Head of UX Quality & Consumer Experience Assurance

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of UX Quality & Consumer Experience Assurance

Company: Signify Netherlands B.V.

Location: Amsterdam, North Holland, Netherlands

Job Type: Full time

Category: User Experience (UX) Quality & Assurance

Date Posted: 2026-06-03

Experience Level: Senior / Leadership (10+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Spearhead the establishment and operationalization of a new, independent UX Quality & Consumer Experience Assurance function within the Consumer Business unit.

• Act as a critical quality gatekeeper, providing independent go/no-go input on product development lifecycle stages based on robust UX readiness and risk assessments.

• Define and govern comprehensive UX assurance frameworks, setting clear standards and methodologies for UX validation, usability testing, and experience evaluation.

• Drive a transformative cultural shift towards a deeply embedded, user-centric, and quality-driven mindset across all product development and innovation teams.

• Lead and build a high-performing team dedicated to ensuring that every consumer interaction with Signify products is thoughtfully designed and flawlessly executed.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within the Quality organization, granting it an independent mandate to make UX quality decisions based on evidence, risk, and consumer impact. It is a "build-and-transform" role, requiring a candidate with a proven ability to establish new capabilities and processes, not just operate existing ones. The focus is on making UX a non-negotiable "ship/no-ship" quality attribute.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Establish UX as a Formal Quality Discipline: Create and formalize the UX Quality & Consumer Experience Assurance function, defining its scope, objectives, and operational procedures.

• Independent Quality Gatekeeping: Provide objective, evidence-based go/no-go recommendations at key development lifecycle gates, ensuring UX readiness and mitigating potential consumer impact risks.

• Framework & Standard Definition: Develop and implement a comprehensive UX assurance framework, including rigorous validation methodologies, usability testing protocols, and experience evaluation benchmarks.

• Lifecycle Integration: Proactively embed UX assurance activities into pre-development and product development lifecycles, ensuring UX is addressed early and continuously.

• Project UX Charter Governance: Introduce and govern the "Project UX Charter" to clearly define UX scope, methods, timing, and deliverables for each project.

• Research & Benchmarking Leadership: Lead high-quality UX research initiatives (qualitative, quantitative, mixed methods) and establish competitive UX benchmarks to set ambition and quality thresholds.

• In-Market Feedback Integration: Establish continuous in-market feedback loops and ensure insights are systematically applied to drive improvements in current and future product development.

• Team Building & Capability Development: Recruit, mentor, and lead a dedicated UX Quality & Assurance team, fostering a culture of continuous learning and expertise.

• Change Management & Collaboration: Act as a key change agent, building strong cross-functional relationships with Product Management, Engineering, Design, Market Intelligence, and R&D sites to champion a user-centric, quality-driven mindset.

• Continuous Improvement: Ensure that learnings from existing product portfolio performance and phase-outs are effectively integrated into new innovations and product development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibilities highlight a significant focus on building processes and capabilities from the ground up, rather than managing an established function. This requires a strategic leader capable of influencing across departments and driving adoption of new quality standards within the product development lifecycle.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, Design, Computer Science, or a related field. Advanced degrees or certifications in UX research, quality assurance, or product development methodologies are highly desirable.

Experience: A minimum of 10+ years of progressive experience in UX research, UX validation, user experience quality assurance, or a closely related field, preferably within consumer product environments.

Required Skills:

• UX Research Expertise: Deep, hands-on expertise in qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods UX research methodologies (e.g., user interviews, surveys, usability testing, heuristic evaluations, A/B testing).

• UX Validation & Quality Assurance: Proven ability to define and implement robust UX validation processes and quality assurance standards.

• Product Development Lifecycle Integration: Strong experience embedding UX considerations and assurance processes structurally into various product development lifecycles (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid).

• Strategic Leadership & Capability Building: Demonstrated success in building, scaling, or transforming new organizational capabilities or functions from inception.

• Governance & Risk Management: Experience operating with authority in quality, governance, or risk-based decision-making contexts, with the confidence to make and defend critical judgments.

• Stakeholder Management & Influence: Excellent ability to manage diverse stakeholders across different disciplines and seniority levels, effectively influencing decisions and driving consensus.

