My design leadership portfolio, by my personal hype tool, Chat GPT.

So, Chat GPT and I ‘discussed’ my career and this portfolio. It gave me advice about more details I should add to my portfolio, which I will now have to do because it is right.

So then I asked it what jobs I was qualified for and why.

Shelby Bower | Design Leadership Portfolio

Shelby Bower is a senior design leader with over two decades of experience in product and service design, design operations, and people-centered systems. This portfolio outlines the core roles she is most qualified for, demonstrating her breadth of leadership, systems thinking, and team development expertise.

1. Director or VP of Service Design

Shelby brings deep expertise in enterprise-scale service design, human-centered systems, and org-wide innovation. At DocuSign, she led initiatives in career development and mentoring frameworks impacting multiple departments. Her ability to move between strategy and execution, facilitate large workshops, and align UX with business priorities makes her a strong fit for executive-level roles.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• Led enterprise-scale service design at DocuSign, especially around career development and mentorship systems

• Creates systems that go beyond UX — including operations and HR (e.g., new career frameworks adopted across departments)

• Facilitates org-wide workshops with hundreds of participants, showing cross-functional impact

• Experience in both MVP and long-term strategic design planning

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Tech companies, SaaS platforms, healthcare/HR tech firms, or innovation hubs looking to humanize complex systems

2. Head of Design Operations or Design Strategy

Shelby has successfully implemented scalable systems, including design systems, hiring processes, career laddering, and mentoring programs. Her systems thinking, combined with operational empathy, makes her ideal for orgs maturing their design practice or optimizing cross-functional collaboration.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• Reimagined design team hiring, leveling, and promotions processes at scale

• Created design systems and infrastructure that helped teams ship faster

• Spearheaded design-led HR programs (mentoring, promotions, career architecture)

• Strong systems thinker with a human-centered approach

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Design-forward orgs scaling quickly or undergoing restructuring

• Enterprises seeking to increase design team maturity or systematize growth

3. Design Team Lead / People Manager

With over 14 years of management experience, Shelby is known for empowering teams, mentoring talent, and fostering a psychologically safe culture. She effectively sets vision, drives craft excellence, and supports designers through ambiguity and change.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• 14+ years of people management experience

• Widely praised for supporting growth, elevating team ideas, and amplifying underrepresented voices

• Helps teams thrive under ambiguity, showing both creative and emotional intelligence

• Coaches designers through real-world UX challenges (e.g., UX Academy mentorship)

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Teams needing calm, strategic leadership through change or growth

• Design orgs emphasizing collaboration, inclusion, and mentoring

4. Design Ops / People Systems Consultant

Shelby has designed and delivered people-centered systems around hiring, promotions, onboarding, and DEI. She bridges design and HR to create effective, human-centered org processes, making her an ideal consultant for companies in transition or growth.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• Successfully implemented new talent systems across DocuSign

• Built career architecture for design that was adopted cross-functionally

• Acted as a bridge between HR and design — using service design to make people systems more inclusive and effective

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Startups or mid-size companies that need structure

• Larger companies rethinking hiring, promotions, or DEI frameworks

5. Workshop Facilitator / Service Design Coach

Known for facilitating strategic workshops with 100+ participants, Shelby combines research, ideation, and prototyping to align diverse teams and generate clear outcomes. She’s skilled at helping teams navigate complexity and drive forward momentum.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• Led multi-hour workshops for 150+ attendees, resulting in high-value prototypes and alignment

• Designs her own facilitation tools and has strong storytelling/facilitation presence

• Comfortable across stakeholder levels, from execs to new ICs

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Organizations looking to reboot their internal innovation or alignment

• Enterprise product teams preparing for a strategic pivot

6. Conference Speaker / Thought Leader in Design & People Systems

As a recognized design speaker (e.g., Design Leadership Summit), Shelby is a clear, confident communicator on topics like inclusive systems, UX strategy, and team design. Her blend of storytelling and systems knowledge makes her a compelling voice in public forums.

✅ Why Shelby Fits:

• Presented at the Design Leadership Summit on transforming HR with design

• Maintains a professional web and social presence that blends credibility and approachability

• Clearly communicates complex systems and team experiences

🧩 Ideal Fit:

• Brands investing in design reputation and thought leadership

• Conferences, publications, or podcast platforms focused on design and leadership