Janosch Fitschen

Why this persona fits the audience

He leads engineering at a 28-person B2B platform in Berlin and is responsible for six verified domains across product, docs, and marketing. He prefers lean processes and mostly relies on free scanners, screenshot logs, and ticketed remediation notes for external review.

• Age: 38
• Location: Berlin, Germany
• Occupation: Head of Engineering at a B2B software company
• Income: EUR 125k salary plus bonus
• Education: Diplom-Informatiker / master's equivalent
• Company size: 28
• Years in role: 3.5

““The most elegant solution is often the one that does the least, but does it perfectly.””

Janosch Fitschen, 38, is the Head of Engineering at a growing B2B software company based in Berlin, a role he's held for three and a half years. His journey into tech began with a fascination for how complex systems worked, leading him to pursue a Diplom-Informatiker degree at TU Berlin. After graduating, he spent several years as a backend developer at various startups, honing his skills in distributed systems and database management. This experience instilled in him a deep appreciation for engineering discipline and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving, often favoring robust, well-understood solutions over the latest, unproven technologies. He joined his current company when it was a much smaller operation, drawn by the potential to shape the engineering culture and technical direction. He now oversees a team of eight engineers and is responsible for the technical integrity of six verified domains spanning product infrastructure, documentation sites, and marketing platforms. His leadership style emphasizes autonomy and clear communication, but he's also hands-on, often diving into code or system logs to diagnose complex issues. Security is a significant concern, particularly given the company's lean operational model. Janosch has architected a security process that relies heavily on open-source scanners, manual configuration audits, and meticulous ticket tracking for remediation, eschewing expensive enterprise solutions for a more resource-efficient approach. He believes in privacy as a fundamental right and strives to embed this principle into the platform's architecture. Outside of work, his passion for climbing takes him to local gyms and, when time allows, to the crags in Saxon Switzerland or the Alps. He also finds creative release in his home music studio, experimenting with electronic music production. His financial approach is conservative, prioritizing savings and sensible investments, but he's willing to spend on quality tools and experiences that enhance his hobbies or professional development.

Background & daily life

A day in their life

Janosch's typical weekday starts around 7:30 AM with coffee and a quick scan of overnight alerts and key news feeds. He cycles to the office by 9:00 AM, often listening to a podcast. The morning is usually dedicated to team stand-ups, code reviews, and tackling urgent technical issues. Lunch is often a quick affair at his desk or a walk to a nearby Imbiss. Afternoons are a mix of architectural discussions, planning sessions, and focused coding or debugging. He tries to wrap up by 6:30 PM, heading home to cook, unwind, and perhaps spend an hour in his music studio or reading technical documentation before bed around 11:00 PM.

Lifestyle

Janosch's life outside of work is structured but flexible. Weekday evenings often involve a quick dinner, followed by time in his home studio tinkering with guitar effects pedals or working on a new track. Weekends are a mix: Saturday might be a long climbing session at an indoor gym or, weather permitting, a day trip to a bouldering spot outside Berlin. Sundays are typically reserved for quiet reflection, reading technical papers, or planning his week. He's conscious about his health, cycling to work and occasionally running, but his diet leans towards convenience. His finances are managed pragmatically; he saves diligently but enjoys investing in quality gear for his hobbies.

Work life

As Head of Engineering, Janosch juggles team management, architectural decisions, and hands-on problem-solving. His team of eight engineers is lean, and they operate with a philosophy of 'do what's necessary, not what's trendy.' Security is a constant background hum; he relies on a mix of automated vulnerability scanners (often open-source), manual checks of server configurations via SSH, and detailed ticket notes for any external audits or compliance requests. He spends significant time reviewing pull requests, debugging production issues, and planning the next sprint, often finding himself deep in system logs or network traffic analysis. The pressure is to maintain stability and security without a large dedicated security team or budget for premium tools.

Relationships

Janosch maintains a close-knit circle of friends, mostly met through university or climbing. He has a good, if somewhat distant, relationship with his parents in Hamburg. His team at work respects his technical acumen and directness, though some find his preference for asynchronous communication a bit isolating. He values deep connections over superficial ones.

How they decide

Janosch is a research-driven pragmatist. He thoroughly investigates options, weighing technical merits against practical implementation costs and long-term maintainability. He's not easily swayed by marketing buzzwords and prefers to see concrete evidence or proof-of-concept before committing. He'll often prototype solutions himself or have a trusted senior engineer do so, and he values input from his team, but the final decision rests on his assessment of objective data and alignment with core engineering principles.

How they sound

Speaks with a clear, measured cadence, often pausing to find the precise technical term. His German is standard, with occasional subtle Berlin influences in informal settings. He avoids jargon when explaining things to non-technical colleagues but can become quite detailed when discussing systems architecture or security vulnerabilities with peers. He's not prone to hyperbole and tends to understate achievements. His tone is generally calm and rational, but can become more animated when discussing topics he's passionate about, like elegant code or challenging climbing routes.