Design strategists balance what is desirable, feasible, and viable. They often serve as a product owner, acting not just as voice of customer, but also voice of the client, and voice of trends and technology throughout the development process. As a Design Strategist, you are primarily responsible for framing innovation opportunities, architecting a plan to get there, and helping both clients and cross-functional team members navigate the critical fuzzy front end of the design and innovation process.

This position is for an office-based/hybrid candidate in the Philadelphia, PA office (you must easily be able to be on-site in Madison with short notice) but candidates who are within commuting distance to our offices in Boston, MA, Madison, WI, and San Francisco, CA will also be considered. Only highly qualified candidates with a proven track record of working remotely with cross-functional design and innovation teams will be considered for fully remote positions.

Job Responsibilities 

Primary Responsibilities

• Define the strategic opportunities for our clients businesses, offerings, and brands that are evocative, grounded, and actionable
• Develop roadmaps of future products, services, and experiences
• Facilitate complex decision-making grounded in meaningful business metrics and systems thinking that drive toward actionable next steps
• Synthesize large amounts of disparate information and driving sense-making with internal and client teams
• Build compelling experiences and stories that immerse both client and internal teams in the insights, opportunities, and recommendations
• Document the story of the project in a way that is engaging and actionable for both the client audience, and potential future design and engineering stakeholders
• Lay the groundwork for successful brainstorming and ideation sessions with multi-disciplinary teams, clients, and/or users
• Collaborate with clients, designers, engineers, prototyping specialists, and other members of Insights & Strategy team to support idea generation, brainstorming, and concept development
• Deliver exceptional client experiences as measured by client feedback and long-term relationships
• Lead cross-disciplinary project teams and ensuring quality of deliverables while adhering to clients budgets and schedule
• Travel domestically and internationally for field research (occasionally up to two weeks in field) and client meetings

Other responsibilities:

• Support design research activities such as qualitative interviews and field research; sometimes moderating and leading interviews with users, subject matter experts/key opinion leaders, and client senior leaders
• Conduct secondary desk/trend research to find additional insight and context related to the user, client, and industry ecosystem
• Keep up to date on the latest trends in research methods, tools, and related compliance/regulatory rules
• Keep up to date on the latest trends and news in design, technology, and the industries and clients we support (e.g. their business models, competitors, innovations, etc.)
• Share best practices with the Insights and Strategy team and broader organization (e.g. presentations, mentoring, blogs, etc.)
• Support proposal writing/responding to RFPs (Requests for Proposal)
• Participate in other projects and support as needed

Requirements 

• Bachelor's or Master's in design, business, engineering, anthropology, sociology, psychology, architecture, marketing, or similar
• 5+ years of professional experience in design strategy, product management, new product development (physical, digital, and/or service), innovation, management consulting, entrepreneurship, or related fields
• Project management, project owner, product owner or similar experience
• Consulting and/or agency experience
• Significant hands-on or support experience with design research methods applied in a commercial setting
• Able to travel regionally, nationally, and internationally often for just a few days at a time or up to one week for field work
• Located and authorized to work in the United States. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

Preferred Qualifications 

• You have experience working in a healthcare-related field
• You are proficient in Adobe suite software (InDesign, Illustrator), including video
• You are proficient with quantitative primary research methods
• You are a seasoned practitioner of Design Thinking and Human-Centered Design methods and how they apply to new product/service/experience development
• You are excited about the fuzzy front end
• You can work independently with a high degree of autonomy and are able to clearly communicate both visually and verbally with key internal and external project stakeholders to keep them informed of your design needs, progress, and any potential obstacles.
• You are a natural collaborator who knows when to include your project teammates and stakeholders in the design process and can effectively facilitate group activities, including in-person and remote work sessions and design reviews.
• You are a convincing presenter and engaging storyteller who is comfortable on stage in front of an audience of clients and peers, whether presenting design work or offering your expert opinion.
• You are motivated by change, and see the pandemic, social injustice, and our younger generations as meaningful opportunities to adapt how we design and collaborate, and what we deliver. Because equity, inclusion, and diversity are important to you, you have a point of view, personal or professional experience, or interest in helping make a difference.

About Delve + Bresslergroup 

Delve + Bresslergroup is a full-service design and innovation consultancy, now with even deeper expertise and more talent. In 2021, the two companies merged into one cohesive and successful team. Our 170+ creative, curious, talent professionals create meaningful products, services, and experiences in categories ranging from medical devices to consumer and commercial products, transportation, and more. From our offices in Boston, Philadelphia, Madison, and San Francisco, we provide strategy, research, design and engineering to forward-thinking leaders around the globe.

Be inspired. Be inspiring. Be yourself.

Delve embraces difference because creativity, curiosity, and diversity drive innovation. We nurture a supportive and inclusive environment. Be yourself and create a future that improves lives. We encourage applicants of color and those with diverse lived experiences to apply.

Life at Delve + Bresslergroup

We realize that you are making a big decision when considering a new job. You need to consider salary, the inherent satisfaction you will get from your work, and whether you will enjoy working with your colleagues. We’ve built a culture that represents our values. Here are a few big and little things we think make Bresslergroup and Delve a fun and safe place to spend your days, create lasting friendships, and build your career:

• Offices located in the design centers of vibrant cities with great walking access to coffee shops, shopping districts, and restaurants
• Well-designed studios with ergonomic workspaces, collaborative work areas and access to natural light for those who want it, and dark and quiet areas for those who don’t
• Dog friendly offices with great dogs like Zoe, Hank, and Talia
• A flexible vacation policy- we trust you know when you need to recharge
• Flexible work hours and ability to work remotely
• Access to public transportation and indoor bike parking
• Support for affinity groups and employee resource groups.
• A professional development budget for access to conferences and, training, etc.