Design Thinking Strategist

Design Thinking Strategist

Charlotte, NC

Type: Contract

Category: Product Management

Industry: Energy

Standard Hours: Open

Reference ID: JN -102026-109248

Date Posted: 10/28/2026

Shortcut: http://careers.eliassen.com/B5oAKU

• Description
• Recommended Jobs

Description:

Hybrid 3 days on-site in Charlotte, NC

Our client seeks a product and service design leader to drive discovery, research, and facilitation that produces solutions people value and the business can measure. The role will frame opportunities, structure and run research, plan and facilitate collaborative workshops, translate insights into actionable artifacts, and validate solutions through testing. Candidates should demonstrate strategic thinking, discovery capability, comfort with ambiguity, and the ability to connect work to measurable outcomes. Portfolios and a short video submission are required per the client’s prescreen process. Local presence is required with three days per week in the office.

Due to client requirements, applicants must be willing and able to work on a w2 basis. For our w2 consultants, we offer a great benefits package that includes Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits, 401k with company matching, and life insurance.

Rate: $60.00 to $70.00/hr. w2

Responsibilities:

• Partner with clients to build shared understanding, align to business needs, and articulate the value of a human-centered approach. Coach product leadership in strategic decision-making.
• Scope and design research plans based on business requirements and technical feasibility.
• Plan, conduct, and interpret research including stakeholder and user interviews, usability evaluations, and concept validation to inform interaction, visual direction, and feasibility.
• Plan and facilitate cross-functional workshops to support ideation, decision making, and requirements gathering.
• Guide teams in communicating complex concepts through clear written and visual formats and serve as the central point of design direction.
• Translate insights into actionable outcomes and artifacts such as personas, journeys, and service blueprints as solutions move into build.
• Collaborate with change management from definition through testing to assess impacts and shape change strategies and training.
• Demonstrate consultant mindset, creative problem solving, and a bias toward action in ambiguous environments.

Experience Requirements:

• 3 to 5 years in design research, product strategy and design, and/or service design with portfolio covering the full product lifecycle.
• Experience aligning product strategy to business objectives through business strategy and value assessment is a plus.
• Ability to leverage business value to drive research and outcomes.
• Extensive experience planning and facilitating cross-functional workshops with varying leadership levels in a corporate setting.
• Strength in narrative development and storytelling to influence and guide stakeholders.
• Experience designing AI solutions is a plus. Consulting experience beneficial.
• Local presence required with three days per week in office. Portfolio and 2 to 3 minute video submission required per prescreen process.

Recruitment Transparency Notice

Eliassen Group values transparency in our recruitment practices. Please be advised that Eliassen Group utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) tools as part of its initial application screening and hiring process. You may receive email and SMS notifications from the Eliassen Virtual Recruiting Team ( noreply@eliassen.com , 781-808-2924) inviting you to complete a brief voice screening as part of your application process. These tools assist our hiring teams in different ways, including but not limited to, assistance in reviewing application materials to help identify candidates whose qualifications most closely match the requirements of the position. All AI-assisted evaluations and responses are reviewed by human recruiters before any hiring decisions are made. The use of AI in our process is intended to support fairness, efficiency, and consistency, and Eliassen Group takes measures to prevent bias or discrimination in connection with its hiring practices. By proceeding, you acknowledge, agree, and consent to Eliassen Group’s use of these tools, including AI tools, as part of the application and hiring process.

Skills, experience, and other compensable factors will be considered when determining pay rate. The pay range provided in this posting reflects a W2 hourly rate; other employment options may be available that may result in pay outside of the provided range.

W2 employees of Eliassen Group who are regularly scheduled to work 30 or more hours per week are eligible for the following benefits: medical (choice of 3 plans), dental, vision, pre-tax accounts, other voluntary benefits including life and disability insurance, 401(k) with match, and sick time if required by law in the worked-in state/locality.

If anyone reaches out to you about an open position connected with Eliassen Group, please ensure that you are working directly with us by confirming the following:

· When you work with Eliassen Group, all email communication will come from an Eliassen.com address, never Gmail, Yahoo, etc.

· Eliassen Group will never ask you for personal information (home address, bank account, or check routing number) until you have worked with someone clearly associated with Eliassen Group.

If you have any indication of fraudulent activity, please contact fraud@eliassen.com .

About Eliassen Group:

Eliassen Group is a strategic consulting firm that helps organizations reach further and achieve more through our technology, business advisory, and life sciences solutions. For nearly 40 years, we have combined exceptional people, deep domain expertise, and intelligent capabilities to expand our clients’ capacity and accelerate meaningful outcomes. We are driven by a purpose to positively impact the lives of our employees, clients, consultants, and the communities we serve.

Eliassen is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team from a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer and all employment decisions are based on merit, performance, and business needs. Eliassen does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender identity or expression, sexual preference or orientation, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), marital status, creed, religion, physical or mental disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, age, ancestry, national origin, citizenship status, prohibited criminal record inquiries of applicants and employees, or any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Don’t miss out on our referral program! If we hire a candidate that you refer us to then you can be eligible for a $1,000 referral check!