Associate Director, Design Strategist; Deputy Competency Manager

LINK

1d•$121,063 - $174,213•Hybrid

About The Position

LINK is actively seeking an Associate Director, Design Strategist; Deputy Competency Manager to join our dynamic team. As the Design Strategy Deputy Competency Manager, you will lead and inspire a high-performing team of Design Strategists to deliver innovative, human-centered solutions across a diverse client portfolio. In partnership with the Design Strategy Competency Manager, you will support the vision for the Design Strategy competency by helping shape frameworks, tools, and thought leadership, while supporting recruitment efforts to build a values-driven, high-performing team. In your role as Deputy Competency Manager, you will coach, mentor, and manage Design Strategists—fostering a collaborative culture and developing talent that excels at crafting compelling narratives and translating strategic insights into impactful design solutions aligned with client goals. While your client engagement will be primarily indirect, you will play a critical role in supporting teams as they identify challenges and deliver strategic outcomes.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in design strategy or related fields, with strong people-leadership capabilities including managing, developing, and elevating medium to large teams to create high-performing, collaborative environments.
Bachelor’s degree in Design, Communications, Sociology, Psychology, or a related field.
Proven people-management experience, including performance management, coaching, employee relations, conflict resolution and supporting professional growth and development.
Expertise in human-centered design and design thinking, with a proven ability to translate insights into compelling visual stories and strategic outcomes.
Demonstrated experience operating within program-managed, contract-driven environments, supporting compliance, delivery rigor, and operational accountability across complex client engagements.
Demonstrated ability to help build inclusive, collaborative team cultures aligned with organizational values and growth objectives.
Experience with recruiting, hiring, and retaining top-tier, diverse talent while delivering a high-quality, inclusive candidate experience.
The ability to navigate ambiguity and provide strategic guidance that brings clarity to goals, requirements, and outcomes—particularly in complex or high-visibility engagements.
Proven ability to understand tools, frameworks, and best practices that drive quality, consistency, and operational excellence based on human centered design across programs and projects.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Development
Lead and develop a high-performing design strategist team.
Manage employee relations and address workplace concerns in a fair and consistent manner.
Oversee performance management, including goal setting, constructive feedback, coaching, and performance evaluations.
Support professional development and growth opportunities for your team.
Foster a collaborative, inclusive culture aligned with LINK’s values and growth goals.
Help facilitate onboarding for new team members, with a focus on aligning them to established competency frameworks and ensuring a smooth integration into project teams and workflows.
Set clear goals and expectations; support team member’s development based on individual strengths.
Manage successful implementation of and ROI on our Learning and Development program for Design Strategists.
Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning
Assist in recruiting top-tier, diverse talent while ensuring a high-quality, inclusive candidate experience.
Work with the Competency Manager to anticipate future talent needs and assist in building a strong, strategic hiring pipeline.
Cultivate and maintain strong internal and external partnerships to identify talent opportunities and support business objectives.
Competency Talent Management
Work with the Competency Manager to identify skill gaps across the competency and implement learning opportunities such as training, mentorship, and stretch assignments.
Stay current on tools, frameworks, and methodologies to upskill the team.
Assist in promoting knowledge sharing and collective team growth.
Monitor new challenges where LINK does not have a depth of experience to help build out internal capabilities, skills, personnel, etc.
Systems Model Support
Provide support to project teams on an ad hoc basis.
Promote best practices in processes, project work and competency.
Help develop tools and frameworks to ensure quality, consistency, and operational excellence across projects.
Help competency members navigate ambiguity around project work.

Benefits

$100 monthly internet/cell phone stipend
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