Associate Director, Strategy; Deputy Competency Manager

LINK is looking for an Associate Director, Strategy; Deputy Competency Manager to join our dynamic team, where we leverage strong partnerships and a robust portfolio of clients across diverse industries. 

This is an exciting opportunity for a professional in the Strategy Competency. Ideal candidates will bring a proven track record of client relationship management, deep expertise in Strategy, leadership, and a strong commitment to delivering exceptional value and results.

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.

• 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.

• Full time, 40 hours per week
• Some travel required to attend relevant events and conferences, and participate in LINK team events