UX Manager Retail

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: UX Manager Retail

Company: NN Group

Location: The Hague, Netherlands

Job Type: Full time

Category: UX/Design Management, Product Operations

Date Posted: 2026-08-24

Experience Level: 15+ years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of UX designers to deliver exceptional user experiences across NN Group's retail digital touchpoints, including nn.nl, Mijn NN, and the mobile app.

• Drive the evolution of UX design maturity within the Retail domain, ensuring effective implementation and cohesive strategy across diverse customer journeys.

• Influence product strategy by translating business objectives into impactful, user-centered design solutions that enhance customer satisfaction and business outcomes.

• Optimize the deployment of design talent, ensuring designers are strategically placed, professionally developed, and consistently deliver high-quality, integrated design outputs.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a senior leadership position within the UX domain, with a strong emphasis on strategic influence, team development, and operational excellence in design delivery for a large customer base. The "Retail" designation suggests a focus on consumer-facing digital products and services.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Shape product strategy by developing and advocating for coherent user experiences across multiple digital touchpoints, focusing on overarching concepts like messaging and navigation.

• Oversee the execution of design work, champion the adoption of standard design practices, and foster efficient collaboration between multidisciplinary teams.

• Ensure optimal utilization of design talent by strategically assigning designers, supporting their professional growth, and guaranteeing the quality and consistency of design deliverables.

• Analyze current customer journeys to identify pain points and opportunities for improvement, translating these insights into actionable design strategies.

• Drive the development and implementation of a clear design vision and strategy for NN Group's retail products and platforms.

• Coach and develop UX designers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and high performance within the design team.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Product Managers, Customer Researchers, and the central Design System team to ensure alignment and leverage shared resources.

• Contribute to the strategic direction and maturity of UX within NN Group by participating in the core team of the NN Design Guild.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of strategic leadership, team management, operational oversight of design processes, and direct contribution to the product development lifecycle, emphasizing impact on customer experience and business objectives.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• A relevant Bachelor's or Postgraduate degree is required. Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in UX design within complex organizations is mandatory.

• A combination of agency, consultancy, and in-house experience is considered a strong advantage.

• Proven experience in (hierarchical) leadership and associated HR responsibilities.

• Extensive experience in coaching and professionally developing designers.

• Demonstrated success in developing and implementing design vision and strategy for products and/or platforms.

• Experience in advancing the maturity of UX design within a complex organizational structure. Required Skills:

• Deep knowledge and experience in UX design for digital consumer products.

• Expertise in applied design techniques across the entire product development lifecycle, from problem discovery to user satisfaction assessment.

• Strong leadership and team management capabilities, with a focus on coaching and professional development.

• Strategic thinking and the ability to translate business objectives into cohesive user experiences.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.

• Proficiency in Dutch and English languages. Preferred Skills:

• Experience with design systems and their implementation.

• Familiarity with customer journey mapping and applied design techniques.

• Experience in a retail or financial services industry context.

• Understanding of design operations principles and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The experience requirement of 15+ years, coupled with specific leadership and strategic development responsibilities, positions this as a senior-level operational and strategic role within the UX discipline. The emphasis on both hands-on UX knowledge and people management is critical.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 3-5 significant UX design projects, demonstrating a deep understanding of the entire product development lifecycle.

• Projects should clearly illustrate the candidate's ability to translate complex business requirements and customer needs into intuitive and effective digital solutions.

• For each project, provide details on the problem statement, the design process followed (research, ideation, prototyping, testing), key design decisions, and the impact achieved.

• Evidence of strategic thinking in UX, such as influencing product roadmaps or defining overarching design principles for a product suite.

• Examples of how you have optimized design processes or implemented design systems to improve efficiency and consistency. Process Documentation:

• Demonstrate experience in documenting and standardizing UX design processes, including user research methodologies, design sprints, and usability testing protocols.

• Provide examples of how you have contributed to or led the development of design systems, ensuring their adoption and effective use by design teams and development partners.

• Showcase your ability to measure and report on the impact of design initiatives, using metrics related to user satisfaction, task completion rates, conversion, and business KPIs.

• Examples of how you have managed design capacity and resource allocation to meet project demands effectively.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the senior leadership and strategic nature of the role, the portfolio should emphasize not just individual design contributions but also the ability to lead and optimize design operations and strategy within a complex organizational context. The focus is on process maturity, strategic impact, and team enablement.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The salary range for this position is between €6,378 and €8,504 per month, based on a 36-hour work week. The exact salary will be determined by the candidate's knowledge and experience. Benefits:

• Monthly salary payment including a 13th month and holiday pay.

• 27 vacation days for a 5-day work week, plus three Diversity Days.

• A modern pension scheme administered by BeFrank.

• Ample opportunities for training and development.

