Product Owner

We are seeking a highly driven Product Owner - Unmanned Vehicles (UxV) to kick start the productization of our OptiArray for unmanned vehicles.

Optics11 is an Amsterdam-based high-tech scale-up company on a mission to innovate underwater security and put Netherlands on the map of European sonar industry. Our novel fiber optic technology is redefining underwater security, enabling advanced sonar solutions for safeguarding of key naval and underwater infrastructure. Our high-paced development has been met with an ever-growing interest from the market, with selection of our towed array technology for the new generation of Dutch submarines being the latest testament to our progress. As we transition towards commercial deployments, we are seeking ambitious, mission-driven professionals to join us in shaping the next chapter of our growth and success.

You will be leading a cross-functional development team (hardware, software, electronics, and optics) to design, develop, and qualify our array products for the market in close cooperation with Product Management.

What You’ll Do:

• Define with the team, align and communicate the technical product vision and technology roadmap in alignment with product management. 

• Own and manage the product backlog, ensuring it is visible, transparent, and prioritized. 

• Coordinate cross-functional HW / SW development team including engineers, developers, designers, and testers. 

• Own and prioritize the product backlog, balancing technical feasibility, cost, and requirements.

• Translate customer and market requirements into detailed product specifications.

• Manage product lifecycle from concept through prototyping, testing, and production.

• Work with QA and compliance teams to ensure regulatory and safety standards are met.

• Coordinate with firmware/software teams to ensure seamless integration with hardware.

• Ensure the team delivers maximum value. 

• Monitor product performance and iterate based on feedback and data. 

• Facilitate and execute sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives. 

What's in it for you? 

• Innovative high-tech, international organization.

• The opportunity to work in a cross-functional and interdisciplinary environment.

• A lot to learn and to develop, we stimulate personal development.

• A flat organization, the less hierarchy, the better.

What We’re Looking For:

• M.Sc. degree in a relevant discipline in science or engineering, e.g. electrical, mechanical, photonics, physic engineering

• 3+ years of experience as a Product Owner or similar role in a hardware (HW) development Agile environment. 

• Strong understanding of hardware development cycles (prototyping, testing, DFM, etc.). 

• Experience working with cross-functional teams including mechanical, electrical, and firmware engineers. 

• Ability to balance technical constraints with user needs and business goals. 

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• A proactive, problem-solving mindset with a passion for product excellence.

• Strong understanding of Agile methodology or equivalent development methodology (Scrum, Kanban).   

Nice to Have:

• Background in photonic development.

• Familiarity with regulated industries.

• Experience with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Big Picture or similar.

• Relevant certification (e.g., CSPO, SAFe PO/PM).

You'll be working with clients in the defence and security sectors, obtaining a Certificate of No Objection issued by the AIVD (Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service) is mandatory. This means you will need to undergo a security screening. For more information, please refer to details on security screening. 

More information:

So now you know we're doing awesome projects and if you see you fit the profile, we would like to get to know you. Apply and drop your details or, in case of questions, get in touch with our recruiter Dora Öveges via dora.oveges@optics11.com.