Senior Project Manager / Product Owner (m/f/d)

Your mission

The Future of AI Computing is Light, not Electrons.

Q.ANT is building photonic processing systems that compute with light—delivering a scalable, energy-efficient alternative to transistor-based architectures for next-generation AI and HPC (High-Performance Computing) applications.

Breakthrough hardware doesn't ship itself. As our Senior Project Manager / Product Owner (m/f/d) , your mission is to bring structure, visibility, and momentum to one of the most technically complex product development environments in European Deep Tech. This is an ownership role. You will bridge the gap between advanced prototyping and market-ready Native Processing Servers, ensuring we deliver on schedule and on scope.

Your Responsibilities

• Product Ownership: Drive project delivery using a blend of agile and classical methodologies, facilitating sprint planning, backlog refinement, and review cycles.

• Backlog & Roadmap Management: Prioritize the product backlog and translate high-level strategy into structured project plans and clear milestones.

• Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary interface between technical teams and leadership to clarify scope, progress, and expectations.

• Risk Management: Proactively track progress and manage risks, technical dependencies, and resource needs for transparent reporting.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Align engineering, research, and operations teams to manage technical interdependencies and achieve project goals.

Your profile

• Education: University degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Microsystems Engineering, Optics, or a related technical field.

• Experience: Several years of proven experience as a Project Manager or Product Owner, ideally within complex hardware or deep-tech environments.

• Project Management Proficiency: Deep practical understanding of both traditional and agile frameworks applied to physical product development.

• Technical Integration: Ability to maintain a high-level overview of complex systems and translate technical breakthroughs into executable roadmaps.

• Subject Matter Expertise: Profound understanding of analog electronic and photonic systems to collaborate effectively with world-class physicists and engineers.

• Communication: Fluent in English (working language); German proficiency is a strong advantage for local stakeholder coordination.

Why us?

• We hire for attitude and train for skills.

• We encourage self responsibility and accelerate professional development.

• We move fast and encourage experimentation.

• You have the opportunity to be part of developing breakthrough photonic computing technology and have a lasting impact on the future of computing.

• You can be part of a passionate international, highly skilled cross functional team.

• You will have access to the founders of the company.

About us

Who we are and what we do

Q.ANT is a deep-tech scale-up developing photonic processing solutions that compute natively with light and deliver a scalable alternative to transistor-based systems. The analog co-processors are optimised for complex computations and enable energy-efficient performance for next-generation AI and HPC applications. In collaboration with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart IMS CHIPS, Q.ANT operates its own pilot line for photonic chips, based on the material system Thin-Film Lithium Niobate TFLN. Q.ANT was founded by Michael Förtsch in 2018 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.