Thomas Kern - Freelance Product Lead

Q: Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Mannheim, Germany .

Q: What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 11 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 6 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 10 months . Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Freelance Product Lead at Self-employed .

Q: What companies has Thomas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Self-employed , Immowelt (AVIV Germany GmbH) , and LOTTO24 AG (Member of ZEAL Group) .

Q: Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Real Estate , Information Technology (IT) , and Retail . Thomas also has some experience in Healthcare and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Product Development , Information Technology (IT) , and Research and Development (R&D) . Thomas also has some experience in Project Management .

Q: Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Real Estate , Retail , and Professional Services .

Q: Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Information Technology (IT) , and Project Management .

Recommended expert

Mannheim, Germany

Experience

Jan 2026 - Present

2 months

Mannheim, Germany

Freelance Product Lead

Self-employed

Support companies to fill short-term staffing in their organization
Focus on goal-oriented delivery and execution
Create clarity in complex projects and focus on results

Feb 2022 - Oct 2025

3 years 9 months

Germany

Product Lead Mobile Apps

Immowelt (AVIV Germany GmbH)

Owned the seeker app experience across AVIV’s markets in Germany, France and Belgium (immowelt, SeLoger, immoweb)
Orchestrated the delivery of a unified cross-European real estate app (Germany & France), resulting in a 22% lead conversion rate increase
Orchestrated the delivery of a unified cross-European real estate app (Germany & France), resulting in a 29% time spent per user session increase
Orchestrated the delivery of a unified cross-European real estate app (Germany & France), improving login rate from 35% to 58%
Hired, coached and developed 3 Product Managers toward ownership and delivery maturity
Supported PMs with growth plans by enabling them to follow up on side projects (e.g., Apple Vision Pro, App clips or workshop organization) and performance management
Recognized by leadership team for successfully balancing strategic responsibilities as Lead PM with operational product delivery, demonstrating strong product craftsmanship, outcome orientation, and high stakeholder trust

Jul 2020 - Jan 2022

1 year 7 months

Germany

Senior Product Manager Apps

LOTTO24 AG (Member of ZEAL Group)

Led product discovery for a new "collaborative lottery" experience (launched later as "TeamPlayer")
Continuously optimized mobile e-commerce experience within apps to increase monthly recurring billings to over €20 million

Jan 2020 - Jun 2020

6 months

Germany

Product Manager Search Experience

Engel & Völkers Technology GmbH

Led discovery and validation for a new B2C real estate search experience
Conducted qualitative user testing to inform mobile-first design decisions

Mar 2016 - Dec 2019

3 years 10 months

Barcelona, Spain

Product Manager

XING AG (today New Work SE)

Led a cross-functional product development team focusing on XING Jobs retention (8–12 members), including front-end and back-end developers, iOS and Android developers, QA testers, designers, and team leads, based in Barcelona
Increased saved search subscriptions by 50% year over year
Collaborated with other product teams to extend the reach of XING Jobs features to Profiles and Startpage, driving increased user engagement and satisfaction
Led the successful launch of new features through A/B tests and test groups, optimizing user experience and driving engagement
Responsible as Junior Product Manager for ProJobs membership, generating over €1 million monthly recurring revenue (2016–2017)

Nov 2014 - Feb 2016

1 year 4 months

Germany

Junior Product Manager

HealthCare United GmbH & Co. KG

Learned foundational product management under mentorship from Petra Wille
Designed and launched mobile web features for job seekers

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Real Estate (4 years), Information Technology (4 years), Retail (1.5 years), and Healthcare (1.5 years).

Real Estate

Information Technology

Retail

Healthcare

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Product Development (11 years), Information Technology (5 years), and Research and Development (0.5 years).

Product Development

Information Technology

Research and Development

Summary

Seasoned Product Leader with 10+ years of experience owning and scaling digital products across mobile and web.

Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, deliver measurable results, and align product strategy with user and business needs.

Strong ability to guide teams through transformation, develop individual PMs, and balance long-term vision with day-to-day execution.

Skills

Lateral Leadership & Stakeholder Management
Product Strategy & Roadmap Planning
Cross-platform Product Development (Web & Apps)
User Research (Qualitative & Quantitative)
Prioritization And Decision Making Under Uncertainty
Team Leadership, Mentoring And Performance Management
E-commerce, Marketplaces & Real Estate Domain Expertise
Design Thinking
Defining Outcomes
Tools: Atlassian Suite, Ga4, Figma, Notion, Apptweak

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Oct 2011 - Sep 2014

University of Cologne & Middle East Technical University

Master of Arts · Political Science · Ankara, Turkey

Oct 2008 - Sep 2011

University of Augsburg

Bachelor of Social Science · Social Science · Augsburg, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Defining Outcomes

Product Talk Academy

Design Thinking Training

Oose eG, Hamburg

Profile

Created

February 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Thomas based?

Thomas is based in Mannheim, Germany.

What languages does Thomas speak?

Thomas speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Thomas have?

Thomas has at least 11 years of experience. During this time, Thomas has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 6 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 10 months. Note that Thomas may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Thomas be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Thomas would be well-suited for roles such as: Freelance Product Lead, Product Lead Mobile Apps, Senior Product Manager Apps.

What is Thomas's latest experience?

Thomas's most recent position is Freelance Product Lead at Self-employed.

What companies has Thomas worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thomas has worked for Self-employed, Immowelt (AVIV Germany GmbH), and LOTTO24 AG (Member of ZEAL Group).

Which industries is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in industries like Real Estate, Information Technology (IT), and Retail. Thomas also has some experience in Healthcare and Professional Services.

Which business areas is Thomas most experienced in?

Thomas is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Information Technology (IT), and Research and Development (R&D). Thomas also has some experience in Project Management.

Which industries has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in industries like Real Estate, Retail, and Professional Services.

Which business areas has Thomas worked in recently?

Thomas has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Information Technology (IT), and Project Management.

What is Thomas's education?

Thomas holds a Master in Political Science from University of Cologne & Middle East Technical University and a Bachelor in Social Science from University of Augsburg.

Does Thomas have any certificates?

Thomas has 2 certificates. These include: Defining Outcomes and Design Thinking Training.

What is the availability of Thomas?

Thomas will be available full-time from March 2026.

What is the rate of Thomas?

Thomas's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.