Strategic Designer

Bain & Company; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 128,000 - 157,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

401(k) matching

Medical, dental, vision fully paid

Generous paid time off

Life and long-term disabilityInsurance

Job summary

Bain & Company in the US is seeking a Strategic Designer to lead human-centered innovation—from research and insight development to concept creation, prototyping and experimentation.

You will co-lead ideation with case teams, build storytelling assets and prototypes, and translate findings into actionable strategies. Travel ~30% with in-person client work, based in New York or San Francisco.

Qualifications

• You’ll be a strong fit if you have 1-2 years of hands-on experience in digital product, service, or venture design.
• You can navigate strategic ambiguity and co-create direction in fast-changing contexts.
• You have a strong grasp of design thinking, human-centered design, and agile ways of working.
• You are fluent with tools such as Figma, Miro, and Adobe Creative Suite and comfortable with GenAI tools that support design research, ideation, prototyping, and storytelling.
• You show intellectual curiosity and a consulting mindset with an interest in understanding case context, contributing to business strategy, and delivering design with clear intent.
• You have strong communication and collaboration skills with designers and non-designers.
• You are comfortable with approximately 30% travel for client work.
• You have advanced proficiency in English.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end strategic design process, from framing and research to experimentation and delivery.
• Conduct qualitative research and synthesize insights into artifacts like personas, journeys, and opportunity maps.
• Co-lead ideation sessions and conceptualize new experiences and business models with case teams.
• Build storytelling assets and prototypes to bring ideas to life quickly and iteratively.
• Run light experiments to test desirability, feasibility, and viability of solutions.
• Collaborate with case teams, GPs, and client stakeholders, showing ownership and design leadership.
• Adapt design approaches based on project goals with structured yet flexible methods.
• Articulate rationale and implications behind design decisions clearly.

Skills

Design thinking

Human-centered design

Agile methodologies

GenAI design tools

Communication

Consulting mindset

English proficiency

Travel readiness

Tools

Figma

Miro

Adobe Creative Suite

GenAI tools

Job description

Locations: New York, NY , San Francisco, CA

WHAT MAKES US A GREAT PLACE TO WORK

We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally.

WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH

You’ll join our Design & Research experts within the AI, Insights & Solutions team. This team is part of Bain’s digital capabilities practice, which includes experts in analytics, engineering, product management, and design. In this multidisciplinary environment, you'll leverage deep technical expertise with business acumen to help clients tackle their most transformative challenges. You’ll work on integrated teams alongside our general consultants and clients to develop data-driven strategies and innovative solutions. Together, we create human-centered solutions that harness the power of data and artificial intelligence to drive competitive advantage for our clients. Our collaborative and supportive work environment fosters creativity and continuous learning, enabling us to consistently deliver exceptional results.

WHERE YOU’LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM

As a Strategic Designer, you’ll help lead human-centered innovation efforts—from research and insight development to concept creation, prototyping, and experimentation. You won’t just design solutions—you’ll bring a consulting mindset to navigate complex case contexts, contribute to strategy definition, and make pragmatic design choices that add value quickly.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Lead the end-to-end strategic design process, from framing and research to experimentation and delivery.
• Conduct qualitative research and synthesize insights into compelling artifacts, such as personas, journeys, and opportunity maps.
• Co-lead ideation sessions and conceptualize new experiences and business models in collaboration with case teams.
• Build storytelling assets and prototypes to bring ideas to life in fast, iterative ways.
• Run light experiments to test the desirability, feasibility, and viability of new solutions.
• Collaborate with case teams, GPs, and client stakeholders, demonstrating ownership and design leadership.
• Adapt design approaches based on project goals, balancing structured frameworks with practical flexibility.
• Model strong communication and tradeoff thinking, clearly articulating the rationale and implications behind design decisions.
• Contribute to the AIS community through coaching, recruiting, IP development, and cultural initiatives.

ABOUT YOU

You’ll be a strong fit for this role if you have:

• 1-2 years of hands-on experience in digital product, service, or venture design.
• Proven ability to navigate strategic ambiguity and co-create direction in complex, fast-changing contexts.
• A strong grasp of design thinking, human-centered design, and agile ways of working.
• Fluency with tools such as Figma, Miro, and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as working comfort with GenAI tools that support design research, ideation, prototyping, and storytelling.
• Intellectual curiosity and a consulting mindset, with an interest in understanding case context, contributing to business strategy, and delivering design with clear intent and rationale.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with both designers and non-designers.
• Comfort with approximately 30% travel for client work.
• Advanced proficiency in English.

Additional experience that would be valuable includes:

• Experience in consulting or client-facing roles.
• Familiarity with product management concepts and/or feasibility and viability discussions.

This role requires a minimum of three days per week working together in person, either at a client location or at your Bain home office.

Travel is required (50%)

This position requires regional travel away from your home office/primary working location. Travel frequency and destinations will vary based on project needs.

US COMPENSATION INFORMATION

Compensation for this role includes base salary, annual discretionary performance bonus, 401(k) plan with an annual employer contribution based on years of service and Bain’s best in class benefits package (details listed below).

Some local governments in the United States require a good-faith, reasonable salary range to be included in job postings for open roles. The estimated annualized compensation for this role is as follows:

In New York and California, the good-faith, reasonable annualized full-time salary range for this role is $142,551.

Annual discretionary performance bonus.

This role may also be eligible for other elements of discretionary compensation.

4.5% 401(k) company contribution, which increases after 3 years of service and is 100% vested upon start date.

• Bain & Company's comprehensive benefits and wellness program is designed to help employees achieve personal independence, protection and stability in the areas most important to you and your family.
• Bain pays 100% individual employee premiums for medical, dental and vision programs, offering one of the most comprehensive medical plans for employees without impacting your paycheck.
• Generous paid time off, including parental leave, sick leave and paid holidays.
• Fully vested 401(k) company contribution.
• Paid Life and Long-Term Disability insurance.