Principal Product Design Researcher

Papa John's

Montgomery, AL

Full Time

Senior

11 days ago

Job Description

About the Role

The Principal Product Design Researcher is responsible for shaping long-term product vision and business strategy through foundational insights into human behavior, needs, and emerging sociocultural trends. The role acts as a trusted thought partner to product, design, and engineering leadership, guiding early-stage planning and future roadmap decisions with rigorously synthesized, actionable research. The role involves leading and scaling research programs that inform enterprise-level direction, developing cross-functional alignment, and influencing senior decision-makers to ensure the voice of the customer is operationalized in strategic investments and product prioritization. It requires both vision and execution, including designing new research approaches, implementing scalable knowledge management systems, mentoring researchers and partners, and evangelizing a culture of curiosity, experimentation, and evidence-based decision-making.

Key Responsibilities

Build, lead, and scale foundational research programs that uncover deep user needs, motivations, and sociocultural patterns to guide mid-to-long-term product strategy.
Partner with executive stakeholders to define and prioritize long-range opportunity areas (2-5 years) and shape strategic roadmaps.
Collaborate cross-functionally to define impactful research questions that align with organizational goals and investment planning.
Design and execute qualitative and mixed-method studies that drive clarity in high-ambiguity problem spaces.
Translate complex insights into strategic frameworks and operational recommendations for senior leadership.
Establish scalable knowledge-sharing practices and systems to integrate insights into product development and business planning at scale.
Influence decision-makers through compelling storytelling, presentations, and advisory support on customer experience strategy.
Guide and mentor researchers and partners across disciplines, scaling research thinking and methods throughout the organization.
Lead workshops, reviews, and working sessions that translate research into innovation opportunities and organizational action.

Requirements

Experience in building and leading research programs that uncover user needs, motivations, and sociocultural patterns.
Ability to partner with executive stakeholders to define and prioritize long-term opportunity areas and shape strategic roadmaps.
Proficiency in designing and executing qualitative and mixed-method research studies.
Skill in translating complex insights into strategic frameworks and operational recommendations.
Experience establishing knowledge-sharing practices and systems for integrating insights into product development.
Strong storytelling and presentation skills to influence decision-makers.
Ability to mentor and guide researchers and cross-functional partners.
Experience leading workshops, reviews, and working sessions to translate research into organizational action.