Welcome to a new Spotlight on Essenters! Today we will have a chat with Paul Groenendaal, a Product Owner at Essent.
HI PAUL CAN YOU TELL OUR READERS A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
Hi, I'm Paul Groenendaal. I fulfilled similar roles as consultant in governmental organizations before, but with two young children I wanted something closer to home. Now, in real Dutch fashion, I can take my bike to work! In my free time I enjoy walks in nature with my family.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN THE IT AREA?
I was already doing some programming in high school (ActionScript 2.0...), but when I went on to study Industrial Design, I saw other students bringing concepts to life through microcontrollers, electronics and code. That really sparked my interest in making my products and designs as close to reality as possible through code.
Over the years during my studies, I've been part of various very different projects that led me to design things like lighting controllers, model of smart tipping trucks, interactive installations to spark cultural discussions, and even an interactive yoga mat. I always designed and developed the prototypes with the intent to test the interaction between user and product. That was my first real interaction with coding and the world of IT.
By the end of my studies, the world of design was a bit too conceptual and creative for me. Don't get me wrong, I do like the creativity but I need more structure and stability to keep my energy levels up. That’s why I decided to start looking for work in IT, initially as a developer. However, it was clear to me that I was looking for something between business and IT for the long term. Within a year I moved on and became a technical and functional analyst, where I described the stories, and designed the services and architecture of what we were going to build rather than doing the building itself.
WHAT WAS THE MOST VALUABLE LESSON YOU LEARNED DURING YOUR EARLY CAREER?
That’s a difficult question. I think one that always sticks with me is choose your battles. It’s not the most exciting lesson, but it has been incredibly valuable haha.
The director of my first company shared this lesson with me, and it was a real eye-opener. She even explained it with a metaphor related to my kids. For example, when your kids are being annoying—which happens quite often—you sometimes feel like engaging in the fight and standing firm on a rule. Other times, you realize you don’t have the energy, or there are bigger things to focus on, so you let it go. Before that lesson, I was willing to die on way too many hills.
I apply this same principle at work. There are many things within my team’s circle of influence, but even more that are not. Sometimes, changes are pushed toward us that may not fully align with what we do, but from a company-wide perspective, they make sense. In those cases, I communicate with my team: Hey, I understand this might not feel great, but we have to do it because of X, Y, and Z.
But other times, I can still stand firm and say, No, we’re not going to do that.
HOW DID YOU FIRST HEAR ABOUT ESSENT, AND WHAT MADE YOU APPLY?
The funny part was that I saw this vacancy through a LinkedIn notification in my email. It was part of one of those lists of "relevant vacancies for you." I think it was a Tuesday night, and I immediately applied that same night. I ended up staying up until around 2:00 AM writing my motivation letter and updating my resume.
At the time, I was working as a consultant, officially as a business analyst and solution architect. But in reality, I was already doing the work of a product owner. The actual product owner of the team would ask me for input on what to do next, and I was writing the features and stories for him. When the projectmanager came in, the product owner even asked me to explain to him why we were doing things in a certain way and in that specific order. That was the moment when a light switched on for me, I realized I was essentially acting as the product owner of that team.
The project was at a government organization, and everything moved very slowly. Just connecting to a single webservice took 20 weeks - almost half a year! At the same time, COVID was dying down, and my role required me to go to the office more and more, which meant a lot of traveling. I was working in Amsterdam, had two young kids, and had to commute three hours a day, one and a half hours each way.
So, when returning to the office became more frequent, I started considering other career opportunities, ideally something closer to home. I wasn’t actively looking but had conversations here and there. I also heard great things about Essent, about its culture and vibe. It’s a more commercial organization than what I was used to, so I hoped things would move faster.
Spoiler alert: It is faster! Essent offers a good balance. I like loyalty and quality in my work, so jumping from subject to subject too quickly wouldn’t suit me. Essent still has some heritage from its government background, so things can still be slow, but we are making steps towards a way faster landscape and architecture.
WHAT WERE YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE COMPANY, AND HOW HAVE THEY CHANGED SINCE?
My first impression of the company was that it had a strong commercial mindset but also a real can-do attitude, though I’d prefer to phrase it in a less cliché way. Essentially, it’s a results-driven environment where there’s room for fun, but when work needs to be done, it gets done, no questions asked. That’s something I really appreciate.
It feels a bit like playing football: during the game, you might have a tough competition with the opposing team, but after the match, you can still have a drink together. At Essent, you have the room to stand firm for your perspective in discussions. Everyone has their stake in the work, and through those debates and challenges, we always manage to find the right solution together.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CURRENT ROLE AND YOUR PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES?
I’m a Product Owner within the department that's responsible for on- and off-boarding customers on new contracts and products. The team is responsible for three key areas related to managing customer contracts at Essent.
Leave: When a customer decides to leave Essent—either by switching to another supplier or moving out of their home—we handle the fulfillment process.
Move: If a customer moves from one house to another and wants to transfer their contract, we build and manage the process to ensure a smooth transition.
Unjustified Switches & Switch Outs: This involves cases where a customer is mistakenly switched to Essent or away from it—often due to data entry errors, such as entering the wrong address or name. In these cases, we build the fulfillment and correction processes to either reinstate or cancel contracts as necessary.
My main role is to ensure that these three fulfillment processes are developed efficiently while aligning with stakeholders on necessary changes due to compliance, strategy, or cost efficiency. We work to optimize processes, so they require less effort from customers or agents while delivering the most value.
