ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Strategic Design Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Colgate

Senior Brand Design Manager, EOC

Rochester, NY · On-site

$150 - $175/hr

We seek a global, strategic design leader to drive design across the Enterprise Oral Care Category, transforming traditional CPG design into an integrated, innovative growth engine. The role requires ...

New

MCKISSACK & MCKISSACK

Design Manager

Chicago, IL · Remote

$105K - $115K/yr

Collaborate with internal stakeholders to develop strategic design solutions for workplace and operational environments while supporting new initiatives. * Develop and lead space planning ...

Unlock Health

UX/UI Design Lead

Chicago, IL · On-site +1

$172K/yr

From shaping scalable design systems to facilitating strategic conversations with clients, you'll help deliver experiences that are thoughtful, seamless, and impactful. What You'll Do * Lead UX/UI ...

Hayward Industries

Industrial Design Director

Clemmons, NC · On-site

$124K - $152K/yr

Design Strategy and Leadership * Define and drive the industrial design vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned to business objectives and innovation priorities * Establish and govern Hayward's Visual ...

Hayward

Industrial Design Director

Clemmons, NC · On-site

$124K - $152K/yr

Design Strategy and Leadership * Define and drive the industrial design vision, strategy, and roadmap aligned to business objectives and innovation priorities * Establish and govern Hayward's Visual ...

previous page

Showing results 41-60

All JobsBusiness JobsStrategic Design Jobs

Strategic Design information

See salary details

$37K

$119K

$189K

How much do strategic design jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average yearly pay for strategic design in the United States is $119,028.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $93,000.00 and $149,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is strategic design?

Strategic design is the practice of using design principles to solve complex business challenges and shape organizational strategy. It goes beyond traditional design by integrating research, creative thinking, and business objectives to create solutions that align with a company's long-term goals. Strategic designers work collaboratively across disciplines to innovate processes, products, services, and systems, helping companies adapt to change and remain competitive. This approach often involves user-centered research, prototyping, and testing to ensure that solutions are both practical and effective.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a strategic designer?

To thrive as a Strategic Designer, you need a strong foundation in design thinking, business strategy, and user research, often supported by a degree in design, business, or related fields. Proficiency with tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Figma, Miro, and familiarity with frameworks such as Lean Startup or Agile is typical. Excellent communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills help in aligning multidisciplinary teams and stakeholders. These skills ensure that innovative, user-centered solutions are developed and successfully integrated with organizational goals.

How does a strategic designer typically collaborate with stakeholders and cross-functional teams during a project?

Strategic Designers often work closely with a variety of stakeholders, including product managers, engineers, marketers, and executives, to align design solutions with business objectives. They facilitate workshops, lead design sprints, and use research-driven insights to ensure everyone has a shared understanding of project goals. Effective communication and the ability to synthesize diverse perspectives are crucial, as Strategic Designers act as a bridge between creative and business teams. This collaborative environment fosters innovation and ensures that proposed solutions are both user-centered and strategically viable.

What is the difference between Strategic Design vs User Experience Designer?

AspectStrategic DesignUser Experience Designer
FocusHolistic business and brand strategy, aligning design with organizational goalsDesigning user interfaces and interactions to enhance user satisfaction
SkillsDesign thinking, business strategy, branding, researchWireframing, prototyping, user research, usability testing
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with marketing, branding, and product teamsWorks closely with developers, product managers, and users
CertificationsDesign thinking, strategic planning, UX certificationsUX certifications, UI design courses

While both roles involve design, Strategic Design focuses on aligning design with business strategy and brand goals, whereas User Experience Designers concentrate on creating intuitive and satisfying user interfaces. Understanding these differences helps organizations assign the right roles for their project needs.

More about Strategic Design jobs

What cities are hiring for Strategic Design jobs?

Cities with the most Strategic Design job openings:

What states have the most Strategic Design jobs?

States with the most job openings for Strategic Design jobs include:

What job categories do people searching Strategic Design jobs look for?

The top searched job categories for Strategic Design jobs are:

Strategic Design jobs near you
Infographic showing various Strategic Design job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 7% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 83% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 12% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $119,028 per year, or $57.2 per hour.

Workplace Design & Strategy Director

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill

New York, NY • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 29 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.

Apply