Lionel, tell us about what you do at Zalando?
I'm an Engineering Manager at our Stockholm Hub, and I'm actually one of the first people to join this new site. Having started in April 2023, I work with two teams responsible for the business-to-business (B2B) side of Zalando’s fulfillment solutions, helping merchants to integrate with our platform.
How would you describe your job at Zalando to your friends or network?
As an Engineering Manager, I facilitate the growth of the people in my team and remove blockers and distractions so they can focus on their work of creating great software and not just sit in meetings. Zalando is opening up the fulfillment solutions we have for partners that would like to continue selling on other channels as well, and my team is working on facilitating the integration with our systems. The team is designing new cloud-based microservices that have a huge impact on the future of Zalando. One of the exciting parts of the job is our freedom to choose the best suitable technologies for the task, while sticking to our tech radar.
I am also responsible for building the team to support this work in Stockholm. I'm involved in the recruiting, interviewing and onboarding of our candidates and team members.
What motivated you to join Zalando?
Firstly, I wanted to work for a company where everyone is focused on the same objectives, and, secondly, I find the business very interesting. Here I work on logistics solutions, which I find both fascinating and challenging, as there are so many things to learn. Recently, I visited one of the warehouses here in Stockholm – and there you can see clearly how the interactions between partners and Zalando work and how our job affects the company.
What do you like the most about Zalando culture?
I like how collaborative the people are, and how well the business is organized. Your colleagues are always there to help, and take time to explain things. I appreciate the openness, knowledge-sharing and the opportunities to interact with people from different areas, which allows me to learn how we get it done in product, and in commercial teams. I like the founding mindset, and I see that people take ownership of what they do – if something doesn’t exist yet, we build it. In our business unit, we are like a startup within a big organization. There's a lot to do, it's moving fast, and I really like it. Also, Zalando is a very international company, and a lot of people here are extremely talented and knowledgeable. We have a very fast onboarding process, and people learn very quickly.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I believe that it’s important to give people the liberty to work on something they find motivating, allow them to make decisions and take ownership of their projects. It's important to give people a balance between their work and their life, and to always respect their personal time. It's also necessary to have a collaborative environment within the team so that people work together and know the objectives of the project.
What is the role of your team in B2B?
We work towards facilitating interactions between our partners and Zalando logistics. We unlock services for the partners to manage their information and communicate with our integrators. We aim to make it easier for the partners to use the logistics solutions of Zalando exclusively, without having to go through the onboarding processes for selling on Zalando.
Could you tell us what makes your team so special?
It is the first development team in Stockholm, we are opening the ground for the future teams that will join soon. We are collaborating tightly with our colleagues in Berlin and other tech hubs in Zalando and building solutions together with them.
What is the office environment in Stockholm like?
What's very special about the office right now is that there are not many of us yet, which means that everybody interacts with everybody. The environment is very collaborative and flexible. We learn about each other's work. I know what people in the commercial team are doing, and it's always fun to hear about their projects, as it shows you a bigger picture. The feeling that we are making something new is very present. Almost everybody is new, and we help each other to navigate Zalando, we adjust the office to our needs, and we build our processes from scratch.
Do you have any advice for our future candidates? Why should someone join?
When you join us, you’ll be joining a great company with a great culture in a great city. Here it feels like a startup within a company, and we are building something very new and exciting. I would advise you to come to the interviews with a positive attitude, and to be willing to show your knowledge. Talk about your experience and never be embarrassed of not knowing something, just be willing to learn. Try to meet as many people as you can, and get to know them and what they are doing. Meet people from different areas, and try to understand how the company and the business work.
