SUMMARY
An interview with Will S., Head of Design Operations for the GenAI team at Meta
What is your role at Meta? Tell us about your work.
I’m the Head of Design Operations for the GenAI team at Meta. This is a rapidly developing space, and nearly every product here at Meta is integrating this evolving technology. With an effort of this size and complexity comes the need to optimize and scale our design organization’s working model — and that’s where my team and I come in. I joined the GenAI team after being on the Facebook design team for nearly eight years, where I worked on large, horizontal efforts across both Facebook and Meta, so I had a lot of experience to build on and leverage within this new opportunity.
What inspires your work and approach?
I’ve always found myself in roles that blend elements of product management and design, as I enjoy designing ways to simplify complex product environments. My approach is characterized by a strong passion for connecting dots and creating clarity and simplicity where conflict or confusion is blocking progress. Design operations aims to develop cohesive and intuitive working models that not only improve speed and efficiency, but also enhance strategy, quality and craft.
Can you tell us about your career journey so far?
My journey began in 2007 as a server admin, thanks to a kind professor and mentor from the University of Maine. From there, I delved deeper into website and app development as a “jack-of-all-trades” product manager, UX designer and front-end engineer — basically whatever our small 9-person team needed to get the job done. I left Maine in 2013 and landed in San Francisco, where I did two stops at large digital agencies, then moved client-side to GoPro, Nest and finally Facebook in 2016.
Tell us about your process. What is your go-to approach for starting a project?
I have two approaches for this depending on the team:
- An opinionated approach: If we can be colocated, a room and a whiteboard are ideal. But with asynchronous working being the prevalent mode these days, a shared doc or FigJam is a great proxy for live collaboration and just getting thoughts out and captured quickly.
- And an adaptive one: With established or highly opinionated cohorts, I am happy to flex towards the established strengths of the group and defer and learn from their approach, at least until I can suggest alternatives effectively.
What is unique about design operations at Meta?
Design operations at Meta is primarily concerned with supporting design at unprecedented scale. As the product grows and evolves, so too must our design team’s approach and commitment to holding a high bar for the user experience. Ultimately, the goal of design operations is to ensure we’re all rowing in the same direction, and doing so as efficiently as possible.
Can you tell us about your transition from Facebook to the GenAI team?
Fortunately, I was able to quickly shift my scope at Facebook while rapidly increasing my work for the GenAI team. I am still working closely with many of my close peers and collaborators from Facebook (and across Meta), supporting the integration of GenAI across all our products and platforms. I feel very fortunate to take learnings from my experience on the Facebook team and apply them to this new edge of innovation for Meta.
What inspires you about AI?
We’ve barely scratched the surface — the potential of AI is vast, largely untapped and stands to change so many things. While there are risks, we as a company shine in navigating hard challenges like this and creating safe spaces for innovation. I see it as a massive blank slate of opportunity and impact that is eager to be written.
Will is excited to explore GenAI as a new edge of innovation at Meta, including the ability to creatively alter videos and memes through text input.
What are your top 3 tips for developing your career?
- Network ruthlessly and sincerely: Networking is not just about making random connections on LinkedIn. Meaningful relationships are built on substance and authenticity, and good karma can take you a long way. Being genuine in your interactions will help you establish deeper connections that can lead to valuable opportunities.
- Craft your story: As you meet people, consider what you would like them to think and say about you and what you can do. You have the power to propagate the narrative you want directly.
- Find a mentor: Self-reflection is a crucial skill to develop, but having a mentor to discuss and gain new perspectives on these reflections is equally valuable and is a force multiplier.
What advice or insight did you receive from a mentor that impacted your career?
“You get paid for your opinion.” Realizing I wasn’t sharing my perspective enough changed my career. I shed my fear of feeling like my contributions weren’t worthwhile and found bravery in the fact that someone, somewhere was likely thinking the same thing I was. By sharing my opinion, I may even inspire others to do the same.
Can you tell us a fun fact about your experience at the company?
I originally joined Facebook to support a team that was largely staffed with paper-cut artists. I didn’t even know what paper-cut art was, but it was so unique that I couldn’t resist. Taking that leap of faith has changed my life immeasurably, showing me that embracing the unknown can lead to great things!
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