User Researcher - Engineering Experience & Platforms (Freelance)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: User Researcher - Engineering Experience & Platforms (Freelance)

Company: NN Group

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

Job Type: Full-Time (Contractor)

Category: User Experience Research / Operations Strategy

Date Posted: 2026-01-16

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: Hybrid

🚀 Role Summary

• This freelance role focuses on understanding and enhancing the internal engineering experience through user research, directly impacting platform development and internal digital journeys.

• The User Researcher will independently initiate and execute qualitative and quantitative research to identify opportunities and problems within the engineering domain.

• A key aspect involves translating research findings into actionable insights that drive product improvements and stakeholder buy-in for user-centric initiatives.

• The position requires a strong affinity for software development and engineering contexts, enabling effective empathy and collaboration with technical teams.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the primary focus is user research, the role's emphasis on "Engineering Experience & Platforms" and "internal digital customer journeys" positions it within a broader operations strategy context. The insights generated will inform how internal platforms and tools are developed and optimized, impacting overall engineering efficiency and productivity, which are core operational concerns for technology organizations. The "freelance" nature suggests a project-based engagement with a defined scope and duration.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Independently initiate and lead customer and user research projects to uncover and prioritize underlying opportunities or problems within the engineering experience.

• Develop clear research proposals and robust test plans, effectively communicating the methodology and expected outcomes to stakeholders.

• Conduct both qualitative (e.g., interviews) and quantitative (e.g., surveys, metrics analysis) research to gather comprehensive insights.

• Collaborate closely with product managers, product owners, UX designers, and engineers to shape and optimize digital customer journeys for internal users (engineers).

• Present research insights and recommendations convincingly to stakeholders, ensuring they understand the implications and actively work towards implementing the findings.

• Support and enable colleagues (product managers, designers, engineers) in performing user research, fostering a user-centric culture across teams.

• Set up and interpret developer experience (DevEx) metrics, such as CSAT (Customer Satisfaction), to measure usability and satisfaction with internal platforms.

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to define and shape optimal internal digital journeys, focusing on efficiency and user satisfaction.

• Work with engineers to facilitate continuous discovery through ongoing explorative research into key engineering journeys and platform tasks.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of independent research leadership and enablement, suggesting a senior-level individual contributor role. The focus on "internal digital customer journeys" and "developer experience metrics" directly ties this user research function to operational efficiency and platform optimization, common goals in Revenue Operations (RevOps) and Sales Operations (Sales Ops) when applied to internal tools and processes.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Academic background in Psychology, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), or a similar discipline.

Experience:

• A minimum of 8 years of dedicated experience in user research.

• Extensive experience in independently initiating, planning, and executing user research projects from inception to delivery.

• Proven track record of influencing stakeholders and driving product or platform improvements based on research insights.

Required Skills:

• User Research: Deep expertise in user research methodologies (qualitative and quantitative), including interviewing, survey design, usability testing, and data analysis.

• Design Thinking: Strong knowledge and practical application of Design Thinking principles and frameworks.

• Empathy Skills: Excellent ability to empathize with users, particularly engineers, understanding their workflows, pain points, and motivations.

• Communication Skills: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for presenting complex insights clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.

• Collaboration Skills: Proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including product management, engineering, and design.

• Influencing Skills: Demonstrated capacity to influence stakeholders and drive decision-making based on research findings.

• Entrepreneurial and Innovative Mindset: Proactive approach to identifying research opportunities and developing creative solutions.

• Hands-on Attitude: Willingness to roll up sleeves and execute research tasks directly.

• Software Development Affinity: Genuine interest and understanding of software development processes, tools, and the engineering context.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with or knowledge of frameworks like DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment), SPACE (Satisfaction, Performance, Activity, Communication, Efficiency), and DevEx (Developer Experience).

• Experience with setting up and interpreting developer experience metrics (e.g., CSAT) for internal platforms.

• Familiarity with internal developer portals, service management platforms (e.g., ServiceNow), and related engineering tools.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ Years" AI-derived experience level likely stems from the "at least 8 years" requirement combined with the seniority implied by independent initiative and stakeholder influence. The emphasis on "affinity and interest in software development and engineering" and specific frameworks like DORA/SPACE/DevEx indicates a need for a researcher who can quickly grasp the technical context and speak the language of engineers, a critical factor in improving internal platform experiences which directly impacts operational efficiency.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Research Case Studies: Showcase 2-3 detailed case studies demonstrating your end-to-end user research process, from problem definition to insight delivery and impact.

• Methodology Diversity: Include examples of both qualitative and quantitative research projects, highlighting your flexibility and ability to choose the right method for the problem.

