Product Owner - Industrial Automation R&D
Bühler's Value Nutrition business unit builds the processing solutions behind a large share of the world's food and feed. As Product Owner in R&D, you'll own the development of control software and automation for our industrial processing machines. You'll decide what gets built and why, and make sure new developments deliver precise process control, energy efficiency and reliable operation at customer plants worldwide.
You'll connect process technology, product management, service and the R&D development team, which includes PLC developers and hardware engineers. The job is to turn customer and market needs into a clear, prioritized backlog, and to make sure the team delivers real value with every release.
Our machines run on Bühler's own in-house automation technology. No prior experience with it is needed. A solid understanding of industrial automation and PLC-based systems is what counts.
- Own and maintain the product vision and R&D roadmap for machine automation, aligned with the business unit's product and innovation strategy.
- Build, refine and prioritize the product backlog, balancing new features, new machine developments, standardization, technical debt and maintenance.
- Translate process, customer and market requirements into clear user stories with acceptance criteria.
- Work closely with process technologists to capture process know-how (temperature, humidity, airflow, moisture control, energy optimization) and turn it into automation functionality.
- Act as the main point of contact for the R&D team: clarify requirements, make decisions and accept completed work.
- Define validation goals for prototypes, test center trials and pilot installations, and bring the results back into the backlog.
- Coordinate with product management, sales, project engineering, commissioning and service to collect feedback from the field.
- Drive standardization and modularization of control software and hardware across machine types and variants to reduce engineering effort and cost per project.
- Make sure safety, compliance and quality requirements (machinery safety, ATEX, burner management) are reflected in the backlog.
- Plan releases and their handover to project engineering. Track progress and communicate status, risks and dependencies to stakeholders and management.
- Define and follow product KPIs such as engineering hours per project, commissioning time, field issues, cost, customer satisfaction and energy efficiency.
- Run agile ceremonies together with the team (sprint planning, reviews, backlog refinement) and keep improving how the team works.
- The role is based in Prague and includes up to 10–20% travel to test centers, customer sites and internal locations.
- Degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Process Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- [3+] years of experience in industrial automation, for example as a PLC developer, automation engineer, commissioning engineer or technical project lead.
- [1–2+] years in a Product Owner, product management or requirements engineering role, ideally in R&D or product development.
- Good understanding of PLC-based control systems (Siemens, Rockwell or similar) and process control concepts.
- Experience with agile methods (Scrum/Kanban) and backlog tools (Azure DevOps, Jira or similar).
- Ability to turn complex technical and process topics into clear, prioritized requirements.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and business audiences.
- Decisive, structured and able to say "no" with good reasons.
- Good English, both written and spoken. [Czech / German] is an advantage.
- Experience with thermal processes or combustion/burner control.
- A background in food, feed, grain or similar process industries.
- Knowledge of machinery safety standards, ATEX and dust explosion protection.
- Experience with modular automation platforms or company-specific software standards.
- Understanding of MES integration, OPC UA, IIoT or data-driven services.
- Certification such as PSPO, CSPO or SAFe POPM.
- Degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Process Engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
- [3+] years of experience in industrial automation, for example as a PLC developer, automation engineer, commissioning engineer or technical project lead.
- [1–2+] years in a Product Owner, product management or requirements engineering role, ideally in R&D or product development.
- Good understanding of PLC-based control systems (Siemens, Rockwell or similar) and process control concepts.
- Experience with agile methods (Scrum/Kanban) and backlog tools (Azure DevOps, Jira or similar).
- Ability to turn complex technical and process topics into clear, prioritized requirements.
- Strong communication and stakeholder management skills across technical and business audiences.
- Decisive, structured and able to say "no" with good reasons.
- Good English, both written and spoken. [Czech / German] is an advantage.
- Experience with thermal processes or combustion/burner control.
- A background in food, feed, grain or similar process industries.
- Knowledge of machinery safety standards, ATEX and dust explosion protection.
- Experience with modular automation platforms or company-specific software standards.
- Understanding of MES integration, OPC UA, IIoT or data-driven services.
- Certification such as PSPO, CSPO or SAFe POPM.
Questions? We are happy to answer them!
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Creating impact together at Bühler!
Two billion people eat food every day that was produced with Bühler equipment. One billion people drive vehicles whose parts were manufactured with our machines.
Bühler aims to balance humanity, nature, and the economy in every decision as it develops solutions that unlock sustainable business opportunities in the global food, feed, and mobility industries.
We strive to create innovations for a better world, with a special focus on healthy, safe, and sustainable solutions. Therefore, we team up with customers, start-ups, multinationals, and academia to accelerate impact together.