• Communication & Storytelling: Exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills, capable of articulating complex insights and driving action with senior leadership.

• User-Centric Mindset: A deep-seated commitment to championing the user and ensuring their needs are at the forefront of product development.

• Benchmarking & Standard Setting: Ability to establish clear UX benchmarks, requirements, and quality thresholds.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience in the consumer electronics, IoT, or connected home devices industry.

• Familiarity with data analytics tools and techniques for understanding user behavior and product performance.

• Experience in setting up and managing UX test facilities or labs.

• Knowledge of design systems and their role in ensuring UX consistency.

• Understanding of quality management systems (e.g., ISO 9001) and their application to UX.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "building or scaling new capabilities" and operating with "authority in quality, governance, or risk-based decision contexts" suggests a need for a proactive, assertive leader who can navigate ambiguity and establish new norms.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Capability Building Case Studies: Examples demonstrating the successful establishment or significant scaling of UX research, validation, or quality assurance functions within an organization.

• Process Design & Implementation: Documented evidence of designing and implementing UX assurance frameworks, from initial concept to operational deployment, including key methodologies and governance structures.

• Quality Gate Impact: Case studies showcasing how UX quality gates were applied, the decision-making process, and the resulting impact on product readiness and consumer experience.

• Cross-Functional Integration: Examples illustrating how UX quality was successfully embedded within broader product development lifecycles and cross-functional team collaboration.

• Impact Measurement: Demonstrations of how UX quality and consumer experience improvements were measured and the ROI or business impact achieved.

Process Documentation:

• UX Assurance Framework: Detailed outline or examples of a defined UX assurance framework, including its components, stages, and integration points within the product development lifecycle.

• Validation Methodologies: Documentation of various UX validation methods employed, including their purpose, application, and expected outcomes (e.g., usability testing protocols, experience evaluation criteria).

• Risk Assessment & Mitigation: Examples of how UX risks are identified, assessed, and mitigated, with clear links to go/no-go decision criteria.

• Learning Integration: Processes for capturing and integrating learnings from in-market feedback, user research, and product performance into future development cycles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio should not just showcase past work but also demonstrate the candidate's strategic thinking in building new functions and processes. It needs to highlight their ability to establish governance, drive evidence-based decisions, and integrate UX quality systematically into product development.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

For Amsterdam, Netherlands, a senior leadership role with significant responsibility like this, involving building a new function and operating at a strategic level, would typically command a competitive salary. Based on industry benchmarks for Head of UX, Quality Assurance Leadership, and Senior Management roles in the Netherlands, a range of €100,000 - €150,000 gross per year is a reasonable estimate. This range can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, negotiation skills, and the exact scope of responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Coaching and Mentoring: Access to professional coaching and mentorship programs to support career development and skill enhancement.

• Career Growth Support: Opportunities for significant career advancement within Signify's global organization, with pathways to broader leadership roles.

• Learning & Development: Investment in continuous learning through training, workshops, and potentially support for relevant certifications or advanced education.

• Competitive Health and Wellness Programs: Comprehensive health insurance, wellness initiatives, and potentially other benefits like fitness subsidies.

• Pension Scheme: A robust pension plan to secure long-term financial well-being.

• Generous Paid Time Off: Ample vacation days and public holidays, ensuring a healthy work-life balance.

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) or Similar: Potential for participation in company-wide share ownership plans.

• Travel Opportunities: Potential for international travel to collaborate with global R&D sites and stakeholders.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours, typically around 40 hours per week.

• Flexibility may be available, with potential for hybrid arrangements or adjusted start/end times, subject to team and business needs, and the requirement to be present for key development and quality assurance activities.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on research for senior leadership roles in UX quality and assurance within the tech and manufacturing sectors in Amsterdam, considering Signify's industry and the strategic nature of this build-and-transform role. Benefits are inferred from common corporate offerings and specifically mentioned "coaching and mentoring" and "career growth support."

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Lighting Industry, with a strong focus on innovation in connected lighting, the Internet of Things (IoT), data analytics, AI, and smart solutions for homes, offices, and cities. Signify is a global leader in this space.

