Olaf Kruse - Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer)

Q: Where is Olaf based?

Olaf is based in Hamburg, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Olaf speak?

Olaf speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Olaf have?

Olaf has at least 25 years of experience. During this time, Olaf has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 6 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 9 months . Note that Olaf may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Olaf's latest experience?

Olaf's most recent position is Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer) at Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH .

Q: What companies has Olaf worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Olaf has worked for Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH .

Q: Which industries is Olaf most experienced in?

Olaf is most experienced in industries like Retail , Information Technology , and Professional Services . Olaf also has some experience in Cosmetics , Media and Entertainment , and Fashion .

Q: Which business areas is Olaf most experienced in?

Olaf is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Product Development , and Project Management . Olaf also has some experience in Marketing .

Q: Which industries has Olaf worked in recently?

Olaf has recently worked in industries like Cosmetics .

Q: Which business areas has Olaf worked in recently?

Olaf has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology , Product Development , and Project Management .

Recommended expert

Hamburg, Germany

Experience

Feb 2021 - Present

5 years 3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer)

Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH

Operational and strategic development of product information management (PIM) and product content syndication in an international corporate environment
Analysis and documentation of internal and external processes and data flows
Project management: coordinating project activities and daily operations in cooperation with the business product owner, internal and external stakeholders, and service providers in an agile environment
Independent planning, design, coordination, and implementation of product data delivery to international partners (data transformations and system integrations within the Productsup platform)
English as the project language in an international team
Expansion of automated product data delivery; connecting international partners, online shops, and syndication platforms

Feb 2020 - Aug 2020

7 months

Hamburg, Germany

IT Business Analyst/Product Owner (Freelancer)

Fielmann AG

Further development of an omnichannel solution (web, app, and in-store) for contact lenses
Close collaboration with the internal agile development team
Backlog management with Atlassian Jira, creating user stories and refinements
Database research and analysis with MongoDB
Integration of a new online shop for contact lenses (product data supply and order processing)

Jan 2019 - Dec 2019

1 year

Time off (round-the-world trip)

Travel blog: roundtheworldagain.de

Mar 2018 - Dec 2018

10 months

Hamburg, Germany

Product Owner PIM / IT Project Manager (Freelancer)

moebel.de Einrichten und Wohnen GmbH

Implementation of a product information management system (PIM) as part of the relaunch of a vertical product search engine (microservice architecture)
Creating and maintaining the backlog with Atlassian Jira
Technical leadership of the internal development team and coordination of external developers (nearshoring)
English as the project language in an international development team
On-time delivery of the PIM software for the website relaunch

Jan 2016 - Jan 2018

2 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

IT Project Manager Shop Platform (Freelancer)

Libri GmbH

Relaunch and further development of a white-label platform for online shops (shop system and CMS) in an agile software development project
Rollout planning and coordination with internal departments
Definition and refinement of user stories
Backlog management and ticket handling
Managing external service providers and coordinating the internal team
On-time relaunch/rollout for more than 1000 online shops as planned

Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

1 year

Round-the-world trip and book project

Author of the travelogue/photo book "Europe Can Wait" (as Olaf Broder)
Self-published (founded own publishing house)

Apr 2011 - Dec 2014

3 years 9 months

Hamburg, Germany

IT Project Manager/IT Product Manager ERP/Shop Platform

Libri GmbH

Relaunch of a white-label platform for online shops with concept development, IT business analysis, release planning, quality assurance, documentation, training and rollout
Interface role between sales, business departments, internal IT and external service providers
Further development of the white-label platform for online shops in the book trade
Functional leadership of development and support team members
Migration of a B2C platform for 1000 white-label shops
Integration of a new payment service provider into the white-label platform
Further development and operation of the bibliography, catalog and ERP software (client-server application) for 1400 bookstores with an online catalog of more than 5 million items

Jan 2004 - Mar 2011

7 years 3 months

Hamburg, Germany

IT Project Manager/Team Leader/IT Business Analyst ERP

ETHALON GmbH

Project management and IT business analysis
Functional and disciplinary leadership of a software development team
Responsibility for vocational training
Custom ERP development: design and implementation of core system, CRM and purchasing modules on a JEE basis as a service-oriented architecture
Implementation and introduction of applications for automatic personnel scheduling
Establishment of requirements management: definition of internal processes and standards based on the IBM Rational Unified Process
External assignment as an IT Business Analyst in an international insurance group: English-language requirements management for a central company document management solution
Implementation and operation of internal core processes (project control, time tracking, billing)

Aug 2000 - Dec 2003

3 years 5 months

Hamburg, Germany

System Analyst

Ludwig Görtz GmbH

Maintenance of hardware and software infrastructure, network administration, helpdesk and user support
Software development with IBM Lotus Notes/Domino
Supervision of trainees
Design and implementation of a company-wide intranet based on IBM Lotus Notes/Domino

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Retail, Information Technology, Professional Services, Cosmetics, Media and Entertainment, and Fashion.

Retail

Information Technology

Professional Services

Cosmetics

Media and Entertainment

Fashion

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management, and Marketing.

Information Technology

Product Development

Project Management

Marketing

Skills

Project Management And Customer Communication
Leadership Basics
Trainer Aptitude Certification
Relational Databases (Db2, Oracle)
Mongodb
Postman
Ibm Lotus Notes/domino
Productsup
Microsoft Office
Atlassian Jira
Confluence

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Sep 1996 - Jul 2000

Flensburg University of Applied Sciences

Diploma in Business Informatics (FH) · Business Informatics · Flensburg, Germany

Holstenschule Neumünster

High school diploma · Neumünster, Germany

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 9

Experience in Retail 10.5 y

Avg length 2 y 9 m

Longest experience 7 y 2 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 1 (Germany)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer), IT Business Analyst/Product Owner (Freelancer), Time off (round-the-world trip)

Main industries Retail, Information Technology, Professional Services

Main business areas Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management

Qualifications

Profile

Created

May 2025

Last Update

April 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Olaf based?

Olaf is based in Hamburg, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

What languages does Olaf speak?

Olaf speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Olaf have?

Olaf has at least 25 years of experience. During this time, Olaf has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 6 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 9 months. Note that Olaf may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Olaf be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Olaf would be well-suited for roles such as: Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer), IT Business Analyst/Product Owner (Freelancer), Time off (round-the-world trip).

What is Olaf's latest experience?

Olaf's most recent position is Technical Product Owner PIM (Freelancer) at Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH.

What companies has Olaf worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Olaf has worked for Beiersdorf Shared Services GmbH.

Which industries is Olaf most experienced in?

Olaf is most experienced in industries like Retail, Information Technology, and Professional Services. Olaf also has some experience in Cosmetics, Media and Entertainment, and Fashion.

Which business areas is Olaf most experienced in?

Olaf is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Product Development, and Project Management. Olaf also has some experience in Marketing.

Which industries has Olaf worked in recently?

Olaf has recently worked in industries like Cosmetics.

Which business areas has Olaf worked in recently?

Olaf has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Product Development, and Project Management.

What is Olaf's education?

Olaf attended Flensburg University of Applied Sciences for Business Informatics.

What is the availability of Olaf?

Olaf will be available full-time from January 2027.

What is the rate of Olaf?

Olaf's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.