Associate Strategist (DC Metro Area)

Location: We are actively hiring in the DC Metro area. 

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 looking for an Associate Strategist with a background in Communications, Marketing, or Business with strong interpersonal communication skills to join our dynamic team. You will interface directly with clients to understand their unique challenges, provide consultative strategies and executive-level solutions, distill narratives from client-provided content, and collaborate with the creative team to execute visual products that align with the client’s brand, industry, and culture.

In this role, you will work with colleagues across the organization to uncover meaningful insights, build game-changing strategies, and deliver tailored solutions to clients. Your expertise in Communications will play a pivotal role delivering high-quality, client-focused outcomes.

The ideal candidate will have two to five years experience working directly with clients, extracting key insights, and creating collaborative initiatives to achieve impactful results. This is an exciting opportunity to bring together creative and communication expertise to contribute to LINK’s continued success.

Qualifications: 

• Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communication, English, Business,  or equivalent experience.
• 2-5 years of relevant experience in strategic communications, marketing, defense technology, or consulting. 
• Strong written and verbal communication and client engagement skills, and comfortable with visual storytelling .
• Demonstrated experience in strategic thought and design application.  
• Ability to prototype ideas and work effectively in fast-paced, collaborative environments.

Responsibilities:

Client Partnership & Strategic Support

• Support client engagements by assisting in the development of mission, vision, strategic goals, and KPIs/OKRs aligned to organizational priorities.
• Contribute to framing business challenges through research, note-taking, synthesis, and development of structured deliverables.
• Assist in preparing materials for strategic planning sessions, workshops, and stakeholder meetings.
• Conduct primary and secondary research, analyze findings, and summarize insights to inform recommendations.
• Help identify opportunities for process improvement and value creation through current-state analysis and requirements gathering.
• Provide project coordination support across engagements to ensure alignment, clear documentation, and timely execution.

Change Management & Organizational Support

• Assist in the development of change management deliverables, including stakeholder analyses, communications plans, and adoption materials.
• Support documentation of governance structures, workflows, and operating models.
• Prepare materials and capture outputs from cross-functional meetings and working sessions.
• Track action items, milestones, and performance metrics to support ongoing strategy refinement and implementation.

Communication Strategy, Storytelling & Execution

• Translate research and client inputs into clear, well-structured presentations and strategic materials.
• Support the development of messaging frameworks and communication products aligned with client objectives.
• Collaborate with creative teams to organize content and inform visual concepts (e.g., outlines, content maps, wireframes).
• Review deliverables for clarity, consistency, and quality assurance.
• Assist with project management tasks to help ensure deliverables are completed on time and meet established standards.

Work Schedule:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Onsite schedule, 5-days per week
• Some travel required to meet with prospects/clients, attend relevant events and conferences, and participate in LINK team events 

Salary: We’re committed to providing competitive compensation, including locality adjustments based on the Washington, D.C. area. The base salary range for this position is $66,000–$89,000. Your final offer will reflect your experience, qualifications, and geographic 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