Senior Design Strategist & Program Lead

Useinktothink; Charleston, Northern (SC, KY); Hybrid; USD 111,000 - 151,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Internet stipend

Commuter stipend

Healthcare benefits

401K with employer contributions

Holiday time and PTO

Learning and development reimbursement

LINK technology package

Job summary

LINK in Charleston, SC, is seeking a Senior Strategist or Design Strategist; Program Manager to lead innovative design strategies, partner with executive clients, and deliver human-centered storytelling that aligns with mission and brand identity.

You will manage complex engagements, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and apply data-driven insights to drive growth and client outcomes. Hybrid onsite work and travel may be required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communication, English, Business, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in strategic communication, public affairs, program management, or strategy development.
• 7+ years program/project management experience including familiarity with Agile methodologies and project delivery best practices.
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, maintaining a strong focus on accuracy and attention to detail.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate in a clear, approachable, and knowledgeable manner.
• Government contracting experience.
• PMP certification preferred.
• Security clearance as required by contracts.
• Experience with human-centered design and design thinking principles.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.

Responsibilities

• Serves as a trusted advisor to clients by framing complex challenges, identifying opportunities, and applying human-centered design approaches to inform strategic decision-making.
• Partners directly with client stakeholders to understand organizational priorities, user needs, operational constraints, and desired outcomes.
• Leads the development of design strategy approaches that align stakeholder needs, business objectives, and mission requirements.
• Guides cross-functional teams through ambiguity, helping stakeholders build alignment and make informed decisions.
• Identifies opportunities to create tangible business value and support long-term client success.
• Provides guidance that helps clients make informed decisions and navigate organizational complexity.
• Translates complex ideas into compelling strategic narratives, executive-level presentations, communication strategies, and decision-support products.
• Develops messaging frameworks that align leadership vision, organizational priorities, and stakeholder needs.
• Define content structures, information hierarchies, and storytelling approaches that communicate complex concepts clearly and effectively.
• Collaborates with creative teams to develop high-quality visual products that support strategic objectives and audience understanding.
• Establishes quality standards for strategic deliverables and provides guidance to team members to ensure consistency and excellence.
• Leads development of executive-ready materials that support decision-making, alignment, and organizational action.
• Designs and facilitates workshops, design sprints, stakeholder engagements, and co-creation activities that advance strategic objectives and drive organizational alignment.
• Develops facilitation approaches, agendas, exercises, and collaborative experiences that enable productive dialogue and structured problem-solving.
• Synthesizes workshop outputs into actionable findings, recommendations, and implementation considerations.
• Helps stakeholders navigate competing priorities, organizational complexity, and change initiatives through structured facilitation and engagement.
• Guides teams in applying human-centered design methods throughout project lifecycles.
• Mentors teammates through coaching, knowledge sharing, and constructive feedback.
• Models LINK values and contributes to a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.
• Shares tools, approaches, and lessons learned that improve the quality and consistency of work across engagements.
• Serve as the primary point of accountability for contract performance, client satisfaction, financial health, and delivery success.
• Maintain strong client relationships and serve as a trusted advisor to client stakeholders.
• Collaborate with clients to understand challenges, define priorities, manage expectations, and identify opportunities to create additional value.
• Lead strategic planning activities and establish program priorities, objectives, and delivery approaches.
• Identify opportunities to extend existing work and support business development efforts within client organizations.
• Establish delivery priorities and provide direction to project teams in support of contract objectives.
• Oversee onboarding, offboarding, and transition activities for project team members.
• Provide coaching and feedback focused on delivery excellence, client satisfaction, and team effectiveness.
• Coordinate with Competency Managers and contribute project performance observations and feedback to support employee development and performance management processes.
• Oversee program budgets, team utilization, schedules, staffing plans, risks, subcontractor performance, and deliverable quality.
• Establish and maintain project management processes, Agile cadences, reporting mechanisms, and communication rhythms to ensure effective delegation of tasks, workload management, and on‑time delivery.
• Ensure successful execution of contractual requirements, deliverables, reporting obligations, and period of performance requirements.
• Monitor program health and proactively identify risks, issues, and opportunities requiring leadership attention.
• Coordinate invoicing, reporting, travel, security, and operational activities necessary to support successful contract execution.
• Document and share lessons learned, best practices, and operational improvements that strengthen delivery effectiveness.
• Hybrid onsite presence 3-5 days per week may be required for client meetings, presentations, or working sessions.
• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Some travel required to attend relevant events and conferences, and participate in LINK team events.

Skills

Strategic communication

Program management

Agile methodologies

Change management

Human-centered design

Stakeholder management

Design thinking

Public affairs

PMP certification

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in journalism/communication/business

Job description

LINK in Charleston, SC, is seeking a Senior Strategist or Design Strategist; Program Manager to lead innovative design strategies, partner with executive clients, and deliver human-centered storytelling that aligns with mission and brand identity.

You will manage complex engagements, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and apply data-driven insights to drive growth and client outcomes. Hybrid onsite work and travel may be required.