Irene, could you tell us about your role at Zalando?
I'm a Senior Product manager at Zalando Return Solutions, also called ZRS, which is a part of the B2B department. I joined the Zalando Fulfillment Solutions team in 2018 as an intern in Operations, freshly after my master's studies. After my internship, I worked in two different roles. At first, I was an operations manager, and then I moved to a more behind-the-scenes role of a Business Excellence manager. The continued exposure to the logistics product development discussion allowed me to grow a strong interest in product management up to a point where I decided to pursue a change in my career path and seek for an opportunity where to get ownership and real hand-on experience. Thus, I joined the Zalando Return Solutions team where I work now.
How would you describe your current work to your friends/network?
I like saying that I’m a party planner for a digital product. I work with my team and various stakeholders to identify improvements and propose ideas for new product features. It’s similar to organizing a party with a crowd of friends, trying to come up with a cool theme. Once we collect the ideas, my job is to select the most relevant ones, which will make it to the “party”. We always keep our guests in mind – that is, our customers. I have to make sure that all the pieces come together to make it an amazing experience and a great product for people to use. My job is a mix of many things, and I use both my hard and soft skills to make it work – creativity, organizational and communication skills.
Why did you move into Product Management?
There are a few reasons product management attracted me. Firstly, I really love solving problems, which is day-to-day for a product manager. I'm the one who identifies a problem and potential reasons for it, which is an essential skill and attitude you need as a product manager. Secondly, I love working with people. I'm very extroverted and I really love connecting with people. This is essential as a product manager because you can’t get anywhere without collaborating with engineers, product designers, sales, operations. Thirdly, I'm a very data-driven person, and I rely on data to identify product opportunities and needs for improvement. My experiences in ZFS and in Business Excellence have taught me how important it is to take data into account – data offers the right insights and direction.
Becoming a product manager is a long road, and the job is anything but easy. My experience has been so positive because I had the opportunity to be coached by great leaders. My advice to all is – seek out support and guidance. At Zalando we have resources, channels and people, and you’ve got all the means you need to connect with peers and mentors and let people know about your interests and career ambitions.
What motivated you to join Zalando and what keeps you now motivated to work at Zalando?
During my studies, I specialized in supply chain management. A role in the ZFS team was the perfect opportunity to continue exploring logistics. I remember it required fluency in German, which I definitely did not have. I just applied and hoped it would work.
What has kept me motivated throughout the years is, as mentioned, change – I’ve changed career tracks and I’ve worked with different leads. I am an ambitious person, and I always make sure to have a good development plan with my leads. Besides the biannual performance review, a development plan is something that helps me stay motivated, in combination with the colleagues’ feedback that encourages me in understanding if I'm growing in the right direction
Another source of motivation in the B2B ambition, aiming to establish itself as the leading logistics ecosystem in European E-commerce for fashion, lifestyle and beyond. In my team, we specifically focus on making end-to-end returns easier and more sustainable for our partners and customers. We are building a win-win product that allows customers to bundle their returns as much as possible while we take care of returns on behalf of our partners, alleviating them from the burden of managing individual returns, ultimately leading to less transportation and operational expenditures, as well as a reduction in CO2 emissions.
How would you describe your team?
Special! We have all the roles we need to keep improving and scaling the product in a dynamic environment: product, process and project management, and operations. We are just nine people, but we have this stunning diversity of roles. And we also actually embrace diversity. We have colleagues of different cultural backgrounds and religions, of different genders, and different professional backgrounds. But at the same time, we work so well together because we complement each other with our differences.
Furthermore, I really like how we frequently engage in mutual challenges. Every week we have to solve a “Challenge of the Week”, which can be literally anything, from quizzes to pondering philosophical questions, cooking recipes, or attempting yoga poses. This practice not only fosters an enjoyable atmosphere but also cultivates a sense of unity and inclusivity within the team. It becomes particularly valuable when we encounter work challenges, as it enables us to remain united and successfully solve such challenges as a cohesive unit.
What would you suggest to the future candidates? Why should they join Zalando?
If a job position resonates with you and fits with your background, then I would really recommend that you apply. As I said before, it doesn't matter if you think you don't answer every single requirement – just go for it. I wouldn't be here today, telling my story, if I had not applied in 2018 just because I wasn’t fluent in German. A piece of advice: during the interview, just be yourself and do not overstretch - I really like when someone is genuine.
B2B really offers a massive opportunity to learn how to build an impactful digital logistics product, and you’ll have lots of room to progress in your career. Currently, we also have a Stockholm office, which we are actively hiring for. You will enjoy the culture, the flexibility and the cool office vibes!
Would you like to join the B2B department? Apply for one of the open positions and work with them on some of their many exciting challenges.
