywhere in the U.S. (excluding Alaska and territories) or Canada (Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia) with no mandatory return-to-office date. Offices remain open for optional use. [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
- **Comprehensive benefits** (from the “Taste of Instacart” page): [instacart.careers](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)
  - Flexible time off and “Four Year Fill‑Up” (four consecutive weeks of leave around the 4‑year mark)
  - Family‑building benefits (fertility, adoption, surrogacy support)
  - Learning & development programs with an annual allowance
  - 401(k) matching in the U.S. / RRSP in Canada, student loan assistance, financial planning
  - Work‑from‑home stipend and internet reimbursement
  - Monthly “Treat Yourself” stipend for wellness or personal care
  - Mental and physical wellness programs, medical/dental/vision coverage
  - Free Instacart+ membership
  - Community volunteer programs (Instacart Serves, donation matching, “Carrot Credits”)
- **Culture**: 59% of employees on Glassdoor would recommend the company; Glassdoor ratings show 3.5★ overall, with 3.3★ for culture & values and 3.6★ for career opportunities. [glassdoor.com](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm) The company describes itself as a place where you can “shape the career that nourishes you.”

## Sources
1. [Glassdoor – Instacart Overview](https://www.glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Instacart-EI_IE714486.11,20.htm)
2. [Instacart Careers – Home](https://www.instacart.careers/)
3. [Instacart Careers – Flex First](https://www.instacart.careers/flex-first)
4. [Instacart Careers – Taste of Instacart](https://www.instacart.careers/taste-of-instacart)

## Other roles at Instacart

- [Senior Global Mobility and Immigration Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-global-mobility-and-immigration-specialist-instacart-canada-4a9k60zrsf30) — Canada
- [Senior Global Mobility and Immigration Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-global-mobility-and-immigration-specialist-instacart-united-states-cv3fmzgktpnj) — United States
- [Senior Data Scientist](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-data-scientist-instacart-canada-e5drbxctfsqv) — Canada
- [Principal Product Manager, Ads Quality](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-manager-ads-quality-instacart-canada-yknn12ydhakp) — Canada
- [Principal Product Manager, Ads Quality](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-product-manager-ads-quality-instacart-united-states-kw4egzwtdgkt) — United States
- [Lifecycle Marketing Coordinator, CRM](https://feeny.ai/job/lifecycle-marketing-coordinator-crm-instacart-canada-rva3jrsbj8c8) — Canada
- [Lifecycle Marketing Coordinator, CRM](https://feeny.ai/job/lifecycle-marketing-coordinator-crm-instacart-united-states-db27wwmcgs79) — United States
- [Deal Desk Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/deal-desk-specialist-instacart-canada-8sxhav0zx5q8) — Canada
- [Deal Desk Specialist](https://feeny.ai/job/deal-desk-specialist-instacart-united-states-xz45wnj1fydb) — United States
- [Senior Manager, Technology Internal Audit](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-technology-internal-audit-instacart-united-states-39mbndfmd84k) — United States