Product Owner PO - LNG Trading & Shipping Software - AI Start-up ETRM

Product Owner — LNG Trading & Shipping Optimisation — AI Start-up (Berlin) Calypso Commodities builds AI-driven optimisation software for LNG scheduling, trading, and shipping. We work with LNG portfolio players (majors, utilities, trading houses, hedge funds) and help them make faster, better decisions — improving P&L and reducing emissions. Our flagship product, X-LNG, is live with tier-1 clients. We're now hiring our first dedicated Product Owner to own the most important product mission: achieve product market fit across the industry with building a world-class software, used by all LNG players globally.

This role has two equally core halves. The first is client-facing: you will spend significant time on-site with LNG trading and shipping desks, building real working relationships and understanding how the industry actually operates. The second is internal: you will own the full product process — writing specs and concepts, running sprint ceremonies, and keeping a 20-person dev team focused on what matters most. We have a tech lead and dev lead for the product, it's not expected that you're leading the dev team, but be the main point of contact between the commercial client side and the dev team.

Both halves are non-negotiable.

Location:

Berlin Upside: Shares in Calypso — be part of the core team shaping the product Competitive base + performance bonus Shape the intersection of AI & LNG — build a product used daily on global trading floors Direct relationships with some of the most sophisticated LNG desks in the world Clear growth path: grow into Head of Product / CPO as the team scales

Your Mission (first 6–12 months) Client-Facing (≈ half your time) Be present at client desks — regularly. You will visit LNG trading and shipping/ops teams at our clients (majors, utilities, trading houses) and build genuine working relationships with the people who use X-LNG day-to-day. Run structured discovery sessions with traders, schedulers, risk managers, and ops teams — to deeply understand how LNG portfolios are managed, where decisions get made, and where our product fits. Serve as the primary product counterpart for clients — a trusted contact who speaks both LNG and software fluently, and can hold their own in a conversation about cargo scheduling, BOG calculations, or DES/FOB structures. Surface conversion blockers (data, integration, usability, trust) directly at the client's desk and feed them back into the product cycle with urgency. Build rapid mock-ups and prototypes using AI-assisted coding tools to validate ideas and new feature concepts directly with clients — turning a desk conversation into a working visual within hours, not weeks. Work side-by-side with traders and shipping operators to jointly model their daily decision workflows and embed them into the product.

Internal Product Ownership (≈ half your time) Own the X-LNG product backlog end-to-end: intake, triage, prioritisation, and delivery sequencing — always anchored to what creates the most tangible value for real users. Write detailed product concepts and feature specs: clear problem framing, user flows, acceptance criteria, and edge cases — giving the dev team everything they need to build confidently and without ambiguity. Lead all sprint ceremonies: planning, refinement, reviews, and retrospectives. Keep the cadence tight, the team unblocked, and the priorities sharp. Engage directly with the X-LNG codebase and architecture — enough to understand how the core optimisation models work, where they can be extended, and what is technically realistic when scoping new client features. Translate fuzzy desk feedback into crisp, buildable requirements — and defend the prioritisation call when trade-offs arise. Own release communication: client-facing release notes, internal sprint summaries, and roadmap updates for leadership. Collaborate closely with engineering, design, and commercial colleagues to ensure what ships directly drives adoption and retention.

Mid-term Mission (12–24 months) Lead product strategy across Calypso's full product suite, with deep client engagement and rigorous internal process as the twin foundations. Expand client relationships across new regions and segments — your desk relationships become a commercial and product asset for the whole company. Drive the build-out of new capabilities in LNG trading, shipping optimisation, and AI-driven analytics, rooted in what you're hearing directly from the industry. Serve as the permanent translation layer between LNG trading desks and our engineering team. Lead cross-functional project teams covering both product development and client-specific modelling engagements. You're a strong fit if you have: Deep LNG/commodities credibility: you've worked on or very close to an LNG trading desk, shipping/scheduling, or portfolio analytics. Clients will test this quickly — you need to hold your own in technical trading and ops conversations. Genuine comfort being client-facing: you enjoy time on the road, in client offices, and in working sessions with traders and ops teams. Solid, hands-on product ownership experience: writing detailed specs and concepts, managing backlogs, running agile sprint ceremonies, and making hard prioritisation calls under pressure — this is core craft, not a side task. Strong discovery instincts: you can turn fuzzy, contradictory desk feedback into crisp, buildable requirements and defend the call. Coding skills are a clear advantage.

We don't need a full-stack engineer, but someone who can read and navigate a complex model codebase, understand architectural constraints and extension points, and have an informed technical conversation with senior engineers. The closer you are to the code, the better your specs will be. AI-assisted prototyping ability is highly valued.

We move fast with clients. The ability to use AI coding tools (Claude or similar) to spin up functional mock-ups and interface prototypes rapidly — directly in client sessions or overnight before a follow-up — is a real differentiator in this role. Stakeholder fluency across LNG traders, shipping operators, analysts, IT, and leadership — knowing whose input to weight when, and how to navigate large energy organisations. Nice to have: experience with ETRM systems, optimisation tools, analytics platforms, or B2B SaaS in energy or commodities. Ownership mindset: you're comfortable being the first dedicated PO and building the product function from a strong but informal base. You value in-person collaboration and are willing to work from our Berlin office full-time, with regular travel to client sites.