Company Size: Signify is a large, global corporation with over 27,000 employees worldwide, operating in 70+ countries. This scale offers significant opportunities for impact and career progression.

Founded: Signify has a legacy of over 125 years, evolving from Philips Lighting. This long history signifies stability, deep industry knowledge, and a commitment to innovation and sustainability.

Team Structure:

• The Head of UX Quality & Consumer Experience Assurance will operate within the Quality organization, but with an independent mandate.

• This role involves building a new, dedicated team for UX Quality & Assurance.

• Close collaboration is expected with Product Management, Engineering, Design, Market Intelligence, and global R&D sites, requiring strong cross-functional leadership.

• The reporting structure likely places this role under a senior Quality executive, but with direct interaction and influence on product development leadership. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Emphasizes making UX quality decisions based on evidence, risk assessments, and consumer impact, rather than subjective preferences.

• User-Centricity: A core principle is ensuring that consumer needs and experiences are paramount throughout the product lifecycle.

• Continuous Improvement: A culture of learning from past performance, in-market feedback, and phase-outs to inform future innovations.

• Agile & Iterative Development: While not explicitly stated, the nature of innovation in the tech/IoT space suggests an adoption of agile methodologies, where UX assurance needs to be embedded iteratively.

Company Website: https://www.careers.signify.com/global/en

📝 Enhancement Note: Signify's focus on innovation, sustainability, and its global presence suggests a dynamic and forward-thinking environment. The establishment of a new UX Quality function indicates a strategic commitment to elevating the consumer experience, which is a significant positive for candidates in this field.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior leadership position, equivalent to a Director or Vice President level, responsible for establishing and leading a critical new function. It requires a blend of deep technical expertise in UX quality and strong strategic leadership and change management capabilities.

Reporting Structure: The role reports into the Quality organization, but operates with an independent mandate, suggesting direct influence and interaction with senior leadership across Product Management, Engineering, and the Consumer Business unit. This provides visibility and leverage.

Operations Impact: The impact is substantial, as this role directly influences which products are released to consumers and shapes the overall brand perception through product quality and user experience. It's about ensuring product success by de-risking the consumer experience.

Growth Opportunities:

• Functional Leadership: Potential to grow the UX Quality & Assurance team into a best-in-class global function within Signify.

• Broader Leadership Roles: successful establishment and leadership of this new function can pave the way for broader leadership opportunities within the Quality organization, Product Development, or even P&L responsibility for a product line.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to significantly influence Signify's overall product strategy and its commitment to consumer-centricity and quality.

• Industry Recognition: Building a recognized center of excellence in UX Quality can lead to industry recognition and thought leadership opportunities.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Developing deep expertise in integrating UX quality across complex global product development processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique opportunity to "build from scratch," which is highly attractive for ambitious leaders. The direct impact on product release decisions and the strategic importance of consumer experience assurance present clear pathways for significant career growth within a large, established corporation.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is primarily on-site, with a preference for the Eindhoven office, but also open to the Amsterdam office. This indicates a need for in-person collaboration, team building, and direct engagement with R&D and quality teams.

Office Location(s): Eindhoven and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Both are major hubs with excellent infrastructure and talent pools.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a highly collaborative setting, requiring frequent interaction with cross-functional teams (Product Management, Engineering, Design, Market Intelligence).

• Innovation Hub: Working within a company that is at the forefront of lighting technology, IoT, and smart solutions means exposure to cutting-edge projects and a dynamic work environment.

• Global Reach: While based in the Netherlands, the role involves influencing and collaborating with global R&D sites, offering a broad international perspective.

• Resource Allocation: As a new function, the candidate will be instrumental in defining and securing the necessary resources, including potential test facilities and team infrastructure.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time, likely around 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility to meet project deadlines and manage global interactions across different time zones. Regular presence at the designated office is required for team leadership and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on on-site work suggests that Signify values in-person collaboration for building new functions and fostering team cohesion. The candidate should be comfortable working from a physical office and engaging directly with teams on-site.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A conversation with a recruiter to assess basic qualifications, alignment with the role's strategic vision, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: In-depth discussion with the hiring manager (likely a senior leader in Quality or Product) to explore leadership experience, strategic approach to building new capabilities, and understanding of UX quality principles.

• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders from Product Management, Engineering, and Design to assess collaboration style, influencing skills, and ability to drive change across departments.

• Case Study / Presentation: Candidates may be asked to present a prepared case study on how they would approach building and implementing a UX Quality & Assurance function, or a past success in a similar transformation. This will likely focus on their strategic framework, methodologies, and approach to governance.

• Team Meet & Greet: An opportunity to meet potential team members or peers to assess cultural fit and team dynamics.

• Final Interview: Potentially with a higher-level executive (e.g., Head of Consumer Business, CTO) to confirm strategic alignment and leadership potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Transformation: Highlight projects where you built or significantly transformed a UX quality, research, or assurance function. Emphasize the "before" and "after."

• Demonstrate Strategic Frameworks: Clearly articulate the frameworks, methodologies, and processes you developed and implemented. Show your structured approach.

• Quantify Impact: Use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your work on product quality, consumer satisfaction, risk reduction, and business outcomes (e.g., reduced customer complaints, improved NPS scores, successful product launches).

• Showcase Leadership & Influence: Provide examples of how you gained buy-in, influenced stakeholders, and led teams through change.

• Tailor to Signify: Research Signify's products and consumer segments. Frame your examples to show how your expertise aligns with their business and strategic goals.

Challenge Preparation:

• Building a New Function: Be prepared to discuss your strategic plan for establishing the UX Quality & Assurance function at Signify. This includes team structure, key hires, process rollout, and integration points.

• Quality Gate Decision Making: Practice articulating how you would make tough go/no-go decisions for products, using risk assessment and evidence-based reasoning.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Prepare examples of how you have effectively collaborated with engineering, product management, and design teams to achieve shared quality goals.

• User-Centricity in Practice: Discuss how you would ensure a consistently user-centric approach across a diverse product portfolio and global teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process emphasizes strategic thinking, transformational leadership, and the ability to drive change. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just technical UX skills but also their strategic vision for building and governing a critical quality function.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Research & Testing Platforms: Tools for conducting remote and in-person usability testing, surveys, and interviews (e.g., UserTesting.com, Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, Lookback, Maze).

• Analytics & Data Visualization: Tools to analyze user behavior data, product performance metrics, and customer feedback (e.g., Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, Amplitude, Tableau, Power BI).

• Project Management & Collaboration: Tools for managing projects, tracking progress, and facilitating team communication (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Microsoft Teams).

• Design & Prototyping Tools: Familiarity with tools used by design teams to understand user flows and prototypes (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Data Analysis Software: Proficiency in statistical analysis software or tools for quantitative data analysis.

• Reporting Dashboards: Experience creating and interpreting dashboards that track key UX quality metrics and consumer experience indicators.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM, understanding how customer feedback from CRM systems or support tickets can inform UX quality is beneficial. Familiarity with systems that integrate user feedback into product development workflows is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools aren't listed, the role's nature implies a need for proficiency in a broad range of UX research, analytics, and collaboration tools. The candidate should be adaptable and able to integrate various data sources to inform quality decisions. Evidence of setting up or standardizing tool usage for a new function would be a strong plus.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Quality First: A relentless commitment to delivering high-quality consumer experiences as a non-negotiable aspect of product release.

• User Centricity: Deep empathy and dedication to understanding and advocating for the consumer at every stage of product development.

• Data-Driven Integrity: Decisions are grounded in evidence, rigorous research, and objective assessment, not assumptions or preferences.

• Accountability & Ownership: Taking responsibility for the UX quality of Signify's consumer products and driving necessary actions to ensure excellence.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Fostering open communication and strong partnerships across teams to achieve shared goals.

• Continuous Learning & Improvement: A proactive approach to staying abreast of evolving UX best practices, research methods, and consumer trends.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Building strong, collaborative relationships with Product Management, Engineering, Design, and Market Intelligence to ensure seamless integration of UX quality throughout the product lifecycle.

• Influential Leadership: Employing strong communication and persuasion skills to champion UX quality and drive adoption of new standards and processes.

