About the role
Do you want to gain real startup experience while still studying and work on a product people actively use to buy and sell classic cars? At Kickdown, you help build a live auction platform with real users and real transactions.
We are looking for a Working Student Product Engineering (Ruby on Rails) who is curious about how products are built, not just how code is written. You will work on our auction platform using Ruby on Rails and collaborate closely with product and business teammates, with your work directly influencing user experience, trust, and conversion.
Our mission is to give service-driven owners and global collectors peace of mind when buying and selling German premium classics, through a seamless and transparent end-to-end transaction. You will help improve core user flows, look at how users actually behave in them, and turn that insight into small, testable changes, so you quickly see how your contributions affect the product.
You will be part of a small, focused team where decisions are made quickly and learning is hands-on. If you want to build meaningful software, understand how technology drives real products, and care as much about outcomes as output, we would love to hear from you.
Tasks
You look at how users actually behave in our core flows (bidding, checkout, listing creation) and turn that insight into small, testable improvements, not just tickets to close.
You develop and improve features for our auction platform, from idea to implementation, with a strong focus on users and product goals.
You translate product ideas into technical solutions using Ruby on Rails, and learn how technical decisions impact user experience and conversion.
You help design lightweight experiments on key flows, and use data to see whether they actually moved the needle.
You use AI-assisted development tools in your daily work.
You help improve our codebase by fixing issues, refactoring existing code, and learning how to maintain software quality.
You work closely with product, business, and tech teammates to plan and implement solutions pragmatically.
You participate actively in team discussions, share ideas, and take on more responsibility as you grow.
Requirements
You are currently enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's program in computer science, business informatics, or a comparable field, and available for 15 to 20 hours per week with flexibility during exams.
You have initial hands-on experience in web development, ideally with Ruby on Rails, gained through projects, internships, or student roles.
You think in terms of outcomes, not just output. You care whether a change actually improved the funnel as much as whether the code works, and you're comfortable using data to check.
You're comfortable with some ambiguity and can adjust course when data or feedback changes the plan.
You are interested in how digital products are built and improved, and enjoy connecting technical work with user and business needs.
You work in a structured and pragmatic way, manage tasks independently within a defined scope, and seek feedback when needed.
You care about code quality and want to learn good engineering practices such as testing, clean code, and maintainable architectures.
You are open to using AI-assisted development tools in your daily work and learning how to apply them responsibly.
You communicate clearly and enjoy working in a small, collaborative, cross-functional team.
Benefits
Real product impact
You work on a live auction platform with real users, your contributions go into production, and you get exposure to the product decisions and data behind them, not just tickets.
Product-driven startup team
You are part of a small, cross-functional team with short decision paths and a strong product focus.
Learning with ownership
You take on meaningful tasks within a clear scope, with guidance and feedback as you grow.
Modern engineering culture
You work with modern tools and workflows, including AI-assisted development and code reviews.
Study-friendly flexibility
Flexible hours and understanding around exam periods support a healthy study-work balance.
Startup insight and network
You gain exposure to a funded startup and connect with teammates and the wider startup ecosystem.
At Kickdown, we auction special vehicles every day and continue to grow steadily. With the support of experienced investors, we are further developing our platform and expanding our reach across Germany.
Our goal is to make buying and selling classic and collector cars more transparent, reliable, and enjoyable through a strong digital product. From our modern office in the center of Hamburg, we build software used by hundreds of thousands of users nationwide.
You want to contribute to a growing product, learn how a real startup operates, and see how your work moves the numbers? Then we look forward to receiving your application.
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