Deputy Director of Design Research

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Africa.

📋 Description

• Oversee YLabs’ Deep Listening initiative and define the comprehensive vision, methodology, and operational strategy for user and ethnographic field research.

• Manage projects from the conceptualization of research ideas and on-site execution to the synthesis of insights and strategic presentations for C-suite executives and senior stakeholders.

• Establish organizational systems and create frameworks across various teams.

• Handle Institutional Review Board submissions, protocol modifications, and ensure ethics compliance.

• Supervise the creation of research protocols, which include literature reviews, sampling strategies, and consent methods.

• Recruit and manage local Principal Investigators to navigate regional regulatory frameworks, cultural subtleties, and site approvals.

• Guarantee compliance with Human Subjects standards, global safeguarding policies, and data protection protocols.

• Design and conduct rapid-cycle field research sprints utilizing immersive observation, semi-structured one-on-one interviews, and participatory focus group discussions.

• Build and manage pipelines for recruiting and training local community researchers and youth field listeners.

• Oversee daily field debriefings, implement reflexivity and positionality checks, and address researcher bias.

• Modify research plans in response to unforeseen field challenges, security issues, and changing group dynamics.

• Convert qualitative field data into analytical frameworks such as root-cause analyses, ecosystem maps, personas, and user journey maps.

• Collaborate on insight narratives through participatory sense-making with field teams and community partners.

• Compile findings into executive summaries, strategic reports, and presentations for donors, C-suite executives, and senior leaders.

• Transform youth-driven insights into actionable opportunity areas and strategic recommendations.

⛳️ Requirements

• At least 7 years of professional experience in design research, user research, qualitative field research, or ethnographic research.

• Proven history of leading comprehensive design research initiatives, encompassing field immersion, protocol design, and executive-level presentations.

• Demonstrated experience in preparing and managing IRB applications and collaborating directly with local PIs, ethics committees, or research approval boards.

• Experience in developing research systems, toolkits, or operational frameworks utilized across multiple teams or departments.

• Significant experience in supervising, training, and mentoring researchers and cross-functional project staff.

• Outstanding verbal, written, and visual communication skills.

• A portfolio that showcases complex research synthesis translated into clear, actionable frameworks.

• Availability and willingness to travel up to 50% of the time to field sites throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

• Proficient in collaborative research synthesis tools, including Miro, Mural, Figma, Dedoose, and NVivo.

• Candidates should be located within the GMT+0 to GMT+4 time zone on the African continent.

• A Master’s or PhD in Anthropology, Design Research, Human-Centered Design, Sociology, UX Research, or a related field is preferred.

• Experience living and working in Sub-Saharan Africa, especially in East Africa, is a plus.

• Familiarity with working with vulnerable or marginalized youth populations is advantageous.

• A satisfactory background check and clearances of criminal records are required as a condition of employment.

🏝️ Benefits

• Full-time salary paid in the local currency of the staff member’s permanent work location.

• Opportunity for contract extension following the initial 12-month term.

• Confidential handling of application information in accordance with EEO guidelines.