Design Strategist - Senior Associate

For nearly 30 years, we’ve partnered with companies like United Airlines, Amazon, Purina, Starbucks, and Samsung to help them make clear choices about strategy, culture, and leadership.
We are a 30-person boutique firm by design. We’re hiring Senior Associate Strategists—people with experience, judgment, and growth potential who want to take on more responsibility and develop into senior contributors at Jump over time.

Your Role: Equal Parts Strategist, Facilitator, and Coach
Lead research and ethnographic interviews, analyze trends and data, and develop clear, executive-level strategic recommendations and tangible artifacts (e.g., Collaborate closely with teammates and help raise the quality bar as you grow.
Everyone who joins at this level starts as a core strategist on a client team—learning Jump’s standards and methods. After that initial period, people grow into leadership roles, project leading the client relationship and the team, or content leading —holding the bar to our standards, not just client expectations. Project Leads often grow toward relationship leadership , owning senior client relationships. Content Leads often grow toward thought leadership , shaping Jump’s point of view through writing, speaking, and visible intellectual leadership.

Have ~5–10 years of relevant experience (strategy, consulting, design, research, innovation, product, brand, or similar)
Have experience with excellence, either through attending a top 25 national university or college (or equivalent) or through top-tier programs or work experiences
Are comfortable working in ambiguity and raising the quality bar
Location: San Mateo, CA (We work in person most days—typically Monday–Thursday—because close collaboration and apprenticeship matter to how we work)
Travel: ~25% for client work and "in the field" research
Permanent U.