Aligned cross-functional senior leadership on strategic business goals across key pillars, driving company-wide operational initiatives and establishing cross-product systems for operational parity

Led comprehensive strategic design research with 50+ stakeholders across Product and Design, diagnosing operational gaps and translating findings into actionable strategic recommendations for cross-functional improvements

Orchestrated 3-month Design Modernization Workshop that uplifted skills, standardized best practices, and directly influenced Design's strategic contribution to FY26 objectives

Designed and facilitated strategic alignment workshops with senior leadership to define future-state experiences and secure cross-functional buy-in for key initiatives

Launched Design Community of Practice (CoP) establishing a knowledge-sharing platform that fosters cohesive design identity across our decentralized organization

Mentored senior individual contributors and managers across the Design organization through modernization initiatives, enabling broader organizational impact

Defined complex business problems and translated them into actionable design challenges and strategic opportunities for cross-functional teams

Scaled operational excellence by implementing 6 design rituals and reviews across the global Design Team, increasing product development lifecycle efficiency and strengthening cross-functional collaboration with Product teams

Streamlined Solution Discovery Reviews through a design-wide quality initiative focused on Jobs-To-Be-Done, Adoption, and Innovation frameworks, now integrated into the standard Product Development planning process

Partnered with Senior Director of Innovation to develop comprehensive design strategy for customer experience vision, leading cross-functional forums that aligned MVP experiences, secured resourcing, and drove successful execution

Designed and facilitated a 3-day AI utilization workshop using the Alternative Future Framework with 70 designers, driving adoption of AI tools across research, ideation, prototyping, concepting, and branding—resulting in measurably increased designer confidence with AI tools, improved world-building skills, and direct integration of AI work into Zendesk product development

Built and scaled the Design Operations organization from the ground up, establishing foundational workflows and support systems that enabled more efficient design outcomes across Product Design

Led the Design Operations team twice over one year, managing 6 Design Operations Managers and establishing a comprehensive two-year operations roadmap that guided organizational growth and strategic initiatives

Served as Interim Director of Design Operations for 6 months, leading team execution of org-wide initiatives that elevated design team maturity, improved cross-functional alignment, and scaled tooling globally

Executed strategic roadmap initiatives including launching Community of Practice, Design Week, design portfolio reviews, Design All Hands, and design sizing standards, creating comprehensive operational infrastructure

Established foundational governance and standardization frameworks that improved cross-functional alignment, optimized creative processes, and provided strategic clarity throughout all stages of design development

Managed and mentored Design Program Managers through coaching, performance goal-setting, and development planning, successfully elevating several team members into broader leadership roles across the organization

Established strategic partnerships for Design Ops and developed leadership team standards roadmap, strengthening cross-functional relationships and elevating design's organizational influence

Audited and optimized processes across Content Design, UX Research, Architecture, and Design System teams, resulting in improved project scoping accuracy, enhanced partner collaboration, and increased team satisfaction through better workload visibility and understanding

Co-created Design Diversity and Inclusion group with Global DEI team, delivering a new Zendesk DEI page and establishing inclusive operational frameworks across the design organization