Design Strategist

LINK; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 86,000 - 116,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401K with company match

Paid holidays and PTO

Professional development reimbursement

Annual bonus plan

Job summary

LINK is seeking a Design Strategist in Washington, DC to lead client engagements and translate complex research into strategic design decisions. The role emphasizes human-centered design, systems thinking, and visual storytelling to shape product, service, and organizational strategies.

You will collaborate with engineers and cross-functional teams, facilitate workshops, and deliver actionable frameworks that support meaningful outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Communication, Sociology, Psychology, Human-Centered Design, or related field.
• 5–10 years of experience in design strategy, service design, UX, research, consulting or related field.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Expertise in human-centered design, design thinking, systems thinking, and collaborative solving.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops and stakeholder engagements.
• Strong written and verbal communication; ability to translate research into strategic outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead client engagements independently with cross-functional teams.
• Conduct research, facilitate workshops, synthesize insights, and develop strategic recommendations.
• Develop visual frameworks, information architectures, journey maps, and decision tools.
• Translate research into actionable frameworks for design strategy and organizational decisions.
• Guide teams and manage workstreams across projects.

Skills

Design strategy

Facilitation

User research

Systems thinking

Visual storytelling

Cross-functional collaboration

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Design/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

LINK is actively seeking a Design Strategist to join our dynamic team, where we leverage strong partnerships and a diverse portfolio of clients to solve complex organizational challenges through human-centered design. In this role, you will independently lead key aspects of client engagements, collaborating with clients, engineers, and cross-functional teams to conduct research, facilitate workshops, synthesize insights, and develop strategic recommendations that drive meaningful outcomes.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced design strategist to apply design thinking, Human-Centered Design (HCD), systems thinking, and visual storytelling to help organizations navigate complexity and make informed decisions. You will work closely with clients to understand their needs, translate research and stakeholder perspectives into actionable frameworks and decision-support tools, and deliver high-quality solutions that create lasting impact. The ideal candidate is a strong facilitator, strategic thinker, and collaborative problem solver with a proven ability to lead client engagements, communicate complex ideas clearly, and contribute to the growth of both project teams and design strategy practices.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Communication, Sociology, Psychology, Human-Centered Design, or a related field.
• 5–10 years of experience in design strategy, service design, user experience, research, consulting, communications, or a related field.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Expertise in human-centered design, design thinking, systems thinking, and collaborative problem-solving methodologies.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research findings into strategic recommendations, visual frameworks, and actionable outcomes.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops, stakeholder engagements, and collaborative working sessions.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
• Ability to synthesize information from multiple sources into coherent insights, recommendations, and strategic direction.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining quality and attention to detail.
• Comfort operating in fast-paced environments and adapting to evolving client and stakeholder needs.
• Portfolio that demonstrates both design execution and strategic decision-making

Responsibilities

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Strategy Development

• Leads collaboration with engineers, subject matter experts, and cross-functional teams to develop solutions grounded in both technical realities and human needs.
• Serves as a bridge between technical and non-technical stakeholders, helping establish alignment, shared understanding, and informed decision-making.
• Develops research-driven insights that inform product, service, program, and organizational strategies.
• Develops content strategies, information architectures, experience frameworks, wireframes, and content maps that support strategic objectives.
• Independently manages workstreams and deliverables while coordinating effectively across project teams.

User Research & Strategic Insight Development

• Leads planning and execution of mixed-method user research activities, including interviews, contextual inquiry, observations, and stakeholder analysis.
• Develops research plans, discussion guides, and research deliverables that support strategic decision-making.
• Synthesizes qualitative and quantitative findings into actionable insights, opportunity areas, and recommendations.
• Translates technical, operational, and policy-focused topics into human-centered narratives that resonate with diverse audiences.
• Integrates primary and secondary research findings into cohesive strategic perspectives that inform design and organizational decisions.

Information Strategy & Strategic Visualization

• Develops visual frameworks, journey maps, ecosystem maps, service blueprints, and decision-support tools that communicate complex information clearly.
• Translates research findings, stakeholder perspectives, and systems-level considerations into visualizations that support strategic planning and decision-making.
• Creates compelling visual narratives that communicate insights, opportunities, risks, and recommendations.
• Guides the organization and presentation of information to improve clarity, usability, and stakeholder understanding.

Workshop Facilitation & Stakeholder Alignment

• Designs and facilitates workshops, design sprints, stakeholder engagements, and co-creation activities that advance project objectives and build stakeholder alignment.
• Develops facilitation approaches, agendas, exercises, and materials that encourage collaboration, problem-solving, and innovation.
• Synthesizes workshop outputs into actionable insights, strategic opportunities, and recommended next steps.
• Helps stakeholders navigate ambiguity, competing priorities, and complex decision environments.

Work Schedule

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

Salary:

LINK is committed to offering competitive compensation. While the salary range for this position is $86,000 - $116,000, your final offer may be adjusted based on factors such as experience and 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.