A Snapshot of My Experience
I’ve spent my career in Design, moving between designing, leading, and supporting the teams doing the work. I’ve managed people and projects directly, and also leaned into design operations—building the systems, processes, and culture that help teams thrive. That range has shaped how I think about what makes a design org successful.
Product Design Manager & Operations Lead
2023 – 2025
This role sat at the intersection of people, product, and process. I managed a talented team of designers and helped drive adoption and usability for our no-code enterprise IDE. I built systems and rituals—like structured planning, intake, design QA, and critiques—that enabled design to scale and collaborate effectively with product and engineering.
In parallel, I shaped strategic product decisions by bringing a UX lens to roadmap planning and stepping in hands-on to solve critical design challenges. The result: measurable improvements in design quality, iteration speed, user sentiment, and adoption.
Design Leadership at Unqork
Driving Adoption of UDesigner, a No-code Enterprise Development Platform
Senior Design Program Manager
2021 – 2022
When I stepped into this role, the 25+ person design org was nascent—culture was weak, collaboration was siloed, and communication lacked consistency. I helped surface these challenges to leadership, shaped an operational roadmap to address them, and led the work to rebuild the team’s foundation.
I focused on uniting design leadership, launching a learning and development program, introducing team-building rituals, and monitoring team health through a repeatable feedback process. These efforts helped restore alignment, strengthen culture, and boost satisfaction with growth and collaboration.
Measuring Design Team Health
Design Operations Manager
2019 – 2021
I helped define and grow Automattic’s second iteration of Design Operations—DesignEx, short for Designer Experience. I supported a globally distributed, 70+ person design organization across 9 teams and 12+ products, focused on making design work better, feel more connected, and continuously evolve.
My role centered on four key pillars: New Talent Management, Culture & Community, Growth & Development, and Design Infrastructure. I scaled hiring and onboarding, built programs for ongoing learning, fostered connection across time zones, and introduced systems and processes to help design stay effective and impactful in a remote-first environment.
Supporting the design teams of:
Scaling and Unifying Design Leadership Across 9 Design Teams
New Hire Onboarding: Helping New Designers Contribute Earlier
Design Operations Lead
2018 – 2019
In this pivotal role, I transitioned from Design Manager to become a founding member of Design Operations at Automattic. I partnered with the Head of Design to lead operations for the WordPress.com design team—while they focused on strategy, I ensured the team was set up to execute and deliver impact. I built the team’s operational foundation, led roadmap planning with product and engineering, and introduced rituals that improved delivery, alignment, and team effectiveness.
Evolving WordPress.com Design Rituals
Design Manager
2017 – 2018
Senior Product Designer
2015 – 2017
At WordPress.com, I grew from Senior Product Designer into a Design Manager role, leading a team of five while continuing to contribute to complex product initiatives. I supported team growth, guided work on projects like our Google Business integration and .blog domain launch, and built a strong feedback culture through regular critique.
I partnered with product and engineering to shape priorities and strengthen alignment across our distributed team—balancing hands-on design with coaching and cross-functional leadership in a remote environment.
Words from those I’ve worked with:
Chela Giraldo
Senior Design Systems Designer
Unqork
“Mike was such a key part of our design team at Unqork. We worked side by side on a bunch of projects, and he made big things happen, things that actually changed how our team worked… He also ran all our design meetings, standups, reviews, demos, workshops, you name it. And he did it in a way that kept things moving but also made space for real collaboration. He really cared about the work, not just pushing pixels, but making sure we were solving the right problems and staying connected across product and engineering. Mike was always the one bridging the gaps and making sure everyone was in sync.”
Brenden Knecht
Product Manager
Unqork
“Mike’s exceptional leadership spanned multiple product teams, consistently elevating the user experience for our clients. In our fast-paced environment where priorities shifted rapidly, Mike established a remarkably effective process that enhanced communication between product, engineering, and design teams, enabling high-quality design work despite tight timelines. His strategic vision and strong leadership ensured his team delivered outstanding results across diverse product areas.”
Megan Schwarz
Senior Director, Product Design
Unqork
“Mike is an exceptional design leader—deeply detail-oriented, process-savvy, and highly empathetic in his approach to leadership.
Mike was instrumental in shaping our design operations. He introduced thoughtful systems and workflows that significantly improved our team’s efficiency and ensured we consistently met our milestones. His ability to anticipate needs and proactively solve for operational gaps helped elevate our team’s performance and collaboration across functions.
… He was my right hand—someone I could count on to lead with integrity, manage complexity with calm, and represent our team with professionalism and care. He built strong, respectful relationships with cross-functional partners and advocated for his team with both heart and strategy.”
Katrina Priya
Product Designer
Unqork
Mike helped me unblock tasks, navigate team dynamics, and stay focused on the work that mattered. He also ran clear, efficient meetings and workshops while building real structure around our design process. We planned a few NYC off-sites together, where I saw firsthand how he managed complex logistics under pressure with ease.
Most importantly, Mike leads without ego. He listens, cares deeply, and brings calm, empathy, and positivity to work every day. He’s genuinely a kind, curious, and thoughtful individual. Any team would be lucky to have him.
Jeffrey Zeldman
Executive Creative Director
Automattic
“As gifted with people as he is at design and design operations, he is a brilliant, efficient, energetic and hard-working IC as well as a skilled manager and lead. Mike is unfailingly cordial and upbeat, even when delivering tough feedback; he takes responsibility for his team’s setbacks, and gives team members credit when they succeed. He fights for the user, his team, and what’s right, yet always manages to align the best user outcome with the company’s most important goals… Leadership trusts his word. He is a bridge builder.”