Stepping into a career in Product Management at Wolt

At Wolt, our Product Management Internship program is designed to develop the next wave of product leads. It's a vital part of our strategy to grow future product leaders who will shape our innovation and teams in the future. By offering practical experience throughout the product cycle, we're fostering talent that will seamlessly integrate into our product groups, offering fresh insights into our strategies.

What’s the day-to-day of our product interns like when they join Wolt? This is a question we often get during the interview process from our candidates. So we asked three of our last year’s product interns to share more about their journeys at Wolt. Read on to hear more from Emmi, Pedro, and Edward from our team.

Emmi’s story — Jumping from data science into the world of product

Hi, I'm Emmi, a product lead at Wolt. I work in the Support Group, which focuses on building in-house support tooling at Wolt. I joined Wolt as a Product Management Intern in January 2023. I had previously worked as a Data Scientist for four years. I graduated from Aalto University's Information and Service Management master's program, and I also have some data science studies under my belt.

I was looking for a new challenge in my career, and product management seemed like a good fit. I wanted a role where I could work with different people to solve problems, and where I could still use my experience as a data scientist. I applied to the internship program twice, and I was finally accepted on my second try.

A look into the interview process

The application process had four stages. The first interview was with a product lead, where I discussed the role and did a small case study. 

The next stage was a home assignment, where I was given a hypothetical problem that Wolt could be facing and provided a dataset so that I could explore the problem like I would in real life. I thought the assignment was quite good practice for what the internship would be like — analyzing data, understanding a product problem, thinking of ways to solve it, and then having to condense my thought process into a slide deck. It was a challenging task, and I spent quite a bit of time perfecting my submission. 

The third stage was an interview with my future manager, Tomi, where I presented my case study and we also discussed what I would be working on during the internship if I joined the team. 

The final stage was a meeting with Vincent, our Chief Product Officer. I was nervous beforehand, but thankfully the conversation went well and it was lovely to meet the person running our whole product management organization.

Diving into the ins and outs of support at Wolt

During my internship, I got to do product discovery for a completely new feature for support. This feature would improve the communication between the courier partners and customers during delivery. I was excited to work on this project, and I learned a lot about product management in the process. It’s great how much effort we put into making support experiences the best they can be for our customers. We see support as a key part of the core customer experience that has gotten us top-notch ratings in app stores.

I'm glad I went for this opportunity and didn't give up after the first time I applied. I've learned so much so far at Wolt, and I'm looking forward to all the cool things I'll get to build next with the team.

Pedro’s story — Connecting with merchants & building products at Wolt

Hey there! I'm Pedro Luna, and I work as a product lead in the Merchant Group at Wolt.  In case you’re wondering what merchants are, they can be the restaurants you order food from using Wolt, the stores you get your groceries from, florists, or even pharmacies! In the Merchant Group, we're the brains behind the apps and platforms that keep merchants' businesses on Wolt running like a well-oiled machine, from order management all the way to slick self-service tools and automation.

Enhancing merchants’ operations — a Product Lead’s perspective

I kicked off my Wolt journey as a product management intern back in December 2022. Before that, I was deep in the world of data analysis and research consulting, diving headfirst into data-heavy, tech-driven projects. During my internship, I drove various initiatives to fine-tune our merchant operations, especially those related to order management. That meant crafting app features that made sure merchants could fulfill customer orders without a hitch — think fewer missing or wrong items in an order, spot-on substitution options when items are not available, fewer rejections, and estimating accurate preparation times.

As a product lead, my role on a day-to-day basis involved orchestrating how to tackle these challenges by working closely with our talented team and other stakeholders to brainstorm, design, and implement solutions. To give you a glimpse into the nitty-gritty, one of our key projects involved improving the packing and collection of items during order processing. We identified pain points, gathered feedback from merchants, and then worked together to streamline the process. The end goal? To make sure orders are prepared accurately.

What it’s like to work in autonomous, independent product teams

Now, let me spill the beans on one seriously cool thing about how we roll here. At Wolt, we operate in what we call autonomous product teams. We’ve got over 60 of them! Picture them as mini startups armed with all the expertise needed to solve a customer problem. Product teams usually consist of engineers, designers, analysts, and a product lead, essentially whoever is needed to solve the given customer problem. 

