Associate Director, Information Design or Design Strategy; Design Lead

LINK; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 127,000 - 182,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Internet stipend

Commuter stipend

Healthcare benefits

Short Term Disability

401K with employer contribution

Federal holidays

PTO

Bonus plan participation

Profit sharing

Learning and Development reimbursement

Technology package

Job summary

LINK, a leading design partner in Washington, DC, seeks an Associate Director; Design Lead to drive human-centered design across client engagements and internal teams. You will couple strategic vision with hands-on design leadership to ensure consistent delivery of high-quality, brand-appropriate outcomes.

The role emphasizes mentoring design teams, shaping project direction, and advancing information design across media while partnering with cross-functional colleagues to navigate complex

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in design-related field is required.
• 10+ years of professional design consulting experience with leadership of teams.
• Strong understanding of human-centered design and visual design principles.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow design teams, often cross-disciplinary.

Responsibilities

• Partner with Project Team Leadership to drive strategic design direction and organizational impact.
• Serve as primary design point of contact for project teams and represent design-thinking in leadership forums.
• Identify strategic opportunities within client spaces and recommend process improvements.

Skills

Human-centered design

Design thinking

Brand design

Leadership

Team management

Information design

Client relationships

Visual storytelling

End-to-end design

Portfolio

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Design Communications, UX Design, Visual Journalism, Visual Communications, Sociology, Psychology or related field

Job description

Who We Are:

LINK is a fast-growing Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) that leverages human-centered design to support strategy, innovation, communication, change, and branding within the federal government and adjacent industry partners. At LINK, we partner with engineers, futurists, and thought leaders to untangle complexity, discover opportunity, and communicate clearly with visual stories.

Let us be your partners in change.

About the Opportunity:

The Associate Director; Design Lead plays a critical role in supporting LINK’s mission to deliver human-centered design and strategic solutions to our clients. This position focuses on leading internal design teams, partnering closely with cross-functional roles to drive consistent delivery of quality and brand appropriate deliverables.

This is an exciting opportunity for a professional in the Design Strategy or Information Design Competency. Ideal candidates will bring a proven track record of creative and strategic expertise to elevate LINK’s business growth and deliver high-quality, human-centered design solutions.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Design Communications, UX Design, Visual Journalism, Visual Communications, Sociology, Psychology or related field.
• 10+ years of professional experience in design consulting, or a related field, with demonstrated success leading, managing, and developing high-performing teams.
• Deep understanding of human-centered design, design thinking processes, and visual design principles.
• Experience driving brand expression and consistency including brand design and formats.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with a comfort in copy editing.
• Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow design teams (often cross-disciplinary).
• Leader in visual communication and design principles & foundations.
• Experience and comfort designing intelligible information hierarchies and frameworks that support information navigability, understanding, and retention.
• Experience working directly with clients and developing positive client relationships.
• Mastery in applying information design principles and in visual storytelling through various media.
• The ability to navigate ambiguity and provide strategic guidance that brings clarity to goals, requirements, and outcomes—particularly in complex or high-visibility engagements.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating end-to-end design work (concepts, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, visual design, final execution).

Responsibilities:

Strategic & Creative Leadership

• Partner with Project Team Leadership to drive strategic design direction and organizational impact.
• Serve as the primary design point of contact for project team(s) and represent the design-thinking process in cross-functional and leadership forums.
• Identify strategic opportunities within the client space and recommend process improvements to ensure efficient application of the Systems Model.
• Drive visual brand expression, consistency, and standards—covering identity, architecture, and design systems.
• Guide internal teams through design execution by setting clear priorities, decision frameworks, and feedback loops.

Team Management & Development

• Mentor and guide the design process, modeling effective client engagement, deadline management, and creative problem-solving.
• Support onboarding and development of new information designers and design strategists to the project team, providing regular updates to PMs and the competency manager(s).
• Monitor team performance and resource utilization, ensuring collaboration, growth, and successful delivery.
• Participate in recruiting and interviewing candidates for design-related roles.

Project Execution & Quality Delivery

• Oversee design execution across the contract, ensuring high-quality, brand-appropriate deliverables.
• Apply human-centered design and design thinking methodologies to project workflows.
• Ensure consistent use of design assets, libraries, frameworks, and emerging technologies (e.g., AI).
• Communicate tradeoffs and impacts of shifting deadlines and identify opportunities to share team successes.

Work Schedule:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Some travel required to attend relevant events and conferences, and participate in LINK team events

Salary:

We’re committed to providing competitive compensation, including locality adjustments. The base salary range for this position is $127,000-$182,000. Your final offer will reflect your experience, qualifications, and geographic location.

Benefits:

• $100 monthly internet/cell phone stipend
• $150 monthly commuter stipend for eligible participants
• LINK sponsored healthcare benefits including medical, dental, vision
• Company-paid Short Term Disability Insurance
• 401K with employer contribution of up to 4%
• 11 Federal Holidays per year
• 15 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) per year
• Paid Holiday Time Off (Christmas Eve through the New Year)
• Annual bonus plan participation
• Annual profit sharing participation
• $2,000 Learning and Development program reimbursement
• Technology package that includes a LINK-owned MacBook Pro, monitor, mouse and keyboard

LINK is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by applicable state, local, and federal law.

If you are unable to complete this application due to a disability, contact Human Resources to ask for an accommodation or an alternative application process.