Product Owner - Search Retrieval (f/m/d)

As the top Swiss e-commerce platform, with a crew of over 4’000 across Switzerland, Germany, and Serbia, Galaxus is poised to move into new markets. Our driving force is our determination to keep challenging the status quo. That’s why we’re on the lookout for characters who’re passionate about making genuine improvements. We’ll give you the freedom and trust to make an impact, to grow with us and to be yourself. Act galactic. Be you.

In the role as Product Owner - Search Retrieval, you own the foundation of our search: making sure the right products make it into the result set for every query. Search at Galaxus is organized in three teams: Query Understanding, Retrieval and Ranking. Success means a broad and relevant candidate set for every query, delivered fast enough for ranking and personalization to do their job. You operate with high autonomy in a flat, trust-based engineering culture where outcomes matter more than output.

This role is an ideal next step if you have moved from data science, analytics or engineering into product and want to own a technically deep domain. Even if you don't tick every box, we encourage you to apply.

Deine Aufgaben

• Own the product vision and roadmap for search retrieval, from discovery and prioritization through to delivery and measurement
• Define what good retrieval means: establish recall and quality metrics, offline evaluation and query-level tracking together with Data Science
• Shape the evolution of our retrieval architecture with engineers, e.g. new retrieval channels and the trade-offs between recall, latency, cost and product data quality
• Treat retrieval as a platform product: align closely with Query Understanding, Ranking and other consuming teams on clear interfaces and requirements
• Maintain a well-structured backlog in close collaboration with the engineering lead, engineers and data scientists
• Track and interpret product KPIs and A/B test results to drive data-informed decisions and evaluate initiative outcomes
• Collaborate with engineers and data scientists as peers, providing strategic direction while trusting the team's technical judgment and avoiding micromanagement
• Keep stakeholders informed with clear, transparent communication, shielding the team from noise while maintaining appropriate visibility
• Actively contribute to team culture, methodology improvements, and knowledge-sharing within the broader Product community

Deine Fähigkeiten

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering or another STEM field
• A professional background in analytics, data science, ML engineering or data-heavy software engineering, with first experience (around 1 to 3 years) as Product Owner, Product Manager or in a similar product role
• Experience working in agile product teams and managing product backlogs
• A solid understanding of data and ML systems, and the curiosity to quickly get into new, complex problems like how search works end to end
• Hands-on analytical skills (SQL, ideally Python) and experience with A/B testing and offline evaluation of search or ML systems
• The ability to switch between strategic discussions with stakeholders and technical deep dives with engineers and data scientists
• Experience with search technologies such as keyword and vector retrieval, hybrid search, embeddings or LLM-based retrieval is a strong plus
• Experience with Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Vespa or vector databases is an advantage
• Strong ownership, collaboration and communication skills
• Fluent in English; German is a plus
• The capacity to adapt to ongoing changes in the work environment
• A willingness to challenge «how things have always been done» and propose more efficient, automated or effective solutions

Warum startest du bei uns?

• Values, not empty words: Cooperative, innovative, piratesque, responsible, ambitious – these five values are what we practise and preach.
• Courageous thinking: We encourage everyone to think on their feet, and love it when they come up with bold or edgy ideas.
• Uncomplicated approach: Simplicity is at our core. We avoid the unnecessary and focus on what really matters – from overcoming challenges to celebrating our shared successes.
• Flexibility and freedom: We offer working-from-home options, up to 8 weeks of workation, and every position is possible with an 80% workload.
• Rapid growth: With us, growth is a continuous journey. We also support you with 2'000 EDU points per year for your professional development so there’s no risk of you getting stuck in a rut.
• Modern: With us you can work with the latest technologies every day, see our Tech-Radar.
• More than "just" work: Take part in our various employee events such as Hackathons, hiking, skiing, Böötlen on the Limmat, LAN Parties or Friday Night Drinks and, if you're interested, contribute to our Techblog.
• More benefits: 25 days of holiday, exclusive employee conditions in our online shop, mobile, internet and TV plans at company rates and many other benefits.

Diversity is our culture.

To build the best team, we want to draw from the full spectrum of talent out there. This means people from all walks of life have the same opportunities with us, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation or age. We believe true inclusion means everyone is welcome and each contribution is valuable.