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Electronics development department management
My name is Andreas, I’m 52, and I have been working at Bosch Rexroth in Schwieberdingen for a few years now – initially as a group manager and then since 2017 as head of department.
What is your position at Bosch Rexroth?
I’m a head of department for electronics development in the area of mobile hydraulics. With my team of approx. 40 associates, and a similar workforce at Bosch India, I develop control units, sensors, control panels, and the corresponding basic software stacks. The software tools required to use our components are also developed in my department.
What made you decide on Bosch Rexroth?
It was the actual content of the job that made me opt for Bosch Rexroth. I started as a group manager in software development. In this role, I was responsible for an extremely broad working environment, technologically speaking. Not only did this give me the opportunity to enhance my skillset on the basis of my previous experience, but I was also able to develop my leadership capabilities due to the size of the team. I was also excited by the perspectives the job offered by allowing me to assume tasks with a greater scope of responsibility. To this day, I remain fascinated by the sheer variety and diversity of products that I develop with my department. In conjunction with series maintenance, I look after approximately 100 product families and software technologies, ranging from hardware-related basic software functions to Linux-based systems and cloud environments.
Has your job required you to spend time abroad?
Directly before I joined Bosch Rexroth, I spent three years working for Bosch in Curitiba, Brazil. Here I was in charge of a team that implemented customer-specific developments in the hardware and software of engine control systems for the local market. We also assisted with customer support and acquisition based on a range of services. During this time, I was able to gain valuable experience of life in a foreign culture while also improving my language skills. It was also very rewarding for me to work with customers in an emerging yet also cost-sensitive market.
What are your main responsibilities?
There are many different aspects to managing a development department. In addition to the personnel management duties, which I perform in conjunction with my three group managers, these include project planning and budget monitoring as well as safeguarding the necessary quality standards and series production schedules of the developed products. Maintaining our international network of development partners both within and outside the company is just as important as my participation in client meetings. Another important aspect is the continuous improvement of our development processes and the associated boost in efficiency. In this context, I initiated the introduction of an agile development model for my various software teams, which I then defined and rolled out in conjunction with a project team. I am also currently working with my colleagues from product management and associated development departments to devise a growth strategy for our product area. This includes the definition of our product portfolio and of a suitable development organization.
How would you describe the work culture at Bosch Rexroth?
The work culture at Bosch Rexroth has changed enormously in the last few years. Values such as agility, courage, and responsibility have been attributed great importance by company management. The expectations of the role of managers have also changed as a result. We now have great freedom to make quick, independent decisions across all levels, from management down to the individual teams. As a manager, I adopt the role of a coach, who inspires and enables his team to achieve the common goals. Communication is very open, and we have established very trusting relationships between associates and superiors, with everyone driven by the same motivation of achieving the business field’s specific objectives.
What tips do you have for new managers?
Stay curious, change your perspective, and trust yourself to take on new and demanding tasks. The broader your skillset and experience, the easier it will be for you to master these challenges.
