Associate Director, Strategy or Design Strategy; Deputy Program Manager

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 an Associate Director, Strategy or Design Strategy; Deputy Program Manager to join our dynamic team, where we leverage strong partnerships and a robust portfolio of clients across diverse industries. 

As an Associate Director; Deputy Program Manager, you are responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of assigned government and commercial contracts, managing cross-functional teams, and maintaining strong client relationships. This role ensures projects meet quality standards, timelines, and budget objectives while driving strategic outcomes. Acting as a trusted consultant and advisor, the Deputy Program Manager leads comprehensive project strategies, identifies opportunities to create business value, and guides teams to deliver impactful, client-focused solutions.

Note: The DPM role is designed to complement the PM's specific skills and experience, filling functional gaps as needed. DPMs may also serve as Team Leads and/or individual contributors on specific projects depending on program structure and requirements. Contributions will be in keeping with responsibilities and expectations of the DPMs competency (Strategy or Design Strategy). 

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communication, English, Business, Design Communications, Sociology/Psychology, or related fields
• 10+ years of experience in strategic communications, design strategy or related roles 
• 4-6 years of program or project coordination experience including familiarity with Agile methodologies and project delivery best practices
• Experience with defense communications or creative work for government clients valuable
• Ability to build and maintain robust client relationships and foster positive interpersonal connections
• Interest in visual storytelling, including data visualization and conceptualizing abstract ideas
• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, maintaining a strong focus on accuracy and attention to detail
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate in a clear, approachable, and knowledgeable manner
• Detail-oriented with ability to thrive in dynamic environments

Associate Director; Deputy Program Management responsibilities include:

Program Operations & Strategic Support

• Act as a thought partner to the PM in managing day-to-day program operations and evolving client strategy

• Track and manage delivery timelines, milestones, budgets, and team capacity across multi-workstream government contracts

• Provide input to internal reporting on project health, budget usage, risks, and staffing capacity for informed PM decision-making

• Support tracking of period of performance (POP) deadlines, deliverable quality, and communications related to project-specific changes

• Coordinate internal resource allocation in alignment with PM priorities and contract scope

• Assist with Agile ceremonies, including planning sessions, stand-ups, retrospectives, reviews, and kickoffs

• Maintain key internal documentation, including timecard reviews, deliverable tracking, and project updates. 

Team Lead Coordination & Quality Assurance

• Serve as centralized operations manager to Team Leads, ensuring project delivery aligns with overall program strategy

• Facilitate regular coordination syncs with Team Leads to gather progress updates, identify blockers, and manage interdependencies

• Escalate risks and resourcing needs from Team Leads to the PM in a timely and structured manner

• Ensure team members have the tools, templates, and documentation needed for success, and maintain visibility into workloads to identify bottlenecks or underutilization.

• Cultivate team cohesion across distributed, cross-functional workstreams.

• Assist the PM in gathering input for monthly performance evaluations related to project delivery

Client Communication & Support

• Participate in and coordinate logistics for client calls, meetings, and briefings as delegated by the PM

• Draft and manage client communications including updates, reporting, and scheduling

• Represent the PM when needed, ensuring project status, scope, and timelines are clearly communicated

• Maintain transparency and trust with clients through consistent responsiveness and delivery follow-through

Work Schedule:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Occasional onsite presence may be required for client meetings, presentations, or working sessions. This could include local or national travel, depending on the locations of the employee and client.

Salary
We're committed to offering competitive compensation. While the salary range for this position is $127,117-$182,924, your final offer may be adjusted based on factors like experience and location.

Benefits:

• 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)
• $100 monthly internet/cell phone stipend 
• 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