Design Strategy Lead

Normative•Toronto, ON

1d•Remote

About The Position

We are looking for a Design Strategy Lead to own strategy engagements from framing through delivery. You will lead client work in regulated industries - pharma, financial services, government - shaping research programs, synthesizing insights, building recommendations, and presenting strategic direction to senior stakeholders. You will join a growing strategy practice with real ownership and room to shape how the team works. Whether you are coming from an agency or consultancy, an in-house strategy role, or a research-heavy design practice, the opportunity is the same: lead engagements, make decisions, and build something that matters. We use AI-assisted tools for research synthesis and analysis as part of our working method. Experience in agency or consultancy settings is valued.

Requirements

5+ years of experience in strategy, design research, or strategic consulting, with demonstrated experience leading engagements or workstreams independently.
Strong qualitative research skills. Experience designing research programs, conducting stakeholder and user interviews, running workshops, and synthesizing findings into strategic direction.
Experience developing strategic frameworks, service blueprints, journey maps, and experience strategies. Comfortable working at the intersection of business strategy and human-centered design.
Strong facilitation skills. Able to lead workshops, co-creation sessions, and strategic alignment meetings with senior stakeholders.
Familiarity with tools such as Miro, Dovetail, Figma, Cowork, and NotebookLM or similar platforms used in strategy and design research work.
Applied knowledge and skills of AI-assisted research and analysis tools and ways of working, including prompt and context engineering, workflow automation, and interacting with RAG and MCP services. We are looking for applied skills that add new capabilities to how the team works, not generalist familiarity with AI.
Strong communication skills; written, visual and verbal. Able to present complex strategic recommendations clearly and persuasively to senior audiences. Comfortable leading client conversations and managing expectations directly.
Experience in an agency, consultancy, or professional services environment. Understanding of how to manage scope, timelines, and deliverables across multiple concurrent engagements.
Track record of expanding your own scope. You take on more because you want to, not because someone asked.
Demonstrated ability to grow beyond your current role. You've sought out responsibility, not waited for it.
History of building new capability, not just maintaining existing systems.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in regulated industries: pharma, health, financial services, insurance, or government is a strong asset. Understanding of the constraints and opportunities in these environments is valued.

Responsibilities

Lead strategy engagements for clients in regulated industries including pharma, financial services, and government. Own the engagement from problem framing through final delivery, managing scope, timelines, and client expectations.
Design and run research programs - qualitative interviews, workshops, co-creation sessions, desk research - that generate actionable insights for complex strategic questions.
Synthesize research findings into strategic frameworks, service blueprints, experience maps, and actionable recommendations. Translate ambiguity into clarity for clients and internal teams.
Present strategic recommendations to senior client stakeholders. Lead strategic conversations directly, manage expectations, and build trusted advisor relationships.
Develop strategy roadmaps and business cases that connect user needs to organizational goals. Bridge the gap between research insight and actionable direction.
Mentor junior and senior strategists on engagement craft, client management, and strategic thinking. Raise the bar for the practice through feedback, knowledge sharing, and setting standards.
Collaborate with product designers, developers, and other disciplines on cross-functional engagements. Bring strategic perspective to execution-focused teams.
Contribute to business development by supporting proposals, scoping new engagements, and shaping how the practice positions its capabilities.