Taylor Oliva

Taylor Oliva is a senior leader at Instacart, currently serving as the Senior Staff Planning & Development Lead for the Design & Research organization.1 With a career focused on strategic planning and operational excellence, Taylor has established herself as a key figure in design operations and organizational development.

Career at Instacart

Taylor has been with Instacart since 2020, progressing through several roles:

1. Senior Design Program Manager (May 2020 - September 2020)
2. Head of Design and Research Operations (September 2020 - August 2022)
3. Design & Research Org Planning and Development Lead (August 2022 - Present)
4. Senior Staff Planning & Development Lead, Design & Research (April 2023 - Present)1

In her current role, Taylor partners with the Design and Research leadership team to identify and operationalize high-priority programs across people, processes, and products. Her focus is on optimizing quality and enabling great work within the organization.12

Expertise and Contributions

Taylor is known for:

• Leading strategic planning and development for Instacart's Design & Research Org
• Helping teams become more effective and efficient
• Expertise in design operations, program management, and organizational strategy1

She also contributes to the broader design operations community as:

• A Learning Lab Professor at DesignOps Assembly, teaching and supporting new Design Operations practitioners
• A moderator for DesignOps Assembly1

Background and Career Path

Taylor's path to design operations was nontraditional. She started in recruiting operations and later transitioned to in-house roles. Her career has consistently focused on improving team efficiency and building strong communities.3

Before joining Instacart, Taylor held positions at:

• Thumbtack as a Design Program Manager
• Grassbridge LLC as Head of Recruiting Operations and Coordination1

Taylor's experience and expertise have made her a respected voice in the design operations field, often sharing insights on establishing and scaling DesignOps at startups and improving cross-functional collaboration.2