One mindset – one million chances

In my day-to-day work, everything revolves around a new software product that we are developing for a specialist unit at Mercedes-Benz. As the product owner, I have overall responsibility for this product. In this, I have a dual role, so to speak: I lead the development team and at the same time take the position of the users.

Typically, a workday for me goes like this: In the morning we start with a "daily", a meeting of the full development team. This is primarily about the current status quo. What did we accomplish yesterday, what are our plans for today, who still needs support?

In my role as product owner, I am always sure to look at things through the eyes of the customer. That's why I look at the latest user feedback afterwards, evaluate statistics or have conversations with users. From this, I can then derive the next development steps or consider solutions with my team that integrate customer needs even more. Basically, it's always about how we can make our product even better. How does the user experience become even more intuitive? Which functions should we add? How can we make the design even more user-friendly?

Of course, as the main person responsible, I also regularly update all stakeholders on our progress and always keep an eye on our key figures.

By the way, at Mercedes-Benz Tech Motion I can decide for myself where and how I work. I value this freedom very much. Our first-name-terms culture is also something special. It makes the interaction with each other much more personal. I am part of a young, dedicated team. It is natural to help each other and to be nice to each other. Because at the end of the day, we know that it makes our work more fun and our product better.

Friends sometimes ask me which part in a Mercedes-Benz is "mine".

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. Our software is first and foremost not for the individual drivers, but goes into the development of the product. Nevertheless, it is - figuratively speaking - in half the vehicle. Because thanks to our product, components of the vehicle can be developed much faster, easier and in higher quality. You can feel that when you're behind the wheel.

Ever seen the 3D models on the user interface of MBUX, the infotainment system in Mercedes-Benz vehicles? They are the focus of my work as a sub-project manager in the field of low-poly visualizations. In highly simplified terms, the UX design team transforms vehicle data into 3D vehicle models.

My work is visible in every new Mercedes-Benz vehicle. That makes me proud.

In the luxury segment, the demand for a high-quality user experience is particularly high. Of course, this also applies to animations and displays, which have to load as fast as possible in order to run smoothly. Our challenge in doing so: if you rotate the vehicle in the display or change the view, the system has to calculate the new image in just a fraction of a second. In the best possible resolution, it goes without saying. Every pixel has to be right. This is only possible thanks to our optimized low-poly 3D elements, which we create based on the CAD data provided for various model series. One of the most important prerequisites for my job is therefore to have an eye for the most minute details.

I joined Mercedes-Benz Tech Motion directly after graduating. Even as the youngest member of the team, I was allowed to take on responsibility right from the start.

I immediately had the feeling that I was in good hands. I found the trust that was placed in me right away really remarkable. I work with eight colleagues in our development team, and meanwhile I have been promoted to sub-project manager. We tackle challenges together as a unit and have a great feedback culture. Considering our high quality standards, this is invaluable.

I find it particularly exciting to keep getting to grips with new technologies. In our job, it is also essential to always stay up to date. I simply enjoy constantly learning something new and incorporating it directly into my projects.

For me right now, everything is new and familiar at the same time. Just recently, I moved within Mercedes-Benz Tech Motion to a new team and a different area of activity. Previously, I worked in Operational Procurement, where I checked the plausiblity of engine components for prototype vehicles. Now, as a project manager in Customer Relations, I'm sort of on the other side. Now my main points of contact are no longer with suppliers, but I make sure that our customers are satisfied. This is because I have overall responsibility for the customer satisfaction process - from the offer to the complaint.

Especially during the induction phase, the support of the team is worth its weight in gold.

The first days after my move were packed with kick-off meetings and coordination. Since the whole process is being rolled out from scratch, a great deal of intensive exchange with the various stakeholders is necessary. New questions about the process flow or new findings keep popping up. It definitely never gets boring. In order to prioritize the many topics, I created a milestone plan together with the other team members. This helps a lot to structure my working day.

I feel responsible for all vehicles to some extent.

In my previous line of work, I could literally touch my work. The engine components were found in prototypes or certain model series, and there were even funny anecdotes about some parts. Today, in customer relationship management, my role is much more overarching and the link to the vehicles has become even stronger. By ensuring customer satisfaction, I contribute to the improvement of the overall product creation process. That makes me proud of my work.

I don't really have a proper working day.

The mix of project business, product development and organizational tasks makes my daily work very varied. A wide-reaching network is also key to my work, so I am constantly in dialog with other tech departments and experts. We are a diverse team from several nationalities and with very different skills. Everyone brings new perspectives to the table, which I think are the best prerequisites for innovation.

Since no two days are alike and the tasks vary, you have the freedom to actively shape your professional development. That's the best part of my job. All doors really are open to me here. The mutual support is great. Our supervisors provide direction, but they leave us as much freedom as possible. I can approach colleagues at any time and count on their help. This way you always stay flexible and don't lose the balance between job and free time, especially in the beginning.

The practical phases in my studies are among the absolute highlights of my training. I was already interested in coding when I was at school and my first contact with Mercedes-Benz Tech Motion was during Girls' Day. So it was soon clear to me that I wanted to apply here for a dual study program in computer science.

The start was very intense. Just so many new impressions and information.

In the meantime, I am already one of the experienced ones and am in the mentor program for the newbies. This means that I am the contact person for students in their first semester if they have questions about the job or their studies. In addition, there are also study supervisors to whom we can turn at any time.

It is always great to discover that you can not only learn from the best here, but that you are also taken seriously by them. You are immediately seen as a full team member and thrown in at the deep end in the most positive sense.

I remember how proud I was when I wrote my first program myself and then everything worked as planned. Right now I'm in Virtual Engineering, so I come into contact with the latest XR technologies every day. I can also imagine this being a good choice for my future career.

In the theory phase, what I like most is our cohesion.

At university, we learn all the important basics. The exam periods involve a lot of studying, but that's the great thing about dual studies. "Learning for life" is really meant sincerely. We can definitely apply much of this knowledge in the next practical phase. Since many students in our semester also work at Mercedes-Benz, we have a lot of contact with each other outside the lecture hall throughout our studies and have similar experiences. That's what binds us together.