• Impact Demonstration: Clearly articulate the outcomes of your research, focusing on how it led to tangible improvements, such as enhanced user satisfaction, increased efficiency, or better product-market fit for internal tools. Quantify impact where possible (e.g., "reduced time to complete task X by Y%").

• Stakeholder Engagement: Provide examples of how you engaged with and influenced stakeholders, including how you presented findings and ensured their implementation.

• Tool Proficiency: While not a primary focus for portfolio review, be prepared to discuss your experience with relevant research tools and analytics platforms.

Process Documentation:

• Research Proposal Clarity: Demonstrate your ability to create well-structured research proposals that clearly define objectives, scope, target audience, and methodology.

• Test Plan Detail: Showcase well-defined test plans that outline research questions, tasks, scenarios, recruitment criteria, and data collection methods.

• Insight Synthesis: Present examples of how you synthesize raw data into actionable insights, identifying key themes, user needs, and strategic recommendations.

• Implementation Tracking: While not always directly managed, illustrate how you followed up on research insights to understand their implementation and subsequent impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's emphasis on driving change and influencing stakeholders, the portfolio should strongly highlight the researcher's ability to translate insights into actionable recommendations and demonstrate the impact of their work on internal processes and platforms. This aligns with operational goals of efficiency and effectiveness.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

Benefits:

• Competitive Hourly Rate: Reflective of expertise and experience.

• Assignment Duration: Guaranteed engagement until the end of 2026, providing stability for the contract period.

• Hybrid Working Model: Flexibility to work partly from home and partly from the office in The Hague, promoting work-life balance.

• International Environment: Exposure to a diverse, international team with ample opportunities for knowledge sharing and professional development.

• Professional Development: Opportunity to work on impactful projects within a large, established organization, contributing to significant internal platform improvements.

Working Hours:

• This is a 32-hour per week assignment, offering a degree of flexibility within a hybrid work arrangement. The exact daily schedule can be discussed and agreed upon with the hiring team, allowing for adaptation to research needs and personal work patterns.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary estimate is based on freelance contractor rates in the Netherlands for senior-level roles in specialized tech/UX fields, considering the required experience and the "competitive hourly rate" mentioned. The benefits listed are directly extracted from the job description.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services / Insurance. NN Group is a major European financial services company.

Company Size: NN Group is a large, established organization with tens of thousands of employees globally. This implies a structured environment with established processes, but also opportunities for impact within specific domains.

Founded: NN Group has a long history, with roots tracing back to the 19th century, evolving through various mergers and acquisitions. This suggests a stable, reputable organization with a strong market presence.

Team Structure:

• Domain Focus: The role is within the "Engineering Experience & Platforms (EEP)" domain, indicating a specialized team focused on improving the tools, systems, and processes that engineers use daily.

• Collaboration: You will work closely with product managers, product owners, UX designers, and engineers. This cross-functional collaboration is key to understanding and shaping internal digital journeys.

• Reporting: The position is freelance, so reporting lines will be to a direct manager or lead within the EEP domain, likely a Head of Engineering Experience, Product Lead, or UX Lead.

Methodology:

• Customer Obsession: The stated mission is to become more "customer obsessed," which in this context means obsessing over the internal engineering "customer."

• Data-Driven Insights: The role emphasizes measuring and gathering insights through research to inform decisions and drive continuous improvement.

• Agile/Lean Practices: The mention of continuous discovery, collaboration with product teams, and iterative improvement suggests an agile or lean operational approach.

Company Website: https://www.nn-group.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The "customer obsessed" mission, applied to internal engineers, is a strong indicator of a focus on operational efficiency and employee productivity, mirroring the customer-centricity principles common in Sales Operations and Marketing Operations when applied externally.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior User Researcher, operating at an advanced individual contributor level. It requires significant autonomy in initiating research, influencing stakeholders, and shaping strategic direction for the engineering experience. While not a management role, it demands leadership in research methodology and insight dissemination.

Reporting Structure: As a freelance contractor, you will report to a designated lead within the Engineering Experience & Platforms (EEP) domain. This lead will likely be responsible for the strategic direction of the domain and will guide your research priorities and integration with product development cycles. You will collaborate closely with peer roles like Product Managers, UX Designers, and Engineers.

Operations Impact: The impact of this role is directly tied to optimizing the internal operational efficiency of NN Group's engineering teams. By improving the tools, platforms, and digital journeys engineers use, this research contributes to:

• Increased Productivity: Reducing friction and time spent on non-development tasks.

• Enhanced Developer Satisfaction: Leading to higher retention and morale.

• Faster Time-to-Market: Enabling engineers to build and deploy software more efficiently.

• Better Product Experiences: Ultimately, by improving internal tools, the quality and speed of external product delivery can be enhanced.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in Developer Experience (DevEx) research, platform optimization, and quantitative user metrics within a large enterprise context.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Gain experience leading research initiatives that span multiple product teams and influence strategic platform roadmaps.

