Director, Design Strategy; Competency Manager

About the Opportunity

LINK is actively seeking a Director, Design Strategy; Competency Manager to join our dynamic team, where we leverage strong partnerships and a robust portfolio of clients across diverse industries. In partnership with the VP of Brand & Design Strategy, you will be responsible for leading and executing innovative design strategies while managing a high performing design strategy team.

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to bring a blend of creative vision, team leadership, and strategic expertise to elevate LINK’s business growth and deliver high-quality, human-centered design solutions. In this role, you will lead and mentor a multidisciplinary team—guiding their development, fostering a collaborative culture, and ensuring the delivery of impactful design work. You’ll also work closely with clients to understand their challenges, craft 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.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage assigned employees within the competency.
• Lead performance management activities, including coaching, feedback, development planning, performance reviews, and promotion recommendations.
• Support employee engagement, retention, career growth, and professional development.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive culture aligned with LINK's values.
• Support onboarding and integration of new employees into the competency and broader organization.
• Address employee concerns, performance issues, and challenging personnel situations in partnership with leadership as needed.

• Partner with Talent and Leadership teams to shape recruiting priorities, workforce plans, and hiring strategies that support competency growth.
• Participate in recruiting activities, including interviewing, candidate evaluation, selection, and onboarding.
• Identify capability gaps and anticipate future staffing needs to support competency growth.
• Build and maintain relationships with prospective talent and external communities that strengthen the competency talent pipeline.
• Help define role requirements, capability needs, and hiring criteria for competency-related positions.

• Establish and maintain competency standards, tools, frameworks, methodologies, and best practices.
• Lead competency development initiatives, including learning opportunities, mentorship, knowledge sharing, and capability-building efforts.
• Monitor emerging client needs, industry trends, and capability gaps to inform competency growth and investment priorities.
• Identify and recommend investments in hiring, development, tools, and capability-building initiatives that strengthen the competency.

• Partner with Project Team Leadership to support staffing decisions, employee development, and project success.
• Provide support to project teams on an ad hoc basis.
• Collaborate with Deputy Competency Managers to ensure consistency in employee experience and competency operations.
• Represent and advocate for competency needs, priorities, and recommendations with leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Design, Communication, Sociology, Psychology, Human-Centered Design, or a related field. 
• 15+ years of experience in design strategy, service design, experience design, research, consulting, communications, or a related field. 
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance. 
• Demonstrated people management experience, including performance management, coaching, employee relations, conflict resolution, and employee development.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor senior practitioners and foster a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and design excellence.
• Experience building high-performing teams by shaping recruiting strategies, workforce planning, competency development, and learning initiatives aligned with business objectives.
• Demonstrated ability to assess organizational capability, identify emerging skill needs, and develop strategies that advance the long-term growth and maturity of a professional practice.
• Recognized expertise applying human-centered design, design thinking, systems thinking, facilitation, and research methodologies to solve complex organizational challenges.
• Experience designing and facilitating workshops, stakeholder engagements, and collaborative working sessions that drive alignment and informed decision-making.
• Demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders, shape strategic direction, and translate ambiguity into actionable strategies that drive organizational outcomes.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with senior leaders, clients, and cross-functional teams. 
• Approaches work with optimism, curiosity, sound judgment, and a collaborative mindset.
• Portfolio that demonstrates both design execution and strategic decision-making.

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Some travel required to attend relevant events and conferences, and participate in LINK team events

• $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