Principal Design Researcher
Athena Infonomics · Delhi · onsite · Posted 1d ago
Undisclosed6–8 yrsfulltimeSourced from
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About this role
Job Summary
The Opportunity
Core Responsibilities
1. Lead the Research Team
2. Lead Field Research and Use-Case Discovery
3. Translate Research into Product Opportunities
4. Shape Product Vision and Design Direction
5. Influence Stakeholders and Strategy
6. Strengthen Research Practice
The Challenges You Will Explore
Rural Development and Livelihoods
Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.
Principal Design Researcher
Research Leadership | Use-Case Discovery | Product Visioning
Find the real problem. Build the team that can solve it.
Organisation: APLYD, part of Athena Infonomics Group
Function: Products & Innovation
Position: Full-time
Location: India, with regular field engagement
Experience: 6-8 years, with flexibility for exceptional candidates
Reporting to: Chief Innovation Officer
The Opportunity
Lead research that reveals where to build next.
We are looking for a Principal Design Researcher to lead field research and use-case discovery across APLYD s innovation portfolio.
You will lead and develop a multidisciplinary research team, while remaining closely involved in fieldwork, synthesis and product exploration. Your work may involve understanding how rural entrepreneurs make business decisions, how farmers navigate advisory systems, how small manufacturers manage production or how frontline workers deliver public services.
This role is suited to a researcher who can move between field immersion, team leadership and product thinking. You will work with product managers, designers, AI specialists, engineers and sector experts to turn evidence into clear opportunities for digital products and services.
Core Responsibilities
1. Lead the Research Team
- Manage, mentor and develop a team of design researchers.
- Set research priorities across programmes and allocate work based on project needs and team strengths.
- Define research plans, methods, field strategies and quality standards.
- Work alongside researchers on important field studies, synthesis and stakeholder engagements.
- Review research outputs and help teams move from observations to clear insights and use cases.
- Build a culture of rigour, curiosity, constructive critique and shared learning.
- Support recruitment, onboarding and capability development.
2. Lead Field Research and Use-Case Discovery
- Plan and lead research across villages, farms, markets, manufacturing facilities, public institutions and service environments.
- Use ethnography, contextual inquiry, observation, interviews, participatory research and other appropriate methods.
- Understand behaviours, informal practices, motivations, constraints and decision-making patterns.
- Identify gaps between what people say they need and what they actually do.
- Combine qualitative, quantitative and contextual evidence where useful.
- Build relationships with communities, institutions and sector experts.
- Turn field evidence into clear problem statements, use cases and opportunity areas.
3. Translate Research into Product Opportunities
- Lead synthesis and sense-making across research programmes.
- Identify unmet needs, behavioural patterns and systemic barriers.
- Challenge assumptions and reframe problem statements when the evidence demands it.
- Facilitate opportunity-framing and concept-development sessions.
- Work with designers and product managers to explore service models, workflows, prototypes and future experiences.
- Develop research-backed product directions and experience principles.
- Help teams assess opportunities based on user value, contextual fit, potential impact and feasibility.
4. Shape Product Vision and Design Direction
- Work with the Chief Innovation Officer and product leadership to define priority opportunity areas.
- Lead workshops that connect field findings to product concepts and strategic choices.
- Partner with designers, engineers and AI specialists to explore what new technologies can enable.
- Keep research insights visible throughout early product discovery and concept development.
- Communicate product opportunities through clear narratives, visual frameworks and prototypes.
- Help teams decide which ideas to pursue, test or set aside.
5. Influence Stakeholders and Strategy
- Present research findings and product opportunities to senior leaders, government officials, development partners and internal teams.
- Build alignment among stakeholders with different priorities and perspectives.
- Connect user needs with policy, operational, market and technology realities.
- Identify opportunities for products, services and wider digital ecosystems.
- Contribute to APLYD s innovation agenda by identifying emerging needs across sectors.
6. Strengthen Research Practice
- Establish practical standards for research planning, fieldwork, synthesis and documentation.
- Build reusable research assets, sector insights, behavioural frameworks and use-case libraries.
- Share learning across programmes and sectors.
- Promote ethical research, informed participation, privacy and contextual sensitivity.
- Support the team through regular feedback, mentoring and peer learning.
- Contribute to selected publications, forums and thought leadership where relevant.
The Challenges You Will Explore
Rural Development and Livelihoods
- How can digital products help rural entrepreneurs identify opportunities, access finance, plan businesses and participate in markets
- Research may cover household economics, enterprise behaviour, community institutions, informal practices and market relationships.
Disclaimer: This job posting has been aggregated from external source. Role details, content, and availability are subject to change. Applicants are advised to confirm the latest information directly on the company website before applying.
Sourced from naukri
Skills
Product DesignSociologyAdvisoryUsageManager TechnologyConcept developmentResearchProduct ServiceoperationsRecruitment
About Athena Infonomics
Athena Infonomics
Financial Services
25
employees
Chennai, Tamil Nadu
India
₹12L PA avg
Avg at Athena Infonomics
About
Athena Infonomics was founded in Chennai, India in 2010. Chennai remains our global hub, and this southern Indian city exemplifies the local lens that we apply to our work. Not only is our team knowledgeable on issues pertaining to global development, but many of us are based or have spent considerable time working in low- and middle-income countries.
Industries
Financial Services
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Culture
4.5
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