Self-Organized Teams, OpenShift Cloud, and a Culture That Lasts: Inside Engineering at Österreichische Lotterien with Martin

What we learned from “Martin, Abteilungsleiter Development bei Österreichische Lotterien”

In the session “Martin, Abteilungsleiter Development bei Österreichische Lotterien,” speaker Martin opened a rare window into an engineering organization with more than 100 people across developers, Product Owners, and Scrum Masters. The setup is crisp and grounded: three departments, six teams inside Lottery System Development, a newly formed platform team building the cloud foundation, and a culture where self-organization is not an ambition—it’s the norm.

From that starting point, Martin outlined how Österreichische Lotterien nurtures long-term engineering excellence, retains talent, and invites new colleagues into a mature yet forward-looking environment. If you’re a technologist seeking meaningful impact within structures that sustain, this is a compelling blueprint.

At scale, with clarity: Three departments and distinct responsibilities

According to Martin, Engineering at Österreichische Lotterien is organized into three core areas:

• Development of lottery systems
• Development of online systems (including Win2D and TIP3)
• Data Competence Center

Martin leads the lottery system development. Six teams work on different slices of the system. The setup is intentionally domain- and technology-oriented, providing clear ownership and boundaries.

For engineers, this structure means stable, well-understood domains with crisp accountability—plus cross-cutting opportunities via the new platform team that is laying the technical groundwork for the cloud migration.

Six teams, one mission: Inside Lottery System Development

Martin breaks down the six teams as follows:

• Terminal development, implemented in C++
• Lottery backend systems handling all game processing (roughly two teams)
• Frontend-oriented teams, including retail management to serve the network of acceptance points (two teams)
• A newly created platform team establishing the basics for cloud migration

The technology surface is wide and deep: from hardware-adjacent terminals to mission-critical backends and the retail-facing tooling that keeps operations smooth. If you want technical depth, you’ll find it in the backends and terminal development. If you gravitate toward user-facing work, the frontend and retail tooling is where you’ll build experience that shows up daily at the point of sale. If platform engineering is your sweet spot, the new team is establishing a foundation that will power the organization’s next decade.

Leading through leverage: Self-organization by design

Martin makes one leadership element explicit: with a large span of control, he can’t (and won’t) micromanage. Teams own their work.

In practice, this means:

• Teams decide on vacations, priorities, and execution on their own.
• Leadership focuses on framing, representation, and making outcomes visible externally.
• Responsibility stays where the work is—inside the teams.

For engineers, the signal is unambiguous: ownership is real. Decisions aren’t centralized; they’re made by the people closest to the work. If you value autonomy and minimizing friction, this environment is built for that.

Stability with growth: Why people stay—and why now is a good time to join

One number stands out: the average tenure is 13 years. In an industry often characterized by churn, that’s significant.

For candidates, this translates into two realities:

• There’s a culture that keeps people—professionally and personally.
• Growth creates fresh opportunities, new responsibilities, and space to shape.

You get the best of both worlds: deep expertise that compounds over time and meaningful change that keeps your skills and perspective evolving.

Hiring with the team at the center: Two rounds and collaborative problem-solving

The hiring process is straightforward and collaborative. Team fit and technical depth are evaluated together.

What to expect as a candidate:

• Round 1: An initial conversation with Martin and a member of the target team to check overall alignment.
• Round 2: A team session with a small, collaborative task—often pair programming—to see how you work and to let you meet the people you’d join.

The intent is clear: hiring is a two-way street. You won’t just be evaluated; you’ll also experience how the team collaborates.

Onboarding that actually onboards: A six-month mentoring program (and beyond)

Joining the team kicks off a structured mentoring experience.

For newcomers, that means:

• A dedicated mentor supports your ramp-up for around six months.
• The support doesn’t abruptly end—the relationship continues as needed.

For complex domains and critical systems, this kind of continuity is invaluable. It accelerates learning while building belonging.

Culture work that listens: Meet the “Culture Crew”

Alongside process and structure, Martin emphasizes culture. The “Culture Crew” is a group focused on well-being, feedback, and making the workplace better—continuously.

According to Martin, the Culture Crew:

• Interviews newcomers after some time to understand how things are going and what could be improved
• Shares this feedback with management so processes can be refined
• Organizes activities like pub quizzes and other events to keep morale high

This isn’t superficial social programming; it’s structured cultural care. It keeps the organization in tune with its people.