• Constructive Challenge: Willingness to challenge assumptions and provide critical feedback in a constructive manner to elevate product quality.

• Global Team Integration: Effectively leading and collaborating with a globally distributed team and influencing stakeholders across different regions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The company values suggest a culture that is innovative, sustainability-focused, and increasingly prioritizing user experience as a strategic differentiator. The candidate's ability to embody and promote these values within their new function will be crucial for success.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Establishing a New Function: Building a UX Quality & Assurance capability from the ground up within a large, established organization, including defining its mandate, processes, team, and impact.

• Cultural Change Management: Shifting mindsets to treat UX as a formal quality gate rather than a design preference, requiring significant influence and change management efforts across diverse teams.

• Balancing Rigor with Agility: Implementing robust quality assurance processes without stifling the speed and agility required for innovation in the fast-paced consumer tech market.

• Global Standardization: Ensuring consistent UX quality standards and practices across diverse product lines, development teams, and geographical locations.

• Demonstrating ROI: Clearly articulating and measuring the value and ROI of UX quality assurance to secure ongoing investment and buy-in.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Strategic Leadership Development: Opportunity to hone strategic leadership skills by building and scaling a global function.

• Industry Best Practices: Deep dive into advanced UX research, validation, and quality assurance methodologies within the context of connected consumer products.

• Cross-Functional Expertise: Gaining extensive knowledge of product development, engineering, and market intelligence processes within a global technology company.

• Innovation Exposure: Working at the forefront of lighting technology, IoT, and AI, offering exposure to cutting-edge product development.

• Mentorship & Coaching: Access to Signify's formal coaching and mentorship programs to accelerate personal and professional growth.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are significant but are also the source of immense growth opportunities. Candidates who thrive on building, transforming, and influencing will find this role particularly rewarding.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to establishing a new UX Quality & Assurance function from scratch within a large, global organization. What would be your first 90 days?"

• "How would you define 'UX Quality' as a formal, non-negotiable quality gate? What criteria would you use to make a 'no-ship' decision?"

• "How do you plan to embed UX assurance structurally into product development lifecycles, particularly in an Agile environment?"

• "What strategies would you employ to drive a user-centric mindset across engineering, product management, and design teams who may have different priorities?"

• "How would you measure the success and ROI of your UX Quality & Assurance function?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Signify and its mission in the lighting industry?"

• "How do you see your role contributing to Signify's sustainability goals and its commitment to creating 'brighter lives'?"

• "Describe a time you had to influence senior leadership to adopt a new process or perspective. What was the outcome?"

• "How do you foster a culture of quality and user advocacy within a team and across an organization?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your strategic solution (framework, processes), the implementation challenges and how you overcame them, and the quantifiable results.

• Focus on Transformation: Emphasize your role in building, scaling, or transforming functions. Use "before and after" comparisons where possible.

• Showcase Governance & Decision-Making: Highlight instances where you established clear decision-making processes and criteria, especially for quality gates or risk mitigation.

• Visual Aids: Use clear, concise visuals (diagrams, charts) to illustrate frameworks, processes, and data. Avoid overly dense slides.

• Connect to Signify: Explicitly explain how your experience and approach are relevant to Signify's business, products, and strategic objectives.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, transformational leadership, and the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly. Candidates should be ready to discuss their vision for the role and how they would tackle the specific challenges of building a new function.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the Signify careers portal using the provided URL.

• Tailor Your Resume: Highlight experience in building new capabilities, establishing quality frameworks, driving cross-functional change, and managing UX research/validation processes. Use keywords like "UX Quality," "Consumer Experience Assurance," "Governance," "Risk Management," "Product Development Lifecycle," and "Team Building."

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate examples that best showcase your ability to establish and lead UX quality functions, demonstrate strategic framework development, and quantify impact. Focus on transformation and leadership.

• Research Signify: Understand Signify's products, market position, and commitment to innovation and sustainability. Consider how UX quality plays a role in their consumer offerings.

• Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your answers to common interview questions, focusing on strategic approaches, leadership examples, and your vision for this specific role. Be ready to present your portfolio effectively.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.