• Industry Best Practices: Contribute to and learn from NN Group's adoption of industry frameworks like DORA and SPACE in an operational setting.

• Networking: Build a strong professional network within NN Group's technology and product organizations.

• Contract Extension/Future Roles: A successful engagement may lead to contract extensions or opportunities for future freelance or permanent roles within NN Group.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Operations Impact" section highlights how user research, when focused on internal tools and processes, directly contributes to operational goals such as efficiency, productivity, and employee satisfaction, which are critical for any large organization.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Hybrid work environment. This means a mix of remote work and in-office presence.

Office Location(s): The Hague, Netherlands (Haagse Poort - Low Rise). This location will serve as the primary hub for in-office collaboration.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role explicitly states collaboration with product managers, product owners, UX designers, and engineers. The office presence will facilitate these interactions, fostering a dynamic and inclusive workspace.

• Tools & Technology: You will likely have access to NN Group's internal systems and potentially be provided with necessary research tools or licenses. Familiarity with common collaboration platforms (e.g., Microsoft Teams, Jira, Confluence) is expected.

• Knowledge Sharing: The international environment fosters a culture of knowledge sharing, providing opportunities to learn from diverse perspectives and contribute to a collective understanding of engineering needs.

Work Schedule:

• The position requires 32 hours per week. While specific daily schedules can be negotiated, a hybrid model implies dedicated days for office-based collaboration and flexible remote work. This schedule should accommodate independent research work and team meetings.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid nature of the work environment is typical for modern tech and operations roles, balancing the need for focused individual work with essential in-person collaboration for ideation and relationship building.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A call with the Talent Acquisition Specialist (Nina Moekotte) to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deeper dive into your user research expertise, experience with engineering contexts, and understanding of DevEx frameworks. This may involve discussing past projects and your approach to research challenges.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: You will likely be asked to present a selection of your work, focusing on 1-2 detailed case studies that showcase your process, insights, and impact. This is a critical step to demonstrate your capabilities.

• Cross-Functional Team Discussion: An opportunity to meet with potential collaborators (e.g., Product Managers, UX Designers, Lead Engineers) to assess your communication, collaboration, and influencing skills within a team context.

• Final Interview/Offer: A final discussion to confirm fit and extend an offer.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your research approach, the key insights derived, and most importantly, the resulting actions or impact on the product/platform. Quantify where possible.

• Highlight DevEx Relevance: If you have experience or examples related to developer experience, internal tools, or platform optimization, emphasize these.

• Showcase Methodology: Explain why you chose specific research methods for each project.

• Stakeholder Management: Include examples of how you communicated findings to stakeholders, managed expectations, and drove adoption of recommendations.

• Preparation for Questions: Be ready to discuss your experience with DORA, SPACE, DevEx, and CSAT metrics, even if it's conceptual.

Challenge Preparation:

• Scenario-Based Questions: Be prepared for questions that ask how you would approach a specific research problem related to engineering platforms or internal tools. For example, "How would you research the usability of our Internal Developer Portal?"

• Methodology Justification: Be ready to defend your choice of research methods based on given constraints (time, resources, research questions).

• Insight Communication: Practice articulating complex findings concisely and persuasively, tailored to different audiences (e.g., engineers vs. product managers).

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process heavily emphasizes practical demonstration of skills through a portfolio and the ability to communicate research effectively to a cross-functional team, which is standard for roles that bridge research and operational strategy.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• User Research Platforms: Experience with tools for survey creation (e.g., SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics), usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback), and interview facilitation.

• Data Analysis Software: Proficiency in analyzing qualitative data (e.g., Dovetail, NVivo) and quantitative data (e.g., Excel, SPSS, R, Python for statistical analysis).

• Collaboration Tools: Familiarity with platforms like Jira, Confluence, Miro, and Microsoft Teams for project management, documentation, brainstorming, and team communication.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Metrics Interpretation: Experience in setting up, tracking, and interpreting developer experience metrics (e.g., CSAT, NPS, task completion rates, time-on-task).

• Dashboarding Tools: While not explicitly mentioned, familiarity with dashboarding tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI) for visualizing research findings and metrics could be beneficial.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM: While not directly a CRM role, understanding how internal platforms integrate with broader IT systems or how user data is managed might be relevant.

• Automation: Awareness of how automation impacts engineering workflows and how research can inform the design of automated processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "developer experience metrics" and frameworks like DORA/SPACE suggests the need for a researcher who can not only gather qualitative insights but also understand and contribute to quantitative measurement of engineering productivity and satisfaction, which are key operational metrics.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer-Centricity (Internal): A core value will be to champion the "internal customer" (the engineer), ensuring their needs and pain points are understood and addressed.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Decisions regarding platform development and process improvements should be grounded in research insights and measurable data.

