Location: Hyderabad | (In-Person Role)
Role Type: 6-Month Internship (Full-Time Offer Contingent on Performance)
Department: Systems & Service Design
About TRD Studios
TRD Studios is a new-age, integrated Management + Experience Studio. We specialize in transforming chaotic, fragmented enterprise operations into scalable, high-margin architectures. As experts in Business Services and Systems Design, we approach organisational bottlenecks by looking beyond the physical machinery to understand the invisible structures governing human behavior.
We firmly believe in Conway’s Law, which posits that organisations will inevitably design systems that mirror their own internal communication structures. Therefore, our interventions go far beyond throwing software at a problem. We engineer human behavior, establish unified command structures, and design pragmatic digital architectures that respect the physical realities of the workspace.
The Role: Service Design Intern
We are seeking a highly analytical and curious Service Design Intern with a strong inclination toward Systems Thinking. In this role, you will transcend traditional UX/UI design. You will not just be designing screens; you will be architecting entire operational ecologies.
Working closely with our Lead Service Designers, you will help untangle complex B2B and B2C operations. You will be instrumental in mapping the intersections where customer interactions (Frontstage), internal business processes (Backstage), information architecture, and physical material workflows collide. Your work will directly inform the creation of Minimum Viable Systems (MVS) designed to protect operational flow, eradicate undocumented “shadow queues,” and establish unified command structures for our enterprise clients.
The 6-Month Journey & Core Responsibilities (The 5D Framework)
Because systemic change requires observation, iteration, and behavioural embedding, this internship spans a rigorous 6-month period. Your responsibilities will actively map to our 5D Framework:
1. Discover: Deep-Dive System & Behavioural Mapping
- Operational Ecology Mapping: Assist in mapping the actual production, material, and information flow of our clients, rather than just documenting their intended organisational charts.
- Stakeholder & Power Dynamics: Utilise frameworks like the Stakeholder Influence Map to identify informal power centres, document how conflicts are resolved, and understand who truly influences priorities on the ground.
- Value Stream Mapping (VSM): Track the physical flow of materials and inventory to identify spatial congestion, supply chain visibility gaps, and undocumented routing that traps capital in dead stock.
2. Define: Synthesizing Systemic Constraints
- Root Cause Analysis: Help distill chaotic shop-floor symptoms into defined problem statements grounded in observed behaviour.
- Friction Point Identification: Compile lists of operational pain points ranked by their systemic impact on overall throughput, revenue, and scalability.
3. Design & Develop: Architecting Minimum Viable Systems
- Service Blueprinting: Draft comprehensive, end-to-end service blueprints that visualize the lines of interaction, lines of visibility, and internal support processes.
- Operational Rulebooks & SOPs: Collaborate in designing simple, algorithmic production Priority Rulebooks, Material Readiness Checklists, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that replace reactive firefighting.
- Pragmatic Digital Architecture: Translate designed physical processes into pragmatic digital ERP staging requirements. You will ensure that digital interfaces respect environmental constraints of workers handling heavy machinery who cannot easily navigate complex touchscreens.
4. Deliver: Scaling, Piloting, and Measurement
- Pilot Observation: Support the rollout of controlled production pilots. You will observe daily standups, track early operational metrics, and document human failure points during adoption.
- KPI Tracking: Assist in defining and measuring operational KPIs that align daily behaviour with strategic goals (e.g., on-time delivery percentages, work order lead times, and inventory days).
The Mindset & Qualifications We Are Looking For
- Systems Thinker: You possess the ability to zoom out and view a business not as isolated departments, but as a complex, interconnected ecology.
- Behavioural Empathy: You understand that operational paralysis is rarely a technology issue; it is a symptom of informal communication, infinite Work-In-Progress (WIP) limits, and an absence of unified command.
- Methodological Rigor: Familiarity with industry-standard frameworks such as Service Blueprinting, Value Stream Mapping, RACI matrices, and Minimum Viable Systems (MVS).
- Analytical Detective: You are comfortable diving into raw data, conducting stakeholder interviews, and identifying the “invisible structures” that override the intended logic of a business.
- Design Tool Proficiency: Competency in tools like Figma, Miro, or similar mapping software to create highly granular, readable system overview maps, process charts, and UI mockups for internal dashboards.
Internship Terms & Next Steps
- Duration: The internship period will be for 6 months.
- Career Progression: We view this internship as an intensive incubator for future leaders. A full-time offer will be given based on performance at the successful conclusion of the 6-month period.
- Why TRD?
This is not a theoretical internship. You will be exposed to the raw, unfiltered reality of enterprise operations. You will learn how to pragmatically bridge the gap between high-level business strategy and ground-level execution, developing a robust portfolio that showcases your ability to engineer real-world business scale.
To Apply or Inquire: Please send your resume, portfolio (showcasing systems thinking, mapping, or service design projects), and a brief introduction to our design team. Contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions on the role.