Head of Software QA (f/m/d)

Head of Software QA (m/f/d)

Are you an experienced Software QA leader who combines a strategic mindset with genuine hands-on involvement and technical credibility? Do you know how to build a quality culture that reaches across engineering, product, and leadership - and can you bring a clear, honest picture of quality risk into conversations that shape how we build and ship?

We are looking for a Head of QA to own and evolve our quality function as we continue to grow our speech recognition and voice productivity portfolio across multiple platforms and international markets.

What You'll Do

As Head of QA, you will lead our QA function end-to-end - from setting the quality strategy to guiding the team that delivers it. You will work in close partnership with our CTO, Head of Product, and Head of Software Development, and you will be the authoritative voice on where quality stands across products, teams, and releases. Your responsibilities will include:

• Defining and evolving our quality strategy across the full product ecosystem — SpeechLive clients (mobile, desktop and web) and hardware integrations — balancing release confidence with delivery speed and risk
• Leading cross-team quality programs including release readiness, integration coverage, cross-region validation, and go/no-go decisions, bringing a clear risk picture and concrete options rather than just flagging problems
• Defining the test approach for complex, cross-component work where no existing playbook exists — setting exit criteria, owning the call, and coordinating across teams to see it through
• Identifying systemic quality signals — recurring escape patterns, automation gaps, integration blind spots — and driving root-cause fixes rather than repeated re-testing
• Setting automation strategy and guiding tooling decisions across the QA org; actively fixing bottlenecks in CI pipelines, test environments, and test data rather than working around them
• Building the quality standards and mechanisms — definition of done, quality gates, escalation paths, coverage expectations — that teams across engineering can work to consistently
• Leading, hiring, and developing the QA team; mentoring test engineers at all levels through pairing, reviews, and direct feedback, and ensuring clear ownership across the team
• Acting as the primary quality partner to the CTO, Head of Product, and Head of Software Development and Global Support — raising concerns early, challenging scope or timelines with evidence, and aligning on quality risk and investment trade-offs
• Coordinating quality standards and release readiness with external development and technology partners
  
  

What You Bring

• Several years of experience in QA Engineering, including meaningful experience leading QA teams. Ideally you have grown from hands-on testing into a leadership role and are comfortable operating at both levels.
• Strong practical understanding of testing complex, multi-platform SaaS software products — automation architecture, CI/CD integration, API testing, and end-to-end test strategy, including AI/ML-based features — sufficient to make sound technical decisions and earn the confidence of senior engineers. Experience in voice or speech technology is a massive plus.
• Proven track record of close, productive collaboration with engineering and product leadership — you are comfortable challenging scope, timelines, and product decisions when the quality risk warrants it
• Strong people leadership: experience developing QA engineers, giving direct and actionable feedback, and building a team culture of ownership and continuous improvement across different seniority levels
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills: you can give a clear, honest account of where quality stands across products, teams, and releases to both technical and non-technical audiences, and you can align multiple internal teams and external partners around shared standards
• Technically credible: you have a solid understanding of modern testing practices (automation, CI/CD integration, test architecture, API and mobile testing) and can have meaningful technical conversations with QA engineers and senior developers alike.
• Experience working in an Agile environment at scale, ideally across distributed or international teams
• Familiarity with speech, AI/ML-based features, or hardware-software integrations is a plus
• Fluent in English; other language skills – particularly German – are advantageous
  
  

What We Offer You

• You can expect a minimum gross annual salary of € 75 000 for this position, with the final package shaped around your experience and expertise
• Stability with innovation: be part of a recognized global leader in speech management and recognition solutions, sold under the renowned Philips brand
• A collaborative culture: Experience an inclusive, international team that values Ownership, Talent, and Transparency. We’re driven, supportive, and excited to welcome new ideas and people.
• Continuous learning: a dedicated framework for your development as well as access to Pluralsight and other professional development resources to support your growth
• Comprehensive perks and benefits including:
• Flexible working hours
• 2 Home-office Days per week
• Possibility for Workation from abroad of max. 10 days per year to be combined with a holiday of at least equal length
• A company canteen and healthy snacks
• Mavie.care employee assistance program
• 24/7 accident insurance
• Pension scheme (opt-in)
• Gym membership
• Free on-site parking
• Team events and company-wide get-together