Jörg
Benesch

Engineering Manager at voiio, Berlin

I lead the engineering team at voiio, a platform that helps companies support their employees at work and in life.

  1. 2011Wind and weather dataReiner Lemoine Institut, Ammonit
  2. 2015Software developerThermondo
  3. 2020Team lead, 5 engineersThermondo
  4. 2021Senior engineersonnen, voiio
  5. 2025Engineering Managervoiio

From renewable energy research to software engineering to leading teams.Leading people

About

I've written software for over ten years, mostly Python and Django, first for renewable energy and heating systems, now for employee wellbeing. I moved into leadership at Thermondo in 2020 as a team lead, and I've been Engineering Manager at voiio since July 2025.

Michael Bungay Stanier's The Coaching Habit has shaped a lot of how I lead. I trust the people on my team, and I want their opinions to actually count, so I try to stay curious a little longer before jumping in with answers. A few of the book's questions have stuck with me in 1:1s and code reviews: “What's on your mind?”, “And what else?” and “What do you need?”

The Alliance by Reid Hoffman, Ben Casnocha and Chris Yeh shaped the other half. A team isn't a family, and people won't stay forever, but that doesn't have to make everyone a free agent either. I'd rather be honest about it: we talk openly about what the team needs and what each person wants to get out of their time here, and work toward both.

Experience

  1. Jul 2025 – today

    Engineering Manager

    voiio, Berlin

    Leading a team of four software engineers and one designer, working closely with the CPO, on a platform that helps companies support their employees' wellbeing. Python and Django in the backend, Lit in the frontend.

  2. Apr 2022 – Jul 2025

    Senior Software Engineer

    voiio, Berlin

    Built large parts of the platform I now manage, which gives me a close understanding of its architecture, its trade-offs and its history.

  3. Oct 2021 – Apr 2022

    Senior Software Engineer

    sonnen, Berlin

    Built an in-house solution for automatic invoice management in Python, running on distributed systems on AWS.

  4. Sep 2020 – Oct 2021

    Team Lead Software Engineering

    Thermondo, Berlin

    Led a team of five software engineers solving the technical needs of the fulfillment department. Responsible for technical planning as well as people development and growth.

  5. Nov 2015 – Sep 2020

    Software Developer

    Thermondo, Berlin

    Built internal tools in Python and Django that helped employees install heating systems at scale.

  6. 2011 – 2015

    Development Engineer and student roles

    Ammonit Measurement, Reiner Lemoine Institut

    Data analysis tools for weather measurement, power curve measurement, and wind potential analysis for small turbines in urban areas.

What colleagues say

“Along with complete technical expertise in Python and Django, he has good organizational and planning skills, but also cares about people a lot.”

Rustem Saiargaliev, Lead Software Engineer at voiio

“He is humble and the voice of reason when everybody else is running in circles. He is a great asset for any team.”

Johannes Maron, worked with Jörg at Thermondo and voiio

Background

Education

MSc Renewable Energy, HTW Berlin

Languages

German (native), English (professional)

Tools I know well

Python, Django, JavaScript, Heroku, AWS, Scrum