Head Inflight & Product Design

Job Purpose

Lead the design and develop innovative product offerings for customers including in-flight products (seats, cabin innovation, inflight entertainment, and connectivity) to enhance overall passenger experience.

This role involves conducting market research, collaborating with stakeholders, overseeing product development lifecycles, and implementing strategies to improve user experience and satisfaction

Key Accountabilities

Strategic Leadership:

Develop and drive the vision and strategy for inflight and other products, aligning with Air India's overall brand and goals.

Continuously identify market trends, customer preferences, and emerging technologies to make informed design decisions.

Develop and manage budgets for product design projects, ensuring cost-effective design solutions without compromising Air India’s standard and quality.

Lead sustainability efforts by integrating eco-friendly materials and practices into product design and development processes.

Product Design & Development:

Oversee the entire product development lifecycle, from concept ideation to final production and launch, for seating, galley cabin interiors, and other products.

Collaborate with internal stakeholders like engineering, operations, commercial and other teams to define aircraft configurations, including class/seat arrangements and lighting configurations and ensure the feasibility and practicality of designs.

Stay up to date with aviation regulations and industry standards to ensure that inflight products meet safety and compliance requirements.

Conduct user research, gather passenger feedback, and conduct usability tests to drive customer-centric design decisions.

Create designs that enhance comfort, convenience, and enjoyment for passengers during their journey.

Establish and maintain strong relationships with suppliers, vendors, and partners to source high-quality materials and services for inflight product development.

Improve and maintain existing cabin products to deliver an exceptional in-flight experience for customers.

Work on enhancements and modifications based on customer feedback and changing industry trends.

Overseeing stakeholders' overall cabin maintenance schedules for cabin products.

Collaborate with maintenance teams to ensure timely inspections and updates.

Formulate and implement strategies for enhancing In-Flight Entertainment, emphasizing user experience and NPS improvement.

Develop and implement plans to enhance in-flight connectivity, ensuring passengers have reliable access to entertainment and communication services. Collaborate with In-flight entertainment & connectivity providers to optimize performance.

Team Management:

Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of talented product designers, ensuring a collaborative and creative work environment.

Assign and prioritize design projects and monitor progress to meet deadlines and quality standards.

Any other additional responsibility could be assigned to the role holder from time to time as a standalone project or regular work. The same would be suitably represented in the Primary responsibilities and agreed between the incumbent, reporting officer and HR.

Skills Required for the role

Strong Leadership capabilities

Strong Problem-solving skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills

Strong time management and prioritization skills

Stakeholder management skills

Excellent Project management and delivery skills

Key Performance Indicators

Operational Performance Metrics

On-time delivery

Number of projects

Budget Adherence

Product and Service Metrics

Number of product improvements

Stakeholder Engagement and Risk Management Metrics

Relationships and communication

Risk management

Key Interfaces

Leadership Interfaces

Works closely with Head Customer Experience

Provide regular updates on ongoing designs and development projects highlighting issues, adherence to timelines, etc.

Internal Interfaces

Product designers and cross functional teams

Ensure all design and development activities are on track and drive teams to meet program budget and timelines

External Interfaces

Third Party Vendors

Managing services / solutions provided by third party service providers ensuring they are meeting SLAs, and other service agreements

Educational and Experience Requirements

Minimum Education Requirement

Bachelor's Degree with work experience in Product Design

MBA/PGDM/PGBM is preferred.

PMP/CAD or equivalent certification preferred

Minimum Requirement

15+ years of product design experience, gathering requirements from the client / business & documentation.

At least 3 to 5 years of experience in aviation industry

Desired

17+ years of relevant experience in airline industry of product design, IFEC (inflight entertainment & communication), cabin interiors design