Design Strategist: Human-Centered Strategy & Visuals

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

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.