Maya, Product Manager

Hi, I'm Maya. In August 2022, right after completing my master's degree in Business Psychology, I started my first permanent position at CHECK24 in Munich. I was hired as the first employee of the Strategy Office in the holding and manage my own project there. I relocated to Munich specifically for the job and haven't regretted it so far.

My day starts at eight o'clock by going through email and Slack correspondence, where I also address and respond to the first small inquiries. In the mornings, in addition to the two daily meetings with the app team and the backend team, I often engage in conceptual work. The logic of features that are soon to go live needs to be thoroughly thought out. I often start with the designs for this process. While building and contemplating the screen to integrate the feature, questions frequently arise that wouldn't have come up without this detailed work. I discuss these detailed questions, along with the designs and concepts, with my managing director and sparring partner as quickly as possible so that I can proceed promptly. A complete concept, along with drafting tickets for multiple developer teams, can take 2-4 weeks alongside the "everyday business."

In addition to conceptual work for new features, I also test the developers' implementations almost every day. I pay attention to whether the implementation aligns with the desired outcome and often provide feedback. At our company, "doing" is clearly prioritized - a hands-on mentality is essential. I see the results of my work in the releases almost daily, providing a constant sense of accomplishment for the customer, which is very satisfying.

Not losing sight of the big picture with multiple IT teams and still advancing the next features, contributing to bug fixes, and releasing new versions make my role exciting and responsible. Here, one realizes the full ownership of their projects, driving them from start to finish, which I highly appreciate.

In everything I do, I always keep the customer with their wishes, expectations, and needs in mind, striving to create the best experience. It can happen that I need to revisit a feature released two months ago because the customer benefit wasn't thoroughly thought out. Constantly questioning oneself and one's work and being open to scrutiny from others is essential at CHECK24. This way, we can ensure the best customer experience.

I had the fantastic opportunity to be involved in building a new project since my first day. We developed an internal app and browser extension that allows employees to submit feedback on CHECK24 products in just a few clicks. My current favorite project is conceptualizing the gamification aspect. We aim to establish a leaderboard where users can compare themselves in a ranking. Here, everything comes together: the user wants to have fun, so I consider how much color, flair, and animation it needs. The user wants their data to be protected, so I incorporate privacy and terms of use. The user wants to be informed, so there's an extension of push notifications. It's truly a massive project that I've been working on for the past 2 weeks on the side, and I enjoy every single second because there are so many dimensions to consider. In the end, we'll see how users (hopefully) enjoy it and commit even more, and I'm already looking forward to that.

CHECK24 allows me to take on responsibility from the first day. Being able to make independent decisions is important to me, and I can do that at CHECK24 with the Ownership principle. I am responsible from start to finish and an expert in my areas. My managing director doesn't ask my team lead about the current status; instead, they ask me because no one knows it better. These flat hierarchies, the delegation of responsibility, and the associated trust in young, competent individuals convinced me. Additionally, the interpersonal dynamics clicked right away. The people here convinced me, and that continues to be a significant factor in why I feel so comfortable here.

First of all, it's great that all opinions are listened to unconditionally. As a junior, you're not at the bottom of the hierarchy but have an equal understanding of the customer's wishes as the Managing Director. Here, the principle of "disagree and commit" prevails. We agree to disagree, opt for the opinion that is likely best for the customer, and try it out first. If we realize shortly afterward that it wasn't the right decision, we don't point fingers at others, as we all share responsibility for the decision. Instead, we quickly take a different path to ensure the customer experiences an immediate improvement. "Disagree and commit" is the name of the game again. CHECK24 indeed has a very good culture when it comes to handling mistakes.

For those who want to take on responsibility from day one, this is the right place. You not only execute tasks but also make decisions that impact millions of customers. The results of your work are often visible on the same day with the next release, thus improving and simplifying the lives of many people in Germany. Through the opportunity to take ownership, one becomes visible early and extensively. The career advancement prospects at CHECK24 are genuinely good, allowing for relatively swift career paths. Additionally, the cohesion among all employees is truly remarkable, creating a work environment full of support, joy, creativity, and a hands-on mentality.