How to apply for IT Product Owner (m/w/x)

About IONITY

IONITY is Europe's leading high-power charging network for electric vehicles, transforming long-distance EV travel into an enjoyable and sustainable journey. As a joint venture backed by major automotive players like BMW, Ford, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, and Volkswagen Group, IONITY operates thousands of charging points across 24 European countries. Working here means shaping the future of e-mobility at scale, with a mission-driven, international team that's passionate about sustainability and seamless digital experiences.

About the role

As an IT Product Owner for an agile backend team, you'll be the bridge between business vision and technical execution within a SAFe Agile Release Train. You'll own the product backlog for backend services and domain logic that power IONITY's charging ecosystem, translating features into well-defined user stories and ensuring value delivery every Planning Interval. This role is highly impactful: your decisions directly influence how reliably and efficiently EV drivers can charge across Europe.

A typical day

Your day might start with a stand-up with your backend team, followed by a backlog refinement session where you clarify user stories and acceptance criteria. Later, you could join a cross-team sync with System Architects and other Product Owners to align on dependencies for the upcoming PI. You'll also spend time analyzing stakeholder requests, making trade-off decisions, and updating the product roadmap to ensure your team delivers maximum value.

Who IONITY is looking for

• Proven experience as a Product Owner or similar role in an agile backend development environment, ideally within SAFe or another scaled agile framework.
• Strong technical background in backend services, APIs, and domain-driven design, with the ability to discuss architecture and trade-offs with engineers.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to align business owners, product managers, and system architects around a shared roadmap.
• Experience defining functional and non-functional acceptance criteria, ensuring testability and quality in incremental releases.
• Passion for e-mobility and sustainability, with a user-centric mindset and a knack for making transparent value-based trade-offs.

Tips for this application

• Highlight specific SAFe experience in your CV—mention PI Planning, ART events, and how you've managed backlogs across teams. IONITY's role is deeply embedded in SAFe, so this is a key differentiator.
• Emphasize backend domain expertise: use examples of APIs, microservices, or domain logic you've owned. Avoid focusing solely on frontend or mobile products.
• Show familiarity with EV charging or energy ecosystems. Even if you haven't worked in e-mobility, research IONITY's tech stack and mention how your skills transfer.
• Quantify your impact: e.g., 'reduced backlog refinement time by 30%' or 'delivered 15 PIs with 95% predictability.' IONITY values measurable outcomes.
• Tailor your cover letter to IONITY's mission—connect your personal motivation for sustainable transport to the company's goal of making long-distance EV travel enjoyable.

What to cover in your cover letter

In your cover letter, focus on: (1) Your hands-on experience as a Product Owner in a SAFe environment, specifically with backend teams, and how you've maximized value delivery. (2) A concrete example of translating a complex feature into user stories with clear acceptance criteria and the resulting business impact. (3) Your ability to influence technical roadmaps and align diverse stakeholders, ideally in a fast-paced scale-up or cross-border context. (4) Your genuine passion for e-mobility and why IONITY's mission resonates with you personally.

Research before applying

• Study IONITY's network: locations, charging speeds, pricing models, and recent expansions. Understand their app and backend services from a user perspective.
• Learn about the e-mobility landscape in Europe: key competitors (Tesla Supercharger, Fastned, Ionity's partners), regulations (AFIR), and technical standards (CCS, Plug & Charge).
• Read about SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) best practices, especially for Product Owners in Agile Release Trains, to speak the same language in interviews.
• Explore IONITY's recent news, funding, and partnerships to understand their growth trajectory and strategic priorities.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How do you prioritize a backlog when business value, technical debt, and stakeholder urgency conflict? Walk us through a specific example.
• Describe your experience with SAFe: How have you participated in PI Planning, and how do you ensure your team's stories align with the ART's objectives?
• Can you explain how you define non-functional acceptance criteria for backend services? Give an example related to performance, scalability, or security.
• How do you collaborate with System Architects and other Product Owners to manage dependencies across domains?
• What metrics do you use to measure the success of a product increment, and how do you use them to improve future PIs?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Applying without demonstrating SAFe knowledge—this role explicitly requires working within an ART, so generic agile experience isn't enough.
• Focusing only on frontend or mobile product ownership when the role is backend-centric; highlight your backend domain expertise instead.
• Ignoring the technical depth of the role: candidates who can't discuss APIs, domain logic, or non-functional requirements will struggle to convince.
• Submitting a generic cover letter that doesn't connect to IONITY's mission or the e-mobility context—showing genuine passion is crucial.