Design Strategist

LINK•Washington, DC

2d•$86,000 - $116,000•Hybrid

About The Position

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.

Requirements

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

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.
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.
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.
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.

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