The technology stack: Enterprise Java, Spring, C++, and a frontend shift to React

Martin characterizes the tech stack as an “enterprise stack.” Concretely:

• Java Enterprise in part of the systems
• Java Spring in another part
• C++ in terminal development
• A gradual shift from Java-based frontends to TypeScript/JavaScript/React

The direction is clear: maintain trusted backend platforms while modernizing the frontend experience for speed, maintainability, and usability. Frontend engineers will have the opportunity to drive that transformation—not just implement it.

The big move: Cloud migration on OpenShift

A central initiative is the move to the cloud. A dedicated team of seven is building a platform based on Red Hat OpenShift, a Kubernetes distribution designed for enterprise environments.

The migration plan is pragmatic:

• Start with smaller applications
• Progressively tackle larger systems

For platform, backend, and DevOps profiles, this is where you can help create a modern runtime environment—and the standards, tooling, and practices that will support development for years to come.

Data and open source: Strong Oracle usage with a community mindset

The organization relies heavily on Oracle while also advocating for open source and participating in community efforts.

It’s a balanced approach: proven enterprise components where they make sense, plus a deliberate push toward open-source alternatives and community involvement. Engineers can expect both stability and openness.

Collaboration, roles, and rhythm: Autonomy supported by Product Owners and Scrum Masters

From the outset, Martin notes the presence of Product Owners and Scrum Masters. Combined with self-organized teams, this suggests a working model where teams lead execution while product and process roles provide direction and continuous improvement.

The practical implications:

• Product accountability for priorities and stakeholder alignment
• Process stewardship for facilitation and iteration
• Decision-making resides with the teams that do the work

If you’re comfortable with agile principles and value team-level ownership, this is an environment where that approach is real.

Why joining makes sense: Specific takeaways for tech talent

From Martin’s session, the value proposition is tangible:

• Real autonomy: teams handle vacations, priorities, and implementation.
• Long-term stability: an average tenure of 13 years signals a culture that retains people.
• Structured modernization: frontend evolution and an OpenShift-backed cloud migration offer room to learn and lead.
• Practical hiring: two rounds with collaborative problem-solving and the team deeply involved.
• Meaningful onboarding: a mentoring program for about six months—and continued support afterward.
• Culture work that matters: the Culture Crew gathers feedback and strengthens community with activities like pub quizzes.
• A broad tech surface: C++, Java Enterprise, Spring, TypeScript/JavaScript/React—plus Oracle and open-source engagement.

Engineers who seek responsibility and balance—between robust structure and ambitious change—will find a strong match here.

Who will find this especially compelling

• Backend engineers with Java experience (Enterprise and Spring) who want to own complex, mission-critical systems
• Frontend engineers eager to drive the transition to TypeScript/JavaScript/React
• C++ developers interested in robust, terminal-adjacent applications
• Platform and DevOps engineers looking to build OpenShift-based platforms and lead application migrations
• Tech leads who believe in self-organization and team-centered ownership

What the journey looks like: Clarity before and after you join

Martin outlines a process that sets expectations clearly—before and after you start:

1. Initial conversation with Martin and a member of the target team to align on fundamentals.
2. Team interview with a small, collaborative task (e.g., pair programming) for an authentic view of how you work together.
3. Onboarding with a mentoring program for around six months, providing continuous support.
4. Ongoing feedback via the Culture Crew, with insights shared back to management for continuous improvement.

It’s a sustained dialogue—from the first meeting through integration and beyond.

Progress by design: Modernization in deliberate steps

The combination of an enterprise stack, a measured frontend transition, and a planned cloud migration showcases an approach built on sustainability. Modernization isn’t a buzzword here; it’s an incremental, accountable practice.

Senior engineers will appreciate the discipline: architecture and delivery practices evolve together, underpinned by teams that own their decisions.

Closing reflection from the session with Martin

Engineering at Österreichische Lotterien brings together three things that are rarely balanced this well: scale, self-organization, and active culture work. With more than 100 people across three departments—and six teams inside lottery system development—the structure is clear. With a new platform team, a move to modern frontends, and an OpenShift-based cloud foundation, the organization is investing in the future. With mentoring, a team-centric hiring process, and the Culture Crew, it’s also investing in people—who, on average, stay 13 years.

If you’re looking to take ownership in an environment that values both stability and forward motion, this is a place where that balance is real. As Martin puts it:

That stance shapes the engineering culture—and makes Österreichische Lotterien a strong destination for builders who want their work, their team, and their growth to reinforce one another.

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