Design Operations New York 2026

Gary Goldsmith has spent 7+ years as a Design Program Manager at Meta, where he leads Design Operations for Instagram's Trust & Safety organization. His work focuses on building operational systems for youth safety and regulatory compliance—navigating the kind of ambiguity and pace of change that no template can fully account for.

With nearly 20 years of experience across digital agencies and Tech, Gary's approach to program management is rooted in a core belief: sustainable operations aren't built on process alone—they're built on understanding how people actually behave, collaborate, and resist change. His work sits at the intersection of operational rigor and human dynamics, designing systems that account for the messy realities of how teams function.

A trained improviser and co-founder of Unthinkable Comedy — an improv and sketch comedy program for kids and teens — Gary brings ensemble performance principles into his DesignOps practice: deep listening, adaptability, and the understanding that the best systems are designed around people, not the other way around. Outside of work he can be found performing improv across NY, coaching his sons' baseball teams, or facilitating corporate workshops."