• Collaboration & Transparency: Open communication and close collaboration with cross-functional teams are essential for successful insight implementation.

• Continuous Improvement: A commitment to iterative refinement of engineering tools, platforms, and workflows based on ongoing research and feedback.

• Innovation: Encouraging new approaches to research and problem-solving to enhance the engineering experience.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: The role requires working seamlessly with Product Management, UX Design, and Engineering teams to embed research into the product development lifecycle.

• Empowerment: Enabling colleagues to conduct their own tactical research, thereby democratizing user insights and fostering a shared responsibility for user experience.

• Feedback Exchange: A culture that values constructive feedback, both in giving and receiving, to continuously refine research processes and project outcomes.

• Knowledge Sharing: Actively participating in and contributing to knowledge-sharing sessions, documenting findings, and promoting best practices in user research and DevEx.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values emphasize a shift towards treating internal users (engineers) as critical customers, a mindset crucial for optimizing internal operations and productivity.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Bridging Research and Implementation: Ensuring that research insights translate into concrete actions and product/platform changes, overcoming potential organizational inertia or competing priorities.

• Measuring DevEx Impact: Quantifying the impact of research-driven improvements on developer experience, satisfaction, and productivity can be complex.

• Diverse Engineering Needs: Understanding and catering to the varied needs and workflows of a diverse engineering population within a large organization.

• Balancing Tactical vs. Strategic Research: Juggling immediate tactical research needs for specific features with longer-term strategic research objectives to define the future of the engineering experience.

• Remote/Hybrid Collaboration: Effectively conducting research and fostering collaboration in a hybrid work environment.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• DevEx Framework Mastery: Deepen expertise in advanced DevEx methodologies, frameworks (DORA, SPACE), and metrics.

• Platform Research Specialization: Become a go-to expert in researching complex internal platforms and developer tools.

• Influence & Leadership: Hone skills in stakeholder management, influencing without authority, and leading research initiatives that drive significant organizational change.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Gain insights into product management, software engineering practices, and operational strategy within a financial services context.

• Industry Exposure: Work with a leading organization in the financial sector, experiencing how user research contributes to operational excellence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges and growth opportunities are framed to leverage the researcher's skills in a complex organizational setting, directly contributing to operational improvements through a deep understanding of the engineering function.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "How would you approach understanding the current developer experience within NN Group's engineering teams?" (Focus on methodology, stakeholder engagement, and potential metrics).

• "Describe a time you had to influence a stakeholder who was resistant to user research findings. What was the outcome?" (Highlight influencing skills, communication, and data-driven persuasion).

• "Imagine we need to redesign our Internal Developer Portal. What would be your first steps in researching this?" (Demonstrate structured approach, user-centricity, and understanding of platform development).

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you know about NN Group and its approach to internal customer (engineer) experience?" (Research NN Group's mission, values, and technology focus).

• "How do you see yourself contributing to a 'customer-obsessed' culture within an engineering domain?" (Connect your research approach to this core value).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Storytelling: Frame your case studies as compelling narratives, clearly outlining the problem, your journey to find the solution through research, and the impactful outcome.

• Visual Aids: Use clear, concise visuals (screenshots, charts, personas) to support your presentation.

• Quantify Impact: Whenever possible, use numbers and data to demonstrate the tangible benefits of your research.

• Focus on "Why": Be prepared to explain the rationale behind your methodological choices.

• Engage the Audience: Make it interactive, encouraging questions and discussion, demonstrating your ability to communicate and influence.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice focuses on demonstrating strategic thinking, methodological rigor, and the ability to influence operational outcomes through research, aligning with the role's function within a larger organization.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this user researcher position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link: https://nngroup.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/WDExternal/job/The-Hague/User-Researcher---Engineering-Experience---Platforms--Freelance-_REQ2704833

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to highlight 2-3 key projects that best demonstrate your expertise in qualitative and quantitative user research, your experience with technical/engineering contexts, and your ability to drive impact. Emphasize case studies where your research led to measurable improvements in user experience or operational efficiency.

• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to clearly showcase your 8+ years of user research experience, academic background, and specific skills in Design Thinking, communication, and influencing. Integrate keywords from the job description, such as "Developer Experience," "Internal Platforms," "DORA," "SPACE," and "CSAT."

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your research process, methodologies, and the impact of your work. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to discuss your approach to researching complex internal systems and influencing stakeholders.

• Company Research: Gain a deeper understanding of NN Group's business, its commitment to innovation, and its focus on employee experience. Research their technology stack and any publicly available information on their engineering practices or platforms.

⚠️ 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.