Volunteer Project Manager – Universal Design System Team

About Dev Launchers

Dev Launchers is a global nonprofit dedicated to bridging opportunity gaps through technology education and real-world experience. Our members collaborate across design, product, and engineering to build meaningful projects while developing the skills and confidence needed to advance their careers.

A core foundation of our work is the Universal Design System (UDS). The design system provides reusable components, patterns, and documentation used across Dev Launchers products, enabling teams to build more consistently, efficiently, and accessibly.

We are seeking a Volunteer Project Manager to help guide the planning, coordination, and roadmap of the Universal Design System team.

The Role

This role focuses on moving the design system forward through structured planning and coordination across teams.

The Project Manager will organize tickets, maintain the roadmap, and ensure collaboration between designers, product leaders, and developers so that design system work progresses smoothly from concept to implementation.

While the team is composed primarily of designers, the design system directly supports internal product development, making cross-functional coordination essential.

This role is ideal for someone who:

• Has experience with design or UX
• Enjoys planning and coordination
• Wants to grow into product or project management leadership

Responsibilities

• Maintain and organize the Universal Design System roadmap
• Create, prioritize, and update tickets using GitHub Projects or similar tools
• Coordinate work across design, product, and development teams
• Monitor team progress and identify blockers
• Collaborate with designers to plan upcoming component work
• Help ensure design system work progresses from design → documentation → development
• Support cross-team communication when design system updates affect product teams
• Work closely with the Design Director, who will assist designers with design-specific challenges while the Project Manager focuses on planning and coordination

Qualifications

We are looking for someone who is organized, proactive, and comfortable operating with independence.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience with Figma
• Experience using GitHub Projects, Jira, Linear, Notion, or similar planning tools
• Strong organizational and planning skills
• Comfort in a leadership or mentorship role
• Ability to operate as a self-starter with minimal oversight
• Interest in design systems, UX, product development, or design operations

This role is especially well suited for someone with a design background who wants to transition toward product or project management.

Time Commitment & Collaboration Cadence

This role requires approximately 5–10 hours per week, combining synchronous collaboration sessions and asynchronous coordination.

You will typically attend two synchronous collaboration sessions per week.

During one week each month, only the weekly product session is required.

Weekly (Required)

Product Collaboration Session

Sunday, 12:15 PM – 1:15 PM CST

Monthly Rotating Sessions (Required)

In addition to the weekly session above, one of the following sessions will occur each week depending on the rotation schedule.

Design Team Retrospective

Sunday, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST

Product × Research × Design Collaboration

Sunday, 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM CST

Product × Development × Design Collaboration

Sunday, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM CST

Each of these sessions occurs once per month, meaning that most weeks will include two synchronous sessions, while one week per month will only include the weekly product collaboration session.

Optional Sessions

You are welcome to attend additional Design Collaboration Sessions on Sundays from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM CST if you would like deeper visibility into design work.

There is also an optional organization-wide collaboration session on Wednesdays from 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CST.

Expected Weekly Time

• ~2 hours of synchronous collaboration sessions
• ~3–8 hours of asynchronous collaboration

Async collaboration primarily occurs through Discord and GitHub Projects, including reviewing standups, updating tickets, maintaining the roadmap, and coordinating with designers, product managers, and developers.

Async work primarily takes place through Discord and GitHub Projects, including:

• Reviewing and engaging with team async standups
• Planning and updating tickets
• Coordinating with designers, product managers, and developers
• Maintaining roadmap visibility and progress

What You’ll Gain

• Hands-on experience managing a real design system used in active products
• Experience coordinating work across design, product, and engineering
• Leadership experience within a global nonprofit technology community
• Opportunities to collaborate with experienced designers and developers
• Portfolio-worthy experience working with design systems and product infrastructure
• Exposure to cross-functional product development workflows

Impact

The Universal Design System helps Dev Launchers teams build products more efficiently and consistently. Your work will directly influence how design and development teams collaborate and scale their work across the organization.

If you enjoy bringing structure to complex systems and helping teams move forward with clarity, we would love to hear from you.