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Design Strategy information

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$55.5K

$124.7K

$217.5K

How much do design strategy jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for design strategy in the United States is $124,659.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $90,000.00 and $157,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

How does a Design Strategist typically collaborate with cross-functional teams during a project?

Design Strategists play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between design, business, and technology teams. They often facilitate workshops, lead ideation sessions, and synthesize insights from stakeholders to align project goals. Throughout a project, they work closely with product managers, UX/UI designers, engineers, and marketing professionals to ensure that design solutions address user needs and business objectives. This collaborative approach helps drive innovation and ensures that the final product is both functional and user-centric.

What is the difference between Design Strategy vs UX Designer?

AspectDesign StrategyUX Designer
Primary FocusAligning business goals with design solutions and long-term visionCreating user-centered digital experiences and interfaces
Skills & CredentialsDesign thinking, strategic planning, business acumenUser research, wireframing, prototyping, visual design
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with executives, product teams, and marketingWorks closely with developers, product managers, and users
Industry UsageUsed in strategic planning, branding, and product developmentPrimarily in digital product and app design

Design Strategy focuses on aligning overall business objectives with design initiatives, shaping the long-term vision. UX Designers concentrate on crafting intuitive user experiences for digital products. While both roles require design knowledge, Design Strategists emphasize strategic planning, whereas UX Designers focus on user interface and interaction design.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Design Strategist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Design Strategist, you need expertise in design thinking, user research, and business analysis, often supported by a degree in design, business, or a related field. Familiarity with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Miro, and prototyping software, as well as experience with frameworks such as Human-Centered Design, is highly valuable. Strong communication, collaboration, and problem-solving skills help you effectively bridge creative and business objectives. These abilities are essential for developing innovative solutions that align user needs with organizational goals, driving sustainable success.

What is design strategy?

Design strategy is a discipline that connects a company's business objectives with creative design solutions. It involves understanding user needs, market trends, and organizational goals to develop a roadmap for how design can drive business success. Professionals in design strategy analyze data, collaborate with stakeholders, and create frameworks to ensure that products, services, or experiences are both effective and meaningful. This approach helps organizations stay competitive and innovative in their industries.
More about Design Strategy jobs
What cities are hiring for Design Strategy jobs? Cities with the most Design Strategy job openings:
What states have the most Design Strategy jobs? States with the most job openings for Design Strategy jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Design Strategy jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Design Strategy jobs are:
Design Strategy jobs near you
Infographic showing various Design Strategy job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 33% Full Time, 33% Part Time, and 34% Contract. Highlights an 67% In-person, and 33% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $124,659 per year, or $59.9 per hour.
Workplace Design & Strategy Director

Workplace Design & Strategy Director

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

New York, NY • On-site

Full-time

Posted 16 days ago

Job description

At SOM, we are a collective committed to shaping a better future for our clients, communities and planet. We aspire to create the most sustainable, impactful work through creative, interdisciplinary teams with all the resources and diversity of a global firm. We value those who are passionate about excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Together we can achieve great things.
Success at SOM Means
  • Ideas: We believe in a meritocracy of ideas. We look to everyone to actively contribute to the discourse in the firm.
  • Knowledge: We believe that expertise is the result of lifelong learning. We are not expected to know everything, but rather to passionately pursue answers, develop new skills and deepen our knowledge.
  • Product: We strive for excellence in the concept, quality, and delivery of our work.
  • Individual: We value individuals who bring the highest standards of professionalism and personal integrity in the way they work. Each person can develop and contribute their wealth of attributes, skills and knowledge to support the overall health of the firm.
  • Team: We value the power of interdisciplinary integration. A positive team culture in which everyone collaborates openly towards common goals is essential.
  • Firm: We have a history of making transformative contributions to the profession and our communities. We are constantly innovating and attempting to bring new approaches, solutions and processes to our work.

