Director - Research and Design

Greetings from enGen Global !!

We are looking for a Director - Research and Design based in Chennai.

Summary

We are seeking a dynamic and visionary Director, UX Research and Design to lead and expand our growing team in India. This is a critical leadership role responsible for building, nurturing, and strategically evolving our design and research talent in India. You will play a pivotal role in shaping how the company leverages global talent to deliver exceptional product experiences, fostering a culture of ownership, innovation, and collaboration between our US and India-based teams. This leader will drive strategic initiatives, cultivate top talent, and ensure our India team is a central pillar in enGen Global's product development and experience strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Leadership & Vision:

• Collaborate with the US-based research and design leaders to understand the overarching product organization vision and co-create a strategic roadmap for the India research and design team.
• Define and articulate a compelling vision for how the India team will evolve from staff augmentation to owning distinct bodies of work and developing specialized expertise.
• Develop a comprehensive staffing strategy, including recommendations for optimizing the mix of FTEs and contingent workers, to scale the team efficiently and effectively.
• Champion cross-pollination of knowledge, skills, and best practices between the US and India research and design teams, fostering a unified global community of practice.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of how research and design drive key business metrics, ROI, and overall business strategy, influencing stakeholders with data-driven insights.

2. Team Leadership & Development:

• Implement robust performance management, career development, and succession planning for individual contributors and future managers within the India team.
• Provide strong, empathetic leadership and mentorship to a diverse team of UX Designers, Researchers, and potentially other specialized roles (currently 6-10 team members).
• Cultivate a high-performing team culture focused on user-centered design, research rigor, innovation, continuous learning, and professional growth.
• Lead recruitment efforts to attract, hire, and retain top-tier design and research talent in India, ensuring alignment with company's quality standards and strategic needs.
• Maintain a "hands-on" leadership style, capable of diving into design and research execution, guiding craft, and providing direct, actionable feedback to elevate team output.

3. Operational Excellence & Collaboration:

• Establish and evolve operational processes that enable seamless collaboration between the India team and US-based research, design, product, engineering (PHE & EnGen), and business stakeholders.
• Drive initiatives to enhance the team's capacity to own and deliver end-to-end design and research outcomes for specific product areas or features.
• Act as a primary liaison between the India team and US leadership, ensuring clear communication, alignment, and shared understanding of goals and progress.
• Proactively identify opportunities for the India team to take on more complex and strategic projects, aligning capabilities with business priorities.
• Employ a systems-thinking approach to build design infrastructure, governance models, and cross-functional operating systems that streamline workflows and ensure consistency beyond individual project deliverables.
• Demonstrate high competency in working collaboratively with product managers, engineers, and diverse business stakeholders to deliver impactful results within an agile environment.

4. Design & Research Craft & Impact:

• Maintain a deep understanding of design and research methodologies, guiding the team in applying best practices to solve complex user and business problems.
• Ensure the consistent delivery of high-quality, impactful design solutions and actionable research insights that drive measurable business outcomes.
• Champion a user-centered design approach throughout the product development lifecycle, ensuring empathy for our members is at the core of all solutions.
• Possess a keen eye for emerging technologies, with the ability to design AI-enabled experiences and leverage AI to speed up design and research workflows.

Required Experience:

• Minimum of 15+ years of experience in UX Design and/or UX Research, with a demonstrated ability to blend both disciplines effectively.
• Minimum of 5+ years of experience in a leadership role, including direct management of individual contributors and managers.
• Demonstrable experience working effectively with US-based companies, understanding cross-cultural dynamics, and building strong global partnerships.
• Proven track record of successfully growing and scaling design and/or research teams, ideally in a rapidly evolving environment.
• Exceptional ability to balance user needs, business objectives, and technical constraints to deliver impactful solutions.
• Strong strategic thinking, business acumen, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of an organization.
• Demonstrated ability to foster a positive, inclusive, and high-performing team culture.
• Proven ability to think systemically about design, establish governance, and build scalable processes and infrastructure.
• Comfortable with hands-on engagement in design and research activities, demonstrating mastery of craft alongside leadership responsibilities.

Preferred:

• Experience in healthcare, financial services, or another highly regulated industry.
• Experience working with or leading geographically distributed teams.
• Familiarity with agile product development methodologies.
• Experience in designing for or leveraging AI/ML in product development.