About Parallel:

At Parallel, we believe that craft, impact, and curiosity drive real innovation. We take on high-stakes, high-impact design challenges that shape industries, building digital experiences where creativity meets function and innovation feels effortless.

We started as a boutique studio, and today, we’re leading the charge in product design. From startups and communities like Healthify, Gullak, and The Product Folks, to leaders like Meta, Delhivery, and Pixxel, we help teams turn ideas into products that create lasting change. Across Fintech, Healthcare, Logistics, and Public Infrastructure, we focus on tackling meaningful challenges and creating thoughtful, effective solutions that make a real difference in people’s lives.

We move fast, cut through the noise, and focus on what matters – no endless meetings, no bureaucratic bottlenecks, just rapid experimentation, real problem-solving, and pushing boundaries.

At our core, we believe that design has the power to inspire, to connect, and to create lasting impact. Our purpose is to turn great ideas into great products – products that don’t just function, but truly resonate. That happens when talented people collaborate with intention, challenge assumptions, and bring their best thinking to the table every single day.

Role

As an Associate Design Director, you’ll be instrumental in driving design excellence and fostering team growth. Your leadership will bridge vision and execution, ensuring that teams deliver high-impact, user-centered design solutions. You’ll work cross-functionally, balancing business needs with creative innovation while setting a high bar for design quality.

You’re comfortable with ambiguity, bringing strategic clarity to complex challenges. Your expertise spans product design, brand, and storytelling, and you thrive on mentoring teams while advocating for best-in-class digital experiences.

Responsibilities:

Lead by Example

• Balance leadership with hands-on design execution, collaborating closely with teams to deliver top-tier work.
• Apply deep expertise in product design, design systems, product strategy, and human-centered design to refine and elevate projects.
• Set high standards for design excellence, offering thoughtful critique and actionable feedback.

Client Engagement & Delivery

• Work closely with Account Directors to align design efforts with business objectives, ensuring impactful results.
• Serve as a trusted design advisor, guiding clients through the design process and addressing challenges proactively.
• Present design solutions effectively, gaining stakeholder alignment and managing feedback loops efficiently.

Strategic Thinking & Project Success

• Integrate service design and change management principles to enhance design strategy and execution.
• Collaborate with the Partnerships team to scope projects and identify business opportunities.
• Cultivate strong client relationships and establish a distinct point of view on design direction and execution.

Advocacy & Leadership

• Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and high-performance design culture.
• Partner with leadership to drive team engagement and uphold a strong company culture.
• Mentor and develop Design Leads, ensuring a continuous pipeline of design leadership.
• Represent the company in the design community, attracting top talent and business opportunities.

What We’re Looking For:

Technical Expertise

• UX Design: Define quality standards, drive innovation, and lead teams in best practices for research, strategy, and execution.
• Visual Design: Champion exceptional visual execution, staying ahead of emerging trends and new design tools.
• Product Strategy: Ensure design solutions align with product roadmaps, release plans, and market positioning.
• Critique & Collaboration: Cultivate a strong feedback culture that enhances both internal teamwork and client relationships.
• Research: Leverage qualitative and quantitative insights to inform and validate design decisions.
• Content Design: Advocate for clear, impactful communication that aligns with brand and user experience strategies.

Leadership & Influence

• Selling Design: Craft compelling narratives to help clients understand and invest in design decisions.
• Vision: Guide teams in developing experience concepts that align user needs, business goals, and creative innovation.
• Creative Direction: Ensure projects maintain strategic and creative impact, from initial concept to client presentation.
• Systems Design: Define scalable design systems that prioritize usability, adoption, and long-term sustainability.
• Brand Strategy: Lead brand strategy workshops, helping clients shape compelling and meaningful creative directions.

Requirements:

• 8+ years of product design experience, including some in a digital agency or consultancy
• Proven experience managing and mentoring design teams through complex challenges while maintaining high-quality output.
• Strong communication and presentation skills, capable of aligning and influencing diverse stakeholders.
• Experience working with cross-functional teams to drive business priorities and deliver user value.
• Active engagement in the design community, contributing thought leadership through articles, panels, and events.
• Passion for inclusive design practices and fostering a collaborative team culture.
• Knowledge of change management and service design principles.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to contribute to business development and client relationship-building.

Why Join Us?

We’re looking for someone with the perfect mix of experience, humility, and ambition. You will potentially be a great fit if:

• Your craft drives you: Large product companies don’t excite you, and smaller startups don’t offer the challenge you want. You crave interesting, high-stakes problems to solve. You’re a builder and you care about meaningful work, good people, and a life well-designed.
• You’re a lifelong learner: You don’t assume you have all the answers – you explore, question, and evolve.
• You’re strategic and hands-on: You see the big picture, but you’re just as comfortable rolling up your sleeves to get things done.
• You’ve worked across different environments: You’ve seen a bit of everything and can bring rich, interesting, rich perspectives to the table
• You prioritize quality of work and life: You’re driven by good people, good work, and interesting challenges – not corporate drama.

If this sounds like the kind of challenge you’re excited about, let’s talk.

We Value People, Not Just Resumes

Studies show that many talented individuals hesitate to apply unless they meet every single requirement. If this role excites you—if you see yourself in it, even if you don’t check every box—we want to hear from you.

We believe great ideas come from diverse perspectives. That’s why we’re committed to building an inclusive, welcoming team where everyone—regardless of background, identity, or experience—has the opportunity to do their best work.

We hire for talent, mindset, and potential, and we take pride in fostering a culture where everyone belongs.

If you’re ready to bring your skills, passion, and unique perspective to the table, let’s talk.

Location: Bengaluru

Fee: 40 to 55 LPA. Commensurate with one’s experience

For queries, reach out to Apoorva at [email protected]