Position Overview
The Workplace Design & Strategy Director is a dynamic client-facing design and subject matter expert who implements design strategy to win and lead all phases of workplace projects. This professional demonstrates a clear understanding of workplace strategy, processes and data. They develop and implement strategic design initiatives that summarize and align with client goals and objectives; develop and confirm client program; and translate these into spatial opportunities. The Workplace Design & Strategy Director recruits, supervises and mentors a team including Design Strategists and Workplace Designers to pursue, win, and execute workplace design projects.
This leader builds and maintains strong client relationships and plays an active role in business development and pursuits. Together with their team, the Workplace Design & Strategy Director works on multiple projects and leads the workplace strategy team. They maintain an outward-facing profile as a workplace design thought leader and actively lead internal initiatives to grow and facilitate the design strategy practice within SOM.
Business Development, Marketing and Communication
The Workplace Design & Strategy Director will collaborate and guide members of the interiors practice team in the development, production, promotion, and marketing of SOM's Workplace Design / Strategy services and contribute to implementing the strategic growth model of the practice. Together with their team and other Leaders, they will guide business development strategy including market research, creating new business development opportunities, participating in public speaking engagements and conferences, and actively pursue leads. The Workplace Design & Strategy Director will be a steward of SOM and serve as a role model of expertise and communication in all areas of responsibility.
Position Responsibilities
  • Lead a multi-disciplinary team working closely with companies across a wide range of data-driven projects from imagining the future of work to optimizing global real estate portfolios.
  • Leads a team to analyze and interpret client needs and aspirations into spatial scenarios. Leads the creation of early-phase project delivery and content creation utilizing: quantitative data, project benchmarking, digital tools and software.
  • Ability to collaborate with Design Leadership to plan, organize, direct, mentor, and coordinate work efforts for the technical, design and/or management aspects of a project team, through all phases of a project, with minimal oversight from Principal and/or Partner.
  • Provides technical/design/management leadership and support for the development of the design concept from pursuit through Schematic Design in collaboration with a Principal or Partner.
  • Collaborative and professional work ethic; leads by example motivating project teams in an inclusive and positive approach.
  • Demonstrates knowledge of Interiors and Architecture Industry Best Practices including programming, planning, and design.
  • Demonstrates a thorough knowledge of Interior Architecture and Architectural design and leading teams through workplace planning and design concept development (hospitality and/or residential as applicable), design and detailing standards, building materials, building systems, current and applicable building and fire codes, FF&E, construction techniques and current market cost(s) costing trends.
  • Participates in the planning, scheduling, and organization of project plans for design, technical, and/or project management tools/documents (as applicable) relative to project parameters and in collaboration with senior project team leaders.
  • Demonstrates leadership in terms of implementing SOM standard procedures and protocols for the technical, design and/or management aspects of a project to assure continuity, coordination and consistency of project documentation across the firm in support of overall office wide goals.
  • Supports appropriate project documents reviews (design phase documents, technical documents and/or project management tools/documents) and quality control of associated documents in accordance with SOM's quality control program.
  • Leads and delivers creative and innovative solutions to complex problems and guides the team in the development of appropriate research and documentation to support these solutions.
  • Participates in marketing and business development efforts, including identifying opportunities to grow the practice through engagement with new and existing clients.
  • Support the development of proposals that articulate process, scope, and fee related to workplace and workplace strategy
  • Plays a leadership role in the development of pitch materials with the internal team and leads client and stakeholder presentations.
  • This role includes an average of 2 days per week on billable project work, 2 days per week on approved marketing and new business development efforts and one day per week for initiatives related to approved workplace strategy initiatives.

Leadership Responsibilities
  • Actively leads multiple projects, teams, and initiatives.
  • Established as a firmwide resource in an area of expertise for market, discipline, or department.
  • Directly trains and mentors team members and, more broadly, architectural, engineers, interiors, planning and graphics staff in the office and at large as appropriate.
  • Develops and engages in talent strategy to find specialists, leaders, and future professionals for the firm through resume review, interviews, and leveraging personal network.
  • Demonstrates leadership in the implementation of sustainable strategies in all project assignments and the associated development of staff knowledge. Advocates for sustainable approaches at an office-wide scale.
  • Creates and drives new ways of working through contributing to the development of services, standards, procedures. Responsible for financial and legal risk management of projects.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Professional degree in Architecture and/or Interior Design.
  • Licensed in state of practice or must be NCIDQ Certified; LEED accreditation preferred.
  • Minimum of 15 years of experience in design, with at least 5 years in a leadership role within a large or renowned design firm.
  • Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills with the ability to articulate design concepts and decisions effectively to clients and teams.
  • Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Exceptional portfolio showcasing a variety of design projects, highlighting innovative approaches and successful client solutions.
  • General understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
  • Proficiency with data analysis, visualization and management specifically with regard to workplace performance data and survey data.
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills, including public speaking.
  • Enthusiastic collaborator and ability to work cross-disciplinary.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Adobe Creative Suite, as well as data analytic software such as Excel and Google Sheets.
  • Strong portfolio demonstrating command of fundamental communication design including composition, graphics, and persuasive writing.

Are you ready to join a team of creative professionals working on transformational projects around the world? Take advantage of this exciting opportunity to build a better future with SOM.
Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $150,000 to $200,000.
For more about SOM: www.som.com
Portfolios must be submitted for all design and project management positions (Architecture, Interiors, City Design, Graphics, etc).Applications without work samples will not be reviewed. Portfolios should be one PDF attachment, 10-20 pages, maximum 5 MB. Submit portfolios as part of your application in the section where the application asks you for your Resume or CV.

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