This setup gives us the flexibility to independently make decisions on what we build, how, and with what tech. Of course, it's not all smooth sailing. With over 60 autonomous teams, seamless collaboration between teams is a must. To build great products, we need to sync up not only within our teams but also with others. This means keeping the lines of communication wide open. We've got to make sure everyone's on the same page when it comes to goals and priorities. Plus, it's all about sharing knowledge and being open to learning from each other's expertise. For example, our daily stand-ups with the team are a chance to update everyone on project progress and flag any blockers. Weekly meetings with other product leads ensure that our cross-team efforts are well-aligned. Our monthly “all hands” calls serve as a platform to not only celebrate each others’ achievements but also to gain insights into high-level strategic decisions. Additionally, we maintain a transparent roadmapping process, ensuring that every team member understands the trajectory of our projects and how their contributions fit into the bigger picture. 

This culture of autonomy and collaboration breeds innovation and lets us tap into the diverse skills across the organization to create products that truly resonate with our customers. It’s about providing the space for teams to thrive and take ownership of their work, in return, this means we need to be accountable for the decisions we make. Sure, it's got its challenges, but this autonomous team setup is the secret sauce that lets us own our projects and make a real impact on the company. 

If you're eyeing that product management internship 👀, trust me, it's one heck of a ride you won't want to miss. And here's a little insider tip for the interviews: don't stress about finding the "right" answers. What matters is your thought process to get to the answer, so show off your critical thinking skills instead. That's the real game-changer! 

Growing together with Wolt — Edward’s story

Hello there! I'm Edward Daka, and I work as a product lead at Wolt, focusing on Fintech products. Our mission within the Fintech Group is clear: we're here to empower commerce with seamless and secure financial solutions. This means we're constantly diving into various facets such as smooth payments for our users, compliant invoicing for our courier partners, reliable payouts to our merchants, and the relentless battle against fraud on all fronts. On top of that, we always look at innovative fintech-related solutions that can bring value to our users, merchants, and courier partners.

My journey at Wolt began as a product management intern, coincidentally alongside Emmi, back in January 2023. Just before this, I had wrapped up my previous internship at a larger corporation, where I was immersed in various product management-related tasks. I’m also still doing my master’s degree at Aalto University in Information and Service Management.

Leading a project to pilot our new financial product

During my time as an intern, I had the exciting opportunity to spearhead the launch of a pilot program for a brand-new financial product aimed at our merchants. I was truly energized by the prospect of pioneering something entirely fresh, believing it could deliver real value to our merchants, courier partners, and users in the future. Little did I know, this initiative would grow to be much larger than I initially anticipated. Nevertheless, it was an incredible journey that allowed me to collaborate with a diverse array of stakeholders from legal, accounting, finance, and PR & Comms representing different corners of the company, all of whom offered immense support and a wealth of knowledge. Having meetings and discussions on how the project impacted their respective areas was super educational. 

Watching this initiative evolve from its inception to its eventual launch was nothing short of amazing. It was a challenging experience at times, but I can confidently say that I learned more during those six months than I ever thought possible. This included how to organize meetings effectively, documenting processes, benchmarking, negotiating with partners, and planning a roadmap for the pilot’s launch. 

It’s been quite a growth journey

Navigating a career in product management is widely acknowledged as a formidable challenge. There are limited entry points into this field, which often leads people to pivot from various types of positions throughout their careers. I consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to dive into product management early in my journey, courtesy of this internship. Wolt is home to a multitude of incredible individuals with diverse backgrounds, hailing from some of the top product companies in Europe and the US. Engaging in casual conversations with them has been an invaluable source of insight, allowing me to glean tips and tricks that have guided them in their careers. 

Additionally, my manager, Bachir, has played a pivotal role in my growth. He’s challenged me to think outside the box and provided fresh perspectives when needed, all while entrusting me with significant decision-making responsibilities. In addition to all this, we product interns were fortunate enough to partake in various training sessions that covered a wide spectrum of product-related areas, such as product documentation and analytics. These sessions not only broadened our horizons but also provided invaluable insights into the best practices for a product lead. These experiences have been instrumental in shaping my vision for building a successful product career.

In conclusion, I think Wolt is an exceptional place to build your career, offering a diverse set of opportunities across various domains. It's a place where you can easily carve out your unique path and flourish. If you're as excited about the world of product management as I am, I wholeheartedly encourage you to consider applying for our internship program — it's a transformative journey you won't want to miss!