CryptoNext Security is a European deeptech company and pioneer in post-quantum cryptography (PQC). Founded in 2019 after 20+ years of academic research at INRIA, CNRS and Sorbonne University, we protect organizations from the quantum threat through PQC and crypto-agility solutions.
Identified by Gartner among the Top 5 PQC players worldwide and the first European company selected by NIST's NCCoE for its initiative on Migration to Post-Quantum Cryptography, we work with leading clients in finance, defense, governments and critical infrastructures (including the Banque de France, the Bundesbank, NATO and the Monetary Authority of Singapore). In March 2025, we became the first company in the European Union to receive CAVP certification from NIST for all three standardized PQC algorithms.
About the role
We are looking for a Junior Product Owner with a strong UX orientation to join our Product team. Your mission: transform business and user needs into clear, structured, user-centric product specifications, so our R&D team can build features that are useful, consistent and simple to use.
You will sit at the intersection of Product, UX/UI and Engineering. You will own the translation of product vision into actionable delivery — from discovery and user journeys to wireframes, user stories and acceptance criteria — and you will close the loop by validating what is shipped against the original user intent.
What you'll do
1. Structure product delivery: EPICs, User Stories & Specifications
• Break down the product vision into coherent EPICs aligned with business logic and user journeys.
• Write high-quality User Stories, including user context and objective, detailed acceptance criteria, edge cases and business rules.
• Produce clear, actionable functional specifications that developers can build from with minimal back-and-forth.
• Guarantee end-to-end traceability per feature: EPIC → User Stories → Tasks → Delivery.
• Maintain a structured, up-to-date product documentation in Jira.
2. Embed UX deeply into product definition
• Actively participate in product discovery and user need investigation.
• Translate every business need into a clear UX intent for the end user.
• Build and maintain Personas, User Journeys and functional flows.
• Identify friction points along the user experience and propose concrete improvements.
• Make sure every User Story carries an explicit UX value (not just a technical or business one).
• Integrate into specifications both UX rules (user feedback, readability, accessibility, etc.) and real-world use cases (not theoretical ones).
3. UI/UX design
• Produce low-fi and mid-fi wireframes to support discussions with Product, Design and Engineering.
• Collaborate efficiently in Figma with the UX/UI designer and developers.
• Describe interface states and interactive behaviours precisely.
• Ensure consistency across complete user journeys — not just isolated screens.
• Formalize end-to-end scenarios including normal paths and edge cases, and anticipate unexpected user behaviours.
4. UX validation and functional quality
• Define testable acceptance criteria for every story.
• Take an active role in product acceptance testing: functional verification and UX verification (fluidity, clarity, ease of understanding).
• Make sure what is delivered matches the original product and UX intent.
5. Continuous improvement loops based on usage and data
• Measure and analyse user behaviour on our products.
• Leverage qualitative feedback combined with usage data.
• Propose concrete product iterations and formalize them properly in the backlog.
What we're looking for
• Specification writing — ability to write clear, exploitable deliverables for developers: EPICs, User Stories, usage-oriented functional specifications.
• Figma collaboration — comfortable using and collaborating in Figma to produce and iterate on wireframes.
• First UX/UI experience — internship, junior position, side project or coursework where you contributed to UX deliverables (personas, journeys, wireframes, usability work).
• Structured mindset — you naturally prioritize, break down complex problems, and approach delivery iteratively.
• Product / user empathy — you start from the user's reality, not from features in isolation.
• Languages — professional working proficiency in English and French (written and spoken).
Nice to have
• Hands-on experience with Jira (or a similar product management tool).
• Exposure to Agile / Scrum ceremonies (refinements, sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives).
• Basic familiarity with product analytics tools or usage data analysis.
• Curiosity for cybersecurity, cryptography or B2B deeptech environments — you don't need to be an expert, but you want to learn.
What’s in it for you at CryptoNext
- A competitive salary tailored to your experience.
- A hybrid working model based in Paris.
- Opportunities for international travel based on project needs.
- The chance to lead a talented team at the forefront of post-quantum cryptography.
