Design Strategist

Los Angeles (El Segundo) · Hybrid, Tue/Thu in office · Open to remote for the right person · Reports to the Director of StrategyAbout usAlmost Always (formerly Boundary) is a creative studio in El Segundo, California. Since 2017 we've been the team that founders and operators called during the moments that matter: rebrands, funding rounds, launches, and the rare windows when a company gets to redefine itself. We're brand strategists, designers, and technologists working as a single team, close enough to the work to make the calls ourselves. We've built brands and products for Red Bull, Remedy Place, MUD\WTR, Milani, KAST, and a long line of startups.We believe the most effective move is almost always a judgment call, not a template or a best practice. In an era when anyone can generate a logo or vibe-code a website in an afternoon, judgment is what stands out. This role is where that discernment is established.Why this role mattersThe success of a project isn't defined by its launch. It's when we question what the client asked for and uncover what they actually need.Making things beautiful is the easy part. The work that separates good from great is making sure the beautiful thing actually solves the real-world challenge it was built for. That is the most important job on any project, and it's the one we're hiring for.You are the strategic lighthouse guiding each engagement. From the day a client signs to the day we ship, you hold the truth of what the work is trying to accomplish and keep it from drifting. You are not the creative director. You are the reason the creative direction stays pointed at the client’s core business objectives. What you'll actually doThe job changes shape as a project moves, and that's the most important part. You must adapt. Early on, it's about strategy. You run the kickoff like the whole project depends on it, because it does. You ask the questions that excavate the real business problem, the untold story, the hard-won wisdom the client doesn't yet know is valuable. Then you turn it into direction the team can build on: content strategy, brand messaging, sitemaps, website copy, marketing collateral, and wireframes clear enough to hand our designers their starting point on a silver platter.You don't need a formal UX portfolio or the ability to build a modular component library. But you do need to know how to push pixels in Figma: good enough to visualize a content strategy at a fidelity you'd be proud to put in front of a client. Our designers take it from there.After that, it's mostly about coordination. Once the strategy is set, you will primarily keep the project on schedule and on scope across design and development. You will be the north star in every design review and QA pass, the one who gut-checks the work against the strategy and calls it early when it starts to drift. You will also continue to contribute creatively throughout the project. Who you areYou lead with curiosity. This matters more than anything else on your resume. We can teach a point of view. We can't teach the instinct to keep asking why.You can sit with uncertainty or a messy business problem and translate it into content and UX that actually address it.You write clearly, and you like doing it. You are comfortable leveraging AI as a tool, but never as a crutch. You obsess over details. Like the perfect way to end a sentence or whether a headline should be title case or sentence case. You nerd out on brand strategy, copywriting, and go-to-market campaigns. You're comfortable owning a project end-to-end and comfortable being wrong out loud in a room full of strong opinions.5+ years of relevant experience. Creative agency experience is a plus.Where you'll workOur studio is in El Segundo, the corner of LA's South Bay, where creative and frontier tech companies have been quietly colonizing for years. We're blocks from the beach, a short walk from more good restaurants and bars than you'll get through, and minutes from Manhattan Beach. Hybrid in the office Tuesdays and Thursdays. For the right person, we're open to remote.The dealSalary: $90,000 – $120,000, commensurate with experience.Unlimited PTO.Health benefits and 401(k).Autonomy to own projects end to end.Real room to grow as the studio grows.Frequent company outings, and an office you'll actually want to be in.To applyShare a copy doc or wireframes for a website where you lead the strategy and messaging. Tell us how you got there. Tell us about a project that makes you proud. How do you feed your curiosity?What's your favorite podcast or book right now?