LINK · 19 hours ago
Associate Director, Design Strategist; Deputy Competency Manager
United States
Full-time
Remote
Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive
$121K/yr - $174K/yr
10+ years expLINK is a fast-growing Woman Owned Small Business that leverages human-centered design to support strategy and innovation within the federal government. The Associate Director, Design Strategist will lead a team of Design Strategists to deliver innovative solutions and support the vision for the Design Strategy competency.
ConsultingData VisualizationPersonal DevelopmentTraining
Responsibilities
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
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
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
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
Qualification
Required
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
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
Company
LINK
LINK offers consulting services in data visualization and strategic communication to drive organizational change.
11-50 employees
H1B Sponsorship
LINK has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2023 (1)
2021 (1)
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageLeadership Team
Rachel Link
CEO & Founder
Lawson Parker Sivertson
Chief Design Officer
Company data provided by crunchbase