Mladen Ruzicic

Product Manager

Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland9 yrs 9 mos experience

Most Likely To Switch

Key Highlights

Led the development of a successful design system.
Recognized as a top mentor in web development.
Hands-on experience with cross-platform applications.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS-focused Full Stack Developer with strong leadership and mentoring capabilities.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Product ManagementLeadershipDesign SystemsEngineering ManagementTechnical LeadershipFrontend DevelopmentProblem SolvingCoaching & MentoringDevopsFull Stack DevelopmentIotUser Interface DesignWeb Development

Other Skills

Developer Experience (DX)Product RoadmappingStakeholder ManagementProduct DiscoveryReact.jsAccessibility (A11y)Frontend ArchitectureCross-functional CollaborationTypeScriptGitReact NativeUnit TestingNode.jsMongoDBAmazon Web Services (AWS)

About

I'm a software engineer driven by the process of building, taking ideas, and turning them into useful, working software. For over a decade, I have focused on creating great user experiences and finding ways to make development itself more effective, whether in startups or larger companies. My time at ZF SCALAR has been a great example of this. As a Senior Software Engineer, I witnessed firsthand some challenges in how we built UIs. I dug into the problems with our tooling and proposed a path forward. What's been rewarding is that SCALAR supported this initiative, giving me the space to move to the UI Platform team and really run with it. That initiative became 'Velocity', a new design system and component library that we built from the ground up to meet our specific needs. Developing the concept, getting buy-in, and then leading the team as Engineering Manager to build and roll it out was a fantastic challenge. We saw it go from an idea to the standard used by numerous teams, directly impacting their work. Beyond my main projects, I'm always curious, learning, and tinkering with new ideas. Right now, that involves exploring AI quite a bit.

Experience

9 yrs 9 mos

Total Experience

1 yr 11 mos

Average Tenure

2 yrs 6 mos

Current Experience

Zf group

4 roles

Global Product Owner - Multi-platform team

Promoted

May 2025 – Present · 11 mos · Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland · Remote

Own the product vision, roadmap, and delivery for EVO Touch: ZF’s multi-platform app for commercial vehicle drivers
Lead cross-functional efforts with engineers, designers, and marketers to ship impactful features and iterate fast
Align priorities across three mobile apps in the group to keep teams focused and avoid duplicate efforts
Act as the go-to product lead for the Multi-platform group, keeping comms tight and dev work coordinated
Ensure a consistent, intuitive experience for drivers across all devices and platforms
I am still hands-on where it counts: collaborating on feature design, validating technical tradeoffs, and obsessing over developer experience.

Developer Experience (DX)Product RoadmappingLeadershipStakeholder ManagementProduct DiscoveryProduct Management

Engineering Manager - UI Platform Team

Promoted

Jun 2024 – May 2025 · 11 mos · Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland · Remote

Led the UI Platform 5-person team in developing and scaling the 'Velocity' design system and React component library.
Drove adoption by proactively collaborating with product teams; achieved rollout to 11 of 25 teams and saw high usage (100% adoption) of the initial ~50 developed components before transitioning roles.
Balanced team leadership, cross-team communication, and feature prioritization with hands-on (~50%) contribution as the lead engineer for Velocity.
Successfully positioned Velocity as the go-to UI solution, leading to its designation as the official standard for new development within SCALAR, which opened the opportunity for the new leadership role as Global Product Owner

Engineering ManagementProduct ManagementTechnical LeadershipDesign Systems

UI Platform Engineer

Jan 2024 – Jun 2024 · 5 mos · Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland · Remote

Developed the proof-of-concept and technical foundation for 'Velocity', a new design system addressing limitations identified in existing UI tooling.
Successfully championed the Velocity initiative across the organization, securing team resources and shifting the UI Platform team's focus towards its development.
Acted as the technical lead and de facto product owner during Velocity's initial phase, defining its core architecture and features, leading to a promotion to Engineering Manager.

Accessibility (A11y)Technical LeadershipFrontend ArchitectureDesign Systems

Senior Software Engineer

Oct 2023 – Jan 2024 · 3 mos · Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland · Remote

Contributed to product feature development, collaborating closely with Product Owners and Designers on a complex platform migration project.
Identified significant inefficiencies and inconsistencies in the UI development workflow and internal tooling.
Initiated research and proposed concrete solutions for improving the developer experience, gaining recognition from management, and the opportunity to pursue this initiative further.

React.jsProblem SolvingCross-functional CollaborationFrontend Development

Mentorcruise

Career Coach & Mentor

Oct 2021 – Present · 4 yrs 6 mos · Remote

Part-time mentor, offering guidance and support to individuals striving for career advancement in the field of Web Development.
Distinguished as one of the top 2% mentors out of 5500+ participants on the platform.
Successfully guided and mentored more than 40 individuals, consistently earning a perfect 5/5 rating for mentorship excellence.