I’m responsible for prioritizing the work my team does, ensuring that we focus on tasks that have the biggest impact with the least amount of effort.
Since each of our three focus areas has different stakeholders, consultants, and agents, I have to balance priorities. Sometimes we need to focus on one area while other areas have to wait. Managing these priorities is a big part of my role.
CAN YOU SHARE SOME CHALLENGES YOU’VE FACED IN YOUR ROLE, AND HOW YOU OVERCAME THEM?
Every day is a challenge as a Product Owner! But in all seriousness, the job is full of challenges because you see all the work that needs to be done, and you also see what isn’t possible due to time or resource constraints. The biggest challenge is making sure we focus on the right things.
There’s never enough time, never enough resources, but always plenty of work!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CULTURE WITHIN YOUR TEAM OR DEPARTMENT?
The culture within our department is built on loyalty and helpfulness. Even though teams change over time, the people here are incredibly supportive and committed to each other. If someone has a question or needs help, we are always open to ensuring they understand not just what needs to be done, but also why we are doing it. There’s a strong sense of collaboration and willingness to assist each other, which creates a positive and productive work environment.
WHAT QUALITIES DO YOU THINK ARE MOST IMPORTANT FOR SUCCESS IN YOUR ROLE OR TEAM?
The ability to connect with different types of people is crucial. In my role, I need to engage with technical experts, architects, developers, commercial teams, internal consultants and agents working in operations. Being able to align with all of them and translate between different perspectives and languages is key.
Additionally, a mix of organization and result-driven thinking is important. I lean more towards being organized, ensuring that we know what needs to be done and how to approach it. However, a certain level of result-driven mindset is necessary to avoid getting stuck in the analysis phase for too long. It’s all about finding the right balance, having a structured approach while still pushing forward to deliver meaningful results.
HOW DO YOU ENCOURAGE CONTINUOUS LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT WITHIN YOUR TEAM?
I actively encourage my team members to speak up whenever they encounter issues, technical debt, or areas for improvement. I invite them to write these down and make them visible so we can address them together. My goal is to ensure we always make time for learning and development.
In practice, though, many forget to to document these challenges, so I make it a point to ask about them in almost every sprint. Sometimes I address the whole team, and other times I check in with individuals, reminding them that if they notice something that can be improved, they should write it down so we can plan for it.
Next to improving the products we are working on I actively encourage team members to take the time for personal development. At the moment some members take a few hours in the week to practice and learn for specific AWS certifications. Another team member is transitioning from tester to developer and learning Typescript at the moment. This person gets great support from the team, which has led to some early but successful merge requests already!
WHAT ARE SOME KEY GOALS YOU HAVE FOR YOUR DEPARTMENT/ROLE FOR THE COMING YEAR?
As we're moving from one tech stack to another, we have had a great turnover rate within the team last year. Luckily in the last few months that has stabilized and now, we are ready to go further in our tech transition including using different modeling techniques.
Coming year, I want to align more closely with Essent’s vision on customer experience and the One Stop Energy Shop. A big part of this involves shifting more control into the hands of our customers, reducing the manual workload for agents, and making our systems more intuitive. My goal for the next 12 months is to increase the maturity of our products together with our stakeholders and customers.
HOW DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE OR THE COMPANY EVOLVING IN THE FUTURE?
In the long term, I believe the core responsibilities of a Product Owner will remain, even if the job title itself changes. Last year, the role sometimes felt like shifting work from A to B, but that’s not what it should be. A Product Owner should be making data-driven decisions, setting clear product boundaries, and ensuring we add real value.
For example, should we implement a feature in the app, or is it better suited for the website? Right now, I don’t always have full visibility into that, but ideally, the role should be more strategic, and insight driven.
Even if the title changes, companies will always need someone who understands the business context, stakeholders, and product direction to make informed decisions. And despite all the AI advancements, I don’t see AI replacing that role anytime soon :)!
HOW DO YOU MANAGE WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND HOW DO YOU USUALLY START YOUR DAY?
Having a family helps structure my day. My mornings start with getting the kids ready, taking them to daycare or school, which means I’m not thinking about work yet, I get a fresh start when I sit down at my desk, whether at home or in the office.
Once I start working, I check my agenda for the day, go through emails, and then jump into the daily stand-up. The rest of the day is usually a mix of meetings, planning sessions, and deep work, which I try to schedule, but let’s be honest, it doesn’t always go as planned!
That’s why I’ve started blocking time in my calendar for focused work, like on Wednesdays. Before, my Wednesdays were packed with meetings, but now that people see my blocked time, I get fewer invites. It’s a small trick, but it helps me create space for the important work that often gets lost in the chaos of meetings.
WHAT’S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?
You only work for yourself.
That’s also why work-life balance is so important. Some people live to work, but I prefer to see it the other way around. At the end of the day, if you’re not enjoying your job and you’re dreading coming to work, then why stay? It’s not good for you, and honestly, it’s not good for the employer either.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO YOUR YOUNGER SELF JUST STARTING OUT IN YOUR CAREER?
Don't be afraid to share a first version of anything. I sometimes can keep things to myself for too long. A short check-in with a colleague on a less-than-draft version helps me a lot in structuring my mind to find what is needed to get it to the next level.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH OUR READERS?
If you got to this point you probably have some affinity for Essent! If so, feel free to reach out to me to see if Essent could be the right fit.
We would like to thank Paul for the time he took to speak with us, and the insights he shares. If you have any lingering questions for him, don’t hesitate to contact us. We will ensure you are promptly connected.