Design Strategist (San Diego)

Location: We are actively hiring in San Diego, CA

Who We Are: LINK is a fast-growing Woman Owned Small Business (WOSB) that leverages human-centered design to support strategy, innovation, communication, change, and branding within the federal government and adjacent industry partners. At LINK, we partner with engineers, futurists, and thought leaders to untangle complexity, discover opportunity, and communicate clearly with visual stories. 

Let us be your partners in change.About the Opportunity:LINK is actively seeking a Design Strategist to join our dynamic team, where we leverage strong partnerships and a robust portfolio of clients across diverse industries. You will be responsible for leading and executing innovative design strategies, collaborating with both internal teams and executive-level clients, and driving impactful visual storytelling to meet client objectives.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced professional to bring a combination of creative and strategic expertise to elevate LINK’s business growth and deliver high-quality, human-centered design solutions. You will work closely with clients to understand their challenges, develop compelling narratives, and implement design strategies that align with their mission, goals, and brand identity. Ideal candidates will have a proven track record of designing impactful visual experiences, utilizing data-driven insights, and collaborating cross-functionally to deliver exceptional client results.

Qualifications: 

• Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI strongly preferred.
• Bachelor's degree in Design, Communication, Sociology/Psychology, or related fields
• 5-10 years of experience in design strategy or related roles
• Expertise in human-centered design and design thinking methodologies, with a proven ability to transform data into impactful visual stories
• Extensive experience in various design areas (e.g., service design, experience design, brand development, information design, graphic design) and able to propose the best solutions for each project
• Proficient in designing and facilitating design thinking and interactive research sessions with executive leaders and their teams
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with clients and cross-functional teams

Responsibilities:

• Co-lead client and support meetings, workshops, and strategic visioning sessions
• Perform and synthesize primary and secondary research using qualitative and quantitative methods
• Uncover key insights and frame problem statements to inform design direction
• Develop research artifacts such as personas, journey maps, and insight summaries
• Create strategic messaging and written content for reports, presentations, and visual storytelling products
• Identify content priorities and information hierarchies; support wireframing and content mapping
• Contribute to prototype development and iterative design processes
• Collaborate with design teams to produce infographics, charts, diagrams, presentations, and other visual products to convey both quantitative data and abstract concepts for use in print and digital formats

Work Schedule:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• This position requires an on-site presence with the client approximately 2–3 days per week, following a hybrid work schedule.

Salary We're committed to offering competitive compensation. While the salary range for this position is $86,00-$116,000, your final offer may be adjusted based on factors like experience and location.

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

EOE