Senior Strategic Designer

Description & Requirements

Senior Strategic Designer Locations: New York, NY | San Francisco, CA WHAT MAKES US A GREAT PLACE TO WORK We are proud to be consistently recognized as one of the world’s best places to work. We are currently the top ranked consulting firm on Glassdoor’s Best Places to Work list and have earned the #1 overall spot a record seven times. Extraordinary teams are at the heart of our business strategy, but these don’t happen by chance. They require intentional focus on bringing together a broad set of backgrounds, cultures, experiences, perspectives, and skills in a supportive and inclusive work environment. We hire people with exceptional talent and create an environment in which every individual can thrive professionally and personally. WHO YOU’LL WORK WITH You’ll join our Design & Research experts within the AI, Insights & Solutions team. This team is part of Bain’s digital capabilities practice, which includes experts in analytics, engineering, product management, and design. In this multidisciplinary environment, you'll leverage deep technical expertise with business acumen to help clients tackle their most transformative challenges. You’ll work on integrated teams alongside our general consultants and clients to develop data-driven strategies and innovative solutions. Together, we create human-centric solutions that harness the power of data and artificial intelligence to drive competitive advantage for our clients. Our collaborative and supportive work environment fosters creativity and continuous learning, enabling us to consistently deliver exceptional results. WHERE YOU’LL FIT WITHIN THE TEAM As a Senior Strategic Designer, you’ll help lead human-centered innovation efforts—from research and insight development to concept creation, prototyping, and experimentation. You won’t just design solutions—you’ll bring a consulting mindset to navigate complex case contexts, contribute to strategy definition, and make pragmatic design choices that add value quickly. WHAT YOU’LL DO Lead the end-to-end strategic design process, from framing and research to experimentation and delivery. Conduct qualitative research and synthesize insights into compelling artifacts, such as personas, journeys, and opportunity maps. Co-lead ideation sessions and conceptualize new experiences and business models in collaboration with case teams. Build storytelling assets and prototypes to bring ideas to life in fast, iterative ways. Run light experiments to test the desirability, feasibility, and viability of new solutions. Collaborate with case teams, GPs, and client stakeholders, demonstrating ownership and design leadership. Adapt design approaches based on project goals, balancing structured frameworks with practical flexibility. Model strong communication and tradeoff thinking, clearly articulating the rationale and implications behind design decisions. Contribute to the AIS community through coaching, recruiting, IP development, and cultural initiatives.

You’ll be a strong fit for this role if you have: 3–5 years of hands-on experience in digital product, service, or venture design. Proven ability to navigate strategic ambiguity and co-create direction in complex, fast-changing contexts. A strong grasp of design thinking, human-centered design, and agile ways of working. Fluency with tools such as Figma, Miro, and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as working comfort with GenAI tools that support design research, ideation, prototyping, and storytelling. Intellectual curiosity and a consulting mindset, with an interest in understanding case context, contributing to business strategy, and delivering design with clear intent and rationale. Strong communication and collaboration skills with both designers and non-designers. Comfort with approximately 30% travel for client work. Advanced proficiency in English. Additional experience that would be valuable includes: Experience in consulting