Principal Design Researcher
We’re currently looking for a Principal Design Researcher to lead the research practice for one of our top‑tier clients – a global leader in the Health industry – shaping the products and services that empower clinicians, patients and care teams at the moments that matter most.
This is not a coordination role – it is a leadership role. You will define how we understand the people we design for, orchestrate a portfolio of research initiatives, and ensure that human insight drives decisions from discovery through to delivery.
What will your day‑to‑day be like?
You will:

Define and own the research agenda, aligned with product and business priorities.
Establish a multi‑horizon research roadmap spanning generative, evaluative and strategic studies.
Champion a human‑centred lens across the entire product lifecycle.
Lead, mentor and develop a team of design researchers embedded across product squads – coordinating capacity and prioritisation across concurrent initiatives.
Foster a culture of rigour, curiosity and inclusive research practice.
Lead complex, ambiguous research programmes from brief to insight, applying mixed methods (ethnographic, contextual, participatory, evaluative) appropriate to each challenge.
Ensure regulatory and ethical compliance in all research activities.
Translate research into actionable insights that shape strategy – not just design – presenting findings and recommendations to senior stakeholders and leadership.
Partner with product management, design, clinical affairs and marketing to embed research throughout discovery and development.
Define shared research frameworks and artefacts (personas, journey maps, opportunity spaces).
Build and steward a living research repository, developing standards, templates and methodological guidance for the team.

What are we looking for?

5‑8 years of design research or UX research experience, with at least 3 years in a principal,



lead or staff‑level role.
Demonstrated ability to define and execute strategic research programmes in complex, regulated environments – healthcare, medtech or diagnostics experience strongly preferred.
Deep expertise across qualitative methods, and comfortable integrating quantitative signals and working with data science partners.
Proven track record of leading and growing research teams, with strong coaching and mentoring skills.
Ability to navigate clinical and hospital environments; familiarity with care workflows, patient safety and regulatory frameworks (IVD, MDR) is a plus.
Exceptional communication and storytelling skills – able to make research compelling for executive audiences and product teams alike.
Fluency in English; additional European languages are a plus.

What makes you stand out

Proven experience operating at the nexus of diagnostics, chronic care management or acute clinical environments.
Deep familiarity with systems thinking, service design frameworks or strategic foresight methodologies.
A track record of establishing and scaling organisational research maturity from the ground up.

Why should you join?
This is a unique opportunity for someone looking for a challenge in the design research area and to be part of a centre of innovation that is impacting clients all over the world – with genuine strategic impact, where your insights direct products used in life‑critical settings globally.
Benefits

Permanent contract.
Competitive salary with an annual job performance appraisal.
Hybrid working model – you can work from home or enjoy our studio with free coffee and a garden.
Dynamic community of more than 15 nationalities and team‑building activities.
Access to Nacar Academy training program and personalized career paths.
26 paid vacation days.
Monthly allowance for internet costs and a budget for working‑from‑home materials.
Health insurance.
Versátil working hours.
Free tickets for the local market.

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📌 Principal Researcher (Barcelona)
🏢 Nacardesign
📍 Barcelona