When I read a very interesting job advertisement more than 4 years ago, I was eager to know more about the details of this vacancy. Owning a hungry Labrador, I only knew zooplus as a loyal customer. After two job interviews I was astonished and surprised about the development of zooplus and the complexity of the mechanics of its business. But most importantly, I was impressed by the professional and charming interviewers, and as you might have guessed already - my current colleagues. My initial task was to build up an IT Purchasing landscape by myself, which is now fully implemented. Since day one my dog 'Whiskey' has accompanied me in this journey and my colleagues love her dearly. In case I face some icebergs at work, she is the best melting buddy.

Zooplus is a place where I can combine two of my passions – Privacy and Cats. I love that I work in a company that makes life better for pets, where my love for my two cats is understood and welcomed, and where I can work on a topic close to my heart and get paid for it. Zooplus has also invested in my professional development over the years, helping me not just get further certifications in privacy but also software-skills training which is incredibly key to staying relevant as an in-house counsel in the tech industry. Despite the demands of the privacy profession, zooplus offers a great work-life balance that would normally be unheard of in other companies in similar sectors.

I joined zooplus in Munich on a freezing day in October 2015. Thankfully there was hot tea in the kitchen and warm welcoming colleagues in the room which have kept me going till now. I joined zooplus since it was a 16-year-old company that is growing tremendously and proudly boasted of an IT team with a lot of International colleagues having office in the city center of Munich. As part of the “Shop” Team, I get a chance to work in the most challenging and dynamic parts of our IT systems which I find very rewarding. The company supports a culture of freedom and fun which helps in overall development of the people who work here. The employee policies are fair and friendly in a competitive market. Work is not the only thing we do here. Our legendary office parties and Friday beers with colleagues are a specialty down here on the 2nd floor.

The internet was invented for pets - since the beginning of 2020 I know about the power cat content can have: As Senior Lead Social Media, I am responsible for the Social Media division at zooplus. Together with my amazing team I cover the development and implementation of the social media strategy for 25 countries in which zooplus is active, the establishment of Influencer Relations and the development of an internal Social Media training center. Part of our daily business is of course all sorts of (cat) content no matter for what Social network. I highly appreciate working at zooplus for giving me and my brilliant colleagues the opportunity to work independently in an international environment and to constantly develop ourselves and our area of expertise. If you are looking for a bunch of smart, creative and driven people hit the apply button! We’re waiting for you to join the zoo!

As the Head of Fulfilment I am responsible for making sure that our customers are getting their parcels packed with the right articles, in the right quantity and in a way that they arrive pristine. As we are a fast growing company, my team and I are constantly looking into increasing the capacity in our fulfillment network. Staying at the pulse of innovation, the introduction of new technology, automation and deeper data insight into the business is part of my role. What I love about zooplus is that that a small team is managing such a growing business and having the possibility in a flat hierarchy to influence and implement change while having fun with the team.

Personally, changes of my area of responsibilities and role have been enabling me develop career within the organization. From developing media solutions to managing must-win project to taking channel ownership and managing team, each change has helped me achieve new knowledge and skills that I long for. Changes have also been a key to keeping the daily work exciting for myself and the team.

Throughout my time at zooplus, I have been given the opportunity to develop both vertically and horizontally, which allowed me to get to know many different areas in the company. Along this path, zooplus always offered accompanying external expert trainings and development programs to help me prepare for upcoming career steps. Through such trainings, and through continuous encouragement and trust by great mentors and line managers, I was able to learn and grow extremely fast. Besides this great support in career development, I especially value zooplus’ open mindset and forward looking attitude. Due to these attributes, I have the creative leeway to try out new methods and approaches – and I know that zooplus will acknowledge me bringing my own ideas to the table!

Zooplus not only boasts about a culture of openness and trust, but also lives it. Couple that with amazing people from various backgrounds and nationalities, it’s a lot of fun to work. The organization and the management team is highly data driven and values actions that are based on sound insights. Not just being focused on results, there is a lot of freedom to pursue creative and innovative projects. That is a perfect mix for me to work in and build an Operational Research & Innovation team.