Associate Director, Strategy; Deputy Competency 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 The Associate Director, Strategy; Deputy Competency Manager (DCM) partners with the Competency Manager to support the health, growth, and performance of the LINK strategy competency. The DCM directly manages a group of LINKmates and is responsible for performance management, employee development, coaching, and employee experience for their assigned employees. In partnership with the Competency Manager, the DCM contributes to competency initiatives, recruiting efforts, capability development, workforce planning, and continuous improvement activities. The DCM serves as a key partner in maintaining competency health while escalating employee concerns, risks, and organizational needs to the Competency Manager as appropriate. In addition to fulfilling the responsibilities of the Deputy Competency Manager, this role is expected to operate as an accomplished Strategy practitioner at the Associate Director level. Maintaining deep expertise in the Strategy competency is essential to effectively coach and develop strategists, contribute to competency standards and growth, and provide credible guidance on client work and professional practice. The Strategy competency helps organizations solve complex business and organizational challenges by combining strategic planning, communication strategy, change management, facilitation, and executive advisory services. Strategists partner with clients to define vision and direction, align stakeholders, translate complexity into actionable approaches, and guide organizations through change. Through thoughtful analysis, structured problem solving, compelling storytelling, and human-centered collaboration, the Strategy competency enables informed decision-making and delivers measurable outcomes for clients. Responsibilities Talent Management & Employee Development

• Directly manage assigned employees within the competency.
• Conduct 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, escalating issues as appropriate. Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning * Participate in recruiting activities, including interviewing, candidate evaluation, selection, and onboarding. * Provide input on hiring needs, workforce planning, and capability gaps within the competency. * Support development of talent pipelines and recruiting efforts aligned with competency growth needs. * Build and maintain relationships with prospective talent and external communities that strengthen the competency talent pipeline. * Contribute to role requirements, capability needs, and hiring criteria for competency-related positions. Competency Health & Growth * Partner with the Competency Manager to maintain and improve competency standards, tools, frameworks, methodologies, and best practices. * Contribute to competency development initiatives, including learning opportunities, mentorship, knowledge sharing, and capability-building efforts. * Identify employee trends, development needs, and capability gaps within the competency and provide recommendations for improvement. * Monitor emerging client needs, industry trends, and capability gaps and share insights with the Competency Manager. * Support implementation of investments in hiring, development, tools, and capability-building initiatives that strengthen the competency. Leadership Partnership & Operations * Partner with Project Team Leadership to support employee development, staffing discussions, and project success.

• Provide support to project teams on an ad hoc basis.
• Collaborate with the Competency Manager on employee concerns, competency

priorities, and organizational needs. * Escalate employee issues, risks, trends, and recommendations to the Competency Manager as appropriate. * Represent the competency in meetings, discussions, and initiatives as delegated. Qualifications * Bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Communication, English, Business, Public Policy, or a related field. * 12+ years of experience in strategic communications, consulting, organizational transformation, program management, strategy, 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. * Experience recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and developing high-performing teams while fostering an inclusive and collaborative culture. * Strong expertise in strategic planning, organizational transformation, communication strategy, stakeholder engagement, and executive advisory services. * Demonstrated ability to navigate ambiguity, frame complex challenges, and develop actionable strategies that drive organizational outcomes. * Proven ability to translate complex information into clear recommendations, compelling narratives, and executive-level decision-support products. * Demonstrated experience applying strategic methodologies, frameworks, and best practices to improve organizational effectiveness and client outcomes. * Ability to mentor and develop strategists by providing technical guidance, constructive feedback, and coaching that strengthens strategic thinking and client delivery. * Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to build trusted relationships across clients, senior leaders, and cross-functional teams. * Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex engagements while balancing multiple priorities, maintaining high-quality client service, and influencing executive decision-making. * Approaches work with optimism, curiosity, sound judgment, and a collaborative mindset. Work Schedule:

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Some travel required to 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 area. The base salary range for this position is $121,000 - $174,000. 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