• NS Business Card (2nd class) for unlimited travel, including private use.

• Travel allowance for those using their own transportation.

• Home office allowance for internet and workspace setup. Working Hours:

• The position is based on a 36-hour work week.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is substantial for a monthly income in the Netherlands, reflecting the senior level of the UX Manager Retail role and the extensive experience (15+ years) required. This range aligns with senior management or lead specialist roles in specialized fields within large, established organizations. The benefits package is comprehensive and typical for senior positions in the Dutch market.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Financial Services (Insurance, Banking, Pensions). NN Group is a major player in the financial services sector, offering a wide range of products to millions of customers. This industry context implies a strong focus on customer trust, data security, regulatory compliance, and long-term customer relationships, all of which heavily influence UX design.

Company Size: NN Group is a large, established international organization. This means that operations, processes, and decision-making can be complex, requiring strong change management and stakeholder engagement skills. For operations professionals, it typically offers stability, structured career paths, and significant resources, but also demands adaptability to navigate organizational structures.

Founded: NN Group has a long history, with roots tracing back to the 19th century. This heritage suggests a company culture that values stability and tradition, but also one that is actively undergoing digital transformation to remain competitive. Understanding this balance is key for operations roles aiming to drive innovation within established frameworks.

Team Structure:

• The Retail domain is part of the central Customer & Digital business unit, responsible for shared platforms that integrate products from NN's Banking, Insurance, and Pensions divisions into a unified customer experience.

• This role directly manages a team of five platform UX designers and works closely with other UX designers across different business units.

• You will collaborate with multidisciplinary product teams, including developers, Product Owners, Product Managers, and the Head of Retail.

• Close collaboration is also expected with a dedicated Customer Researcher and the central Design System team.

• You will be an active member of the NN Design Guild, a community of over 80 designers across the company, contributing to the core team that matures UX at NN. Methodology:

• Data Analysis & Insights: The role requires leveraging customer research and analytics to understand customer journeys, identify pain points, and inform design decisions.

• Workflow Planning & Optimization: Focus on optimizing design capacity, standardizing design practices, and ensuring efficient collaboration within and across teams.

• Automation & Efficiency: While not explicitly stated as a primary focus, the optimization of design processes and the effective use of design systems inherently contribute to efficiency and potentially automation of design workflows.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The company context emphasizes NN Group's position as a large, established financial services provider undergoing digital transformation. The operations role is situated within a central Customer & Digital unit, highlighting the importance of integrated customer experiences across diverse product lines. The structure involves direct team management and significant cross-functional collaboration, including participation in a company-wide Design Guild.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is at a senior management level within the UX/Design Operations discipline. It involves direct people management, strategic influence on product direction, and responsibility for the operational maturity of a significant design function within a large corporation. It bridges the gap between individual contributor expertise and broader organizational strategy.

Reporting Structure: The UX Manager Retail will report to a higher-level leader within the Retail domain or the broader Customer & Digital business unit, likely a Head of UX, Head of Design, or a Director of Product. The role directly manages a team of five platform UX designers and collaborates closely with Product Owners, Product Managers, and other senior stakeholders.

Operations Impact: The UX Manager's impact is measured by the seamlessness and effectiveness of customer experiences across NN Group's digital retail touchpoints. This directly influences customer acquisition, retention, satisfaction, and ultimately, the financial performance of the Retail business unit. By optimizing design processes and strategy, the role contributes to operational efficiency and the successful implementation of digital transformation initiatives.

Growth Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Opportunities to deepen expertise in design operations, strategic planning for digital products, and leading large-scale design initiatives.

• Leadership Development: Potential to move into more senior leadership roles, such as Head of UX/Design for a larger business unit, or a broader Product Management leadership position.

• Cross-functional Exposure: Gaining deeper insights into banking, insurance, and pensions products, and contributing to the overall customer experience strategy across NN Group.

• Industry Influence: Active participation in the NN Design Guild and potentially external industry forums can enhance professional reputation and network.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a significant leadership opportunity with direct impact on customer experience and business outcomes in a major financial institution. Growth paths are clearly defined towards broader strategic leadership within UX, product, or digital operations.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role is based in The Hague, Netherlands, specifically at the Haagse Poort - Low Rise office. This suggests a modern, professional office environment typical of large corporate headquarters. The emphasis on "on-site" work implies a collaborative and structured office setting.

Office Location(s): The primary location is The Hague, Netherlands. The mention of the NS Business Card indicates that the office is likely well-connected by public transport, making it accessible from various parts of the Netherlands.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The role involves working within multidisciplinary product teams and actively participating in the NN Design Guild. This fosters a highly collaborative atmosphere, encouraging knowledge sharing and co-creation among designers and other product stakeholders.

• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to standard corporate IT infrastructure, design software, and potentially specialized collaboration tools. The mention of a central Design System team suggests a focus on leveraging shared design resources and tools.

• Team Interaction: Daily interaction with direct reports (UX designers), peers (Product Owners, Product Managers), and senior stakeholders, promoting a dynamic and communicative work environment.

Work Schedule: A standard 36-hour work week is outlined, suggesting a structured but potentially flexible approach to daily working hours within the corporate framework.

📝 Enhancement Note: The work environment is described as a professional, on-site setting in a major Dutch city, emphasizing collaboration, access to corporate resources, and a structured work schedule. The role is integrated into multidisciplinary teams and a broader design community.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Likely a review of CV and portfolio by HR or the hiring manager to assess foundational qualifications and experience.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A deep dive into your leadership experience, strategic thinking, team management capabilities, and understanding of UX operations. Expect questions about how you've developed teams and implemented design strategies.

• Portfolio Presentation: A dedicated session where you will present selected projects from your portfolio. This is crucial for demonstrating your UX process, problem-solving skills, strategic approach, and impact. Be prepared to discuss your role, decision-making rationale, and quantifiable results.

• Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with key stakeholders, such as other UX Managers, Product Owners, Product Managers, and potentially representatives from development or customer research teams, to assess collaboration style, communication skills, and cultural fit.

• Final Interview: May involve senior leadership to discuss overall fit, long-term vision, and strategic alignment with NN Group's goals.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-5 projects that best represent your leadership, strategic impact, and operational capabilities in UX. Prioritize projects that showcase the full product lifecycle and demonstrate significant business or customer impact.

• Structure Your Narrative: For each project, clearly articulate the business problem, your specific role and contribution, the design process followed, key challenges encountered and how you overcame them, the final solution, and measurable outcomes (e.g., increased conversion, improved user satisfaction, cost savings).

• Highlight Leadership & Strategy: Emphasize how you influenced product strategy, managed design teams, coached designers, and contributed to the maturity of UX within an organization. Use examples of process optimization and the implementation of design systems.

• Quantify Impact: Wherever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the success of your projects and initiatives. Be ready to discuss ROI and how your design decisions drove business value.

• Prepare for Deep Dives: Be ready to answer detailed questions about your design choices, the trade-offs you made, and how you collaborated with technical and business teams.

Challenge Preparation:

• Case Study Presentation: Be prepared to present a hypothetical or past case study demonstrating your approach to solving a complex UX problem within a retail or financial services context. Focus on your strategic thinking, process, and expected outcomes.

• Leadership Scenarios: Anticipate questions about managing underperforming team members, resolving conflicts between design and development, or advocating for UX in resource-constrained environments.

• Design System & Maturity: Prepare to discuss your experience with design systems and how you would approach increasing UX maturity within a large organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application process emphasizes a thorough evaluation of leadership, strategic thinking, and practical UX operations skills, with a strong focus on portfolio demonstration and stakeholder collaboration. Candidates should prepare to articulate their impact and strategic vision for UX within a corporate setting.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• UX Design Software: Proficiency in industry-standard tools like Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (XD, Photoshop, Illustrator) is expected for design creation, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Prototyping Tools: Experience with tools such as InVision, Axure, or Figma for creating interactive prototypes to test user flows and gather feedback.

• Collaboration Platforms: Familiarity with tools like Jira, Confluence, Asana, or Trello for project management, task tracking, and workflow management within multidisciplinary teams.

• Design System Tools: Experience working with or contributing to design systems, potentially utilizing tools like Storybook or specific components within design software.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Experience with tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or similar platforms to track user behavior, analyze website performance, and derive insights for optimization.

• User Feedback & Survey Tools: Familiarity with tools like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or specialized user feedback platforms to gather qualitative insights.

• BI & Dashboarding Tools: While not explicitly mentioned, experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or Looker for visualizing UX metrics and performance data could be beneficial for reporting to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• CRM Systems: While UX Managers typically don't manage CRMs directly, understanding how CRM data (e.g., Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics) informs customer journeys and personalization is valuable.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Awareness of how design processes integrate with broader business process automation tools to ensure seamless end-to-end customer experiences.

• Integration Tools: Understanding how different digital touchpoints and backend systems are integrated is important for designing cohesive user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack reflects a modern digital product development environment, with a strong emphasis on collaborative design tools, project management, and data-driven decision-making. Experience with design systems and analytics platforms is particularly relevant for this role.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Centricity: A fundamental value, driving all efforts to create seamless and valuable user experiences for NN Group's 4.5 million customers. This means prioritizing user needs and feedback in all design decisions.

• Collaboration & Teamwork: Emphasized through work in multidisciplinary product teams and the NN Design Guild. The expectation is to inspire, foster collaboration, and achieve common goals.