Coaching & Mentoring

Shopify

Senior Software Developer

Apr 2021 – Jun 2023 · 2 yrs 2 mos · United States · Remote

Working on the Shop.app team, I actively develop and maintain cross-platform applications built in React and React Native. Additionally, I collaborate with various disciplines across Engineering, UX, Product, and Marketing to help develop Frontend and Mobile solutions for a new product.
My responsibilities include engaging with stakeholders, system design architecture, writing technical documentation, and conducting thorough code reviews daily.
Developed and refined the cutting-edge Shop Minis platform and SDK, featuring a suite of CLI tools and React Native components designed to integrate seamlessly with third-party developers' apps.
Streamlined the submission and testing of third-party apps processes through GitHub App and Actions automation
Conducted 30+ technical interviews for senior-level positions to evaluate and select top-tier candidates aligned with the company mission

React.jsDevOpsTypeScriptGitReact NativeUnit Testing+1

Hegias ag - building imagination

Senior Full Stack Developer

Jul 2020 – Apr 2021 · 9 mos · Lugano, Ticino, Switzerland · On-site

Worked as a Full Stack Team Lead of six engineers. I was responsible for migrating a legacy JavaScript app to a multi-tenant architecture with React and TypeScript. In addition, I organized internal hands-on Git workshops and implemented several CI/CD automated processes on GitLab, including cross-repository package updates.
Enhanced server response time by migrating a monolithic Node.js application to an event-driven architecture utilizing AWS Pub/Sub messaging.
Developed incremental migration strategy for transitioning from legacy setup to the new system.
Implemented a comprehensive design system utilizing Styled Components and released it as an independent UI library used across various internal projects.

React.jsNode.jsMongoDBDevOpsUser Interface DesignAmazon Web Services (AWS)+3

Wolkabout

2 roles

Senior Frontend Developer

Promoted

Oct 2019 – Jun 2020 · 8 mos · Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia · On-site

Contributed to developing and maintaining various internal and client-facing applications, playing a vital role in core product advancement. Leveraged Angular, TypeScript, RxJS, Web Sockets, Jest, and Jenkins to actively participate in core product development. Noteworthy achievements include:
Initiated, architected, and led the development and maintenance of the WolkAbout SDK, ensuring seamless integration with the WolkAbout ecosystem.
Led a team of four professionals in developing a Hybrid dApp, combining React, Solidity, Ethereum, and Truffle to deliver a cutting-edge solution.

Internet of Things (IoT)AngularReactive ProgrammingWebSocketRxJSUnit Testing+2

Software Engineer

Jul 2017 – Oct 2019 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia · On-site

Led the development of Ready2Wash, a widely adopted client-facing app for self-service car wash stations, serving a substantial customer base.
Responsible for the architecture and development of the company website

User Interface Design

Execom

Software Developer

Feb 2016 – Jul 2017 · 1 yr 5 mos · Novi Sad, Serbia · On-site

Contributed to the Web team's success by actively participating in the development of various internal and client-facing applications. Demonstrated notable progress in technical expertise and cultivated strong client relationships. Key accomplishments include:
Had an essential role in developing and enhancing the company's official website, ensuring an engaging and informative online presence.
Engineered a robust microservice to streamline email subscriptions and CRM synchronization, optimizing communication and data management workflows.
Played a pivotal role in developing multiple microservices and internal tools, utilizing Angular, Node.js, Express.js, Koa.js, MQTT, and Redis to deliver scalable and efficient solutions.
Developed internal Lunch Order app using Express.js, PostgreSQL, and Angular, streamlining food ordering processes within the organization.

HTML5

Freelance, self-employed

Frontend Developer

Jan 2011 – Aug 2016 · 5 yrs 7 mos · Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia · Remote

Part-time contracting during my studies. Dedicated to delivering tailored solutions and exceptional user experiences, delivering over 10 websites during this period.
Translate client requirements into fully functional and visually appealing websites, ensuring high-quality deliverables.
Collaborate with agencies to develop complex UI solutions, meeting the unique needs of their clients.
Leverage expertise in custom WordPress theme and plugin development to create tailored solutions that exceed expectations.

WordpressSearch Engine Optimization (SEO)User Interface DesignHTML5Web Development

Nemestic studio

Frontend Developer

Feb 2010 – Jul 2011 · 1 yr 5 mos · Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia · Hybrid

Contributed to developing and maintaining custom WordPress themes and plugins, leveraging expertise in PHP and JavaScript to deliver high-quality solutions.
Provided international clients with comprehensive training and support, ensuring optimal user experiences.
Conducted in-depth analysis and reporting utilizing Google AdWords, AdSense, and Analytics while demonstrating proficiency in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

HTML5