Deputy Director of Design Research

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YLabs

Remote (global)
  • Career category: Research/ Data analysis
  • Job type: Job
  • Experience level: 5-10 years
  • Organisation type: Civil Society
  • Remote option: Remote (global)
  • Right to work requirements: Anyone can apply
  • Remuneration: USD 48,500 USD-USD 72,143 USD / yearly
  • Work schedule: Full-time
  • Length of contract: Not specified
  • Location: East Africa
Economic justice Health Youth
ABOUT YLABS
YLabs is a leading global design and research organization working to improve health and economic opportunity for young people aged 10–24. Founded in 2016 at the Harvard Innovation Lab, YLabs operates across Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and Central America in partnership with youth to design products and services addressing key challenges in sexual reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, mental health, financial inclusion, and climate resilience.

THE ROLE
YLabs is seeking a Deputy Director of Design Research to lead its Deep Listening function and shape the organization- wide vision, methodology, and operational approach to user and ethnographic field research. This role is ideal for a seasoned design researcher who can seamlessly lead projects  from initial research ideation and ground-level field execution to insight synthesis and strategic presentations for C suite executives and senior stakeholders. They will establish institutional systems, develop frameworks across multiple teams, manage Institutional Review Board (IRB) processes, and direct field teams and local Principal Investigators (PIs) across complex regional contexts.

REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
  • Design Research & Mixed-Method Research Mastery: Demonstrates mastery of design research, qualitative and quantitative synthesis, and ethnographic field methods, with proven success in managing multiple complex research projects simultaneously.
  • Autonomy & Strategic Leadership: Requires no instruction on routine work and operates with complete autonomy on complex organizational initiatives. Makes high-impact strategic decisions independently.
  • IRB & Compliance Expertise: Deep understanding of ethical research protocols, IRB application processes, informed consent procedures, and human subjects protection.
  • System Building & Prioritization: Inherently displays best practices in delegation and team management, establishing systems and structures across teams to enable seamless research operations.
  • Adaptability & Complex Problem Solving: Creatively shifts approaches when facing unexpected field obstacles; demonstrates best practices in navigating barriers and anticipating future challenges.
  • High Emotional Intelligence & Mentorship: Models best practices in professional relationship building, mentoring team members, managing performance improvements, and navigating sensitive interpersonal dynamics with ease.
  • Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI): Models culturally competent ways of working; recognizes and addresses personal and structural biases, creates safe spaces for dialogue, and elevates marginalized voices safely and ethically.

QUALIFICATIONS
Required:
  • Minimum of 7 years of professional experience in design research, user research, qualitative field research, or ethnographic research.Experience conducting such  in the economic empowerment sector is considered an advantage.
  • Demonstrated track record of leading end-to-end design research initiatives—from field immersion and protocol design to executive-level presentation.
  • Proven experience preparing and managing IRB applications and working directly with local PIs, ethics committees, or research approval boards.
  • Demonstrated experience building research systems, toolkits, or operational frameworks used across multiple teams or departments.
  • Substantial experience supervising, training, and mentoring researchers and cross-functional project staff.
  • Exceptional verbal, written, and visual communication skills, with a portfolio showcasing complex research synthesis translated into clear, actionable frameworks
  • Willingness and ability to travel up to 50% of the time to field sites across Sub-Saharan Africa
  • Proficiency with collaborative research synthesis tools (e.g., Miro, Mural, Figma, Dedoose, NVivo).

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