• Efficiency & Optimization: A drive to optimize design capacity, streamline processes, and ensure the effective use of design talent and resources. This aligns with the core of operations.

• Continuous Improvement & Learning: Encouraged through professional development, knowledge sharing sessions within the Design Guild, and the ongoing maturity of UX practices within the organization.

• Impact-Driven: A focus on making a tangible impact on both customers and the business, ensuring design work directly contributes to strategic objectives.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Seamless integration with developers, Product Owners, Product Managers, and Customer Researchers is essential. The UX Manager acts as a bridge between design and other functions.

• Process Review & Feedback: An open culture for discussing and refining design processes, with regular knowledge sharing and co-creation opportunities within the Design Guild.

• Knowledge Sharing: Active participation in the NN Design Guild to share best practices, learn from peers across different business units, and collectively elevate UX standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture emphasizes a strong customer focus, collaborative spirit, and a commitment to operational efficiency and continuous improvement, all within the framework of a large, established financial institution.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating a Large Organization: Balancing the need for cohesive UX strategy with the diverse needs and priorities of different business units (Bank, Insurance, Pensions) within NN Group.

• Driving Design Maturity: Continuously pushing for higher UX standards and greater integration of design thinking across a large, potentially traditional, organization.

• Managing Diverse Stakeholders: Effectively communicating and aligning with a wide range of stakeholders, from individual designers to senior business leaders, each with different perspectives and priorities.

• Optimizing Design Resources: Ensuring the efficient allocation and development of design talent to meet evolving business demands and project timelines.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Operations Skill Advancement: Deepen expertise in design operations, strategic portfolio management, and leading large-scale digital transformation initiatives.

• Industry Conferences & Certifications: Opportunities to attend relevant industry events (e.g., UX, design leadership, financial services tech) and pursue certifications in leadership or specialized UX areas.

• Mentorship & Leadership Development: Access to leadership training programs within NN Group and potential mentorship from senior leaders, fostering career progression towards executive roles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are characteristic of senior operational roles in large enterprises, focusing on strategic alignment, process improvement, and stakeholder management. Growth opportunities are substantial, offering paths to broader leadership within the company and the industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you influenced product strategy through UX insights. What was the outcome?" (Focus on your ability to connect user needs with business goals and articulate a strategic vision).

• "How have you approached developing and implementing a design vision or strategy for a product or platform in a complex organization?" (Highlight your strategic planning, communication, and implementation skills).

• "Walk me through how you would assess and improve the design maturity of a UX team within a large financial institution." (Demonstrate your understanding of UX frameworks, assessment methods, and change management). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What do you understand about NN Group's commitment to digital transformation and customer experience, and how would your role as UX Manager Retail contribute to this?" (Showcase your research and alignment with company objectives).

• "How would you foster collaboration and knowledge sharing within the NN Design Guild and your immediate team?" (Emphasize your approach to building strong, collaborative design communities).

• "How do you measure the success and impact of UX initiatives, and how would you communicate this to senior leadership?" (Prepare to discuss KPIs, ROI, and effective reporting strategies). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your leadership philosophy and approach to UX operations. Then, for each selected project, use a clear narrative: Problem -> Your Role/Process -> Solution -> Impact (Quantified).

• Focus on Leadership & Operations: Beyond individual design contributions, highlight your role in team development, process optimization, strategic influence, and how you leveraged or contributed to design systems.

• Data-Driven Storytelling: Use metrics and data to support your claims about project success and business impact. Be ready to discuss the specific KPIs you tracked and their significance.

• Engage Your Audience: Make the presentation interactive. Ask clarifying questions, encourage discussion, and be prepared to defend your design decisions and strategic choices.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on articulating strategic impact, leadership capabilities, and operational excellence in UX. Candidates must be ready to demonstrate how they drive value through design in a complex organizational setting.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the provided Workday link.

• Portfolio Customization: Select 3-5 projects that best showcase your UX leadership, strategic thinking, and operational impact. Tailor your presentation to highlight experience in complex organizations, team management, and driving design maturity, aligning with the requirements for NN Group's retail digital products.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly articulates your 15+ years of experience, leadership responsibilities, experience with HR functions, and contributions to design strategy and process improvement. Use keywords such as "UX Manager," "Design Operations," "Product Strategy," "Stakeholder Management," and "Team Leadership."

• Interview Preparation: Practice presenting your portfolio case studies, focusing on quantifiable results and your strategic decision-making process. Prepare to discuss your approach to leading and developing UX teams, fostering collaboration, and contributing to organizational design maturity.

• Company Research: Thoroughly research NN Group, its digital initiatives, and its position in the financial services market. Understand the importance of customer experience in this sector and how UX contributes to business goals. Familiarize yourself with the NN Design Guild concept and its role in the company.

⚠️ 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.