Principal Researcher

Born and based in Barcelona, Nacar is an award-winning Strategic Design Agency, impassioned by our agile and international team composed of over 90 creative professionals (design strategists, researchers, product and UX / UI designers, engineers, and overall creatives).

We work with all-size clients from across multiple industries, collaborating in innovation and establishing solutions and product strategies that apply to Industrial, Digital, Brand and Service Design.

We also contribute to their digitalization, by conceptualizing and prototyping new, human centered products and services around technological capabilities.

With a hybrid-work model and flexible working hours, we are powered by a culture of communication, collaboration, proactivity and positivity, always aiming to humanize technology experiences and to transform into the phygital future.

Our offices, an urban oasis, are located in the beautiful Palo Alto, an old factory in Poblenou, restored and converted into studios for designers and artists.

Nacar was made to be a place where people can grow and impact the world, and we’re in continuous growth to always provide our best.

Our team is connected by common challenges, eager to discover, envision and materialize new opportunities. Is this something you feel identified with?

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 center 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 :)

We also offer:

🔖Permanent contract.

💰Competitive salary - with an yearly job performance appraisal.

🏡Hybrid working model - you can either work from home or enjoy our beautiful studio (with free coffee and a great garden!).

🌈Join a dynamic +15 nationalities community and enjoy our team-building activities.

📚Keep challenging yourself with our Nacar Academy training program, aligned with the creation of personalized career paths.

✨26 paid vacation days.

💯Monthly allowance for internet costs and a budget for working-from-home materials.

🍎Health Insurance.

🚀Flexible working hours.

🆓Free tickets for the Palo Alto Market 😃