- A collaborative and forward-thinking environment where innovation is celebrated.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
The emergence of cryptographically relevant quantum computers (CRQCs) necessitates a structural pivot toward quantum-resistant security architectures, positioning the UX-oriented Product Owner as a critical interface between complex mathematical frameworks and enterprise-grade operational viability. As global standards for post-quantum cryptography (PQC) mature through NIST-led initiatives, the industry is transitioning from purely theoretical research to a deployment phase where integration friction and user adoption represent primary bottlenecks. This role type addresses the "usability-security" trade-off by ensuring that cryptographic agility and PQC migration tools are not only technically robust but also architecturally compatible with existing human-centric workflows. By translating abstract quantum-safe protocols into intuitive interface logic, this function secures the integrity of the data protection value chain against future decryption threats. Market indicators suggest that the ability to democratize access to high-complexity security tools is a fundamental requirement for scaling quantum readiness across diverse industrial sectors.
The post-quantum cryptography sector is currently defined by a high-stakes migration cycle, as organizations move toward "quantum-safe" environments to mitigate "harvest now, decrypt later" (HNDL) risks. This ecosystem involves a complex hierarchy of stakeholders, from national security agencies establishing standardized algorithms like ML-KEM and ML-DSA to enterprise software vendors integrating these libraries into legacy infrastructures. Within this framework, the primary macro constraint is the massive technical debt inherent in global PKI systems, which lack the inherent crypto-agility required for rapid algorithm replacement. The role of product ownership in this space serves to bridge the gap between high-level cryptographic engineering and the pragmatic requirements of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) who must manage this transition without disrupting service availability.
Industry analysis reveals that while the hardware race for fault-tolerant qubits attracts significant investment, the software enablement layer—specifically in cybersecurity—is where the most immediate commercial dependencies lie. The fragmentation of cloud environments and the rise of software-defined perimeters create an urgent need for interoperable PQC solutions that maintain high-fidelity performance. However, a persistent talent shortage at the intersection of deep-tech and user experience design threatens to slow the adoption rate. By formalizing user-centric delivery models, this role type mitigates the risk of "security bypass" behaviors, where end-users circumvent complex protection layers in favor of operational speed.
Furthermore, the integration of PQC into critical infrastructure demands a rigorous focus on technology readiness levels (TRLs) and standardized benchmarking. The shift toward a "security-by-design" philosophy in the quantum era favors the development of modular tools that can handle high-dimensional cryptographic kernels while providing simplified reporting and management interfaces. As the global regulatory landscape evolves to mandate quantum-resistant standards, the capability to synchronize technical roadmaps with user-intent validation becomes a primary determinant of market leadership for companies like Cryptonext Security.
The capability architecture for this role type centers on the synthesis of complex cryptographic requirements with high-fidelity design methodologies. At the foundational layer, the ability to manage the software development lifecycle (SDLC) through the lens of crypto-agility is essential for ensuring that product delivery remains adaptable to emerging NIST standards. This technical proficiency is coupled with a deep understanding of user discovery and behavioral mapping, specifically for specialized personas in defense, finance, and critical infrastructure. These capabilities are vital for the structural throughput of PQC adoption, as they ensure that technical breakthroughs are translated into actionable specifications that minimize back-and-forth between engineering and product teams. By orchestrating this interface, the role facilitates a high-level coupling between abstract cybersecurity research and enterprise-ready blueprints.
Accelerates the deterministic migration toward quantum-safe cryptographic standards across enterprise-level infrastructures
Mitigates systemic risks associated with "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks through the deployment of usable PQC tools
Facilitates the transition from academic cryptographic research to standardized industrial-grade software solutions
Reduces integration friction for post-quantum algorithms within complex multi-cloud and legacy environments
Strengthens the competitive positioning of European deep-tech by securing expertise in user-centric security design
Harmonizes abstract mathematical protocols with the practical requirements of high-availability industrial systems
Optimizes the lifecycle of cryptographic migration by establishing clear traceability from vision to delivery
Supports the scaling of quantum readiness by identifying high-impact UX improvements in security management
Shortens the time-to-market for certified PQC products by ensuring infrastructure alignment with regulatory roadmaps
Improves the reliability of multi-stakeholder security initiatives through the application of standardized interface protocols
Protects capital-intensive investments in digital transformation by providing expert validation of cryptographic usability
Enables the strategic orchestration of development efforts across global networks of internal and external security partners
Industry Tags: Post-Quantum Cryptography, Crypto-Agility, Cybersecurity SDLC, NIST Standardization, Deeptech Product Management, User Experience Design, PQC Algorithm Migration, Enterprise Security Architecture, NIST NCCoE Initiative
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