We have been talking with the Shapeways team about their work, their experiences and what gets them excited. There are some common themes in their stories that point to what it’s really like to work at Shapeways.
For starters at Shapeways, people come first. Whether you’re running infrastructure behind the scenes, solving production puzzles, or supporting customers directly the work is hands-on, team-oriented and constantly evolving.
It’s not about hierarchy — it’s about culture, communication, and shared purpose. And that’s something people notice.
“We make sure that most of the time, people are self-directed and can use their initiative, but if they need it, the support is always there.”
explained Antoinette De Gee, HR Generalist and Office Manager in her recent Team Spotlight.
A culture worth returning to
Following the company’s relaunch, most of the Eindhoven team came back — not out of habit, but because they wanted to.
In his Team Spotlight Senior Systems Architect Hans Lambermont said: “A lot has changed over time, which is what basically has kept me here.” Change means challenge, and challenge means growth.
The draw to return was a combination of the work and the environment. Respect, curiosity and collaboration are baked into the way our team operates.
“I think there’s no such thing as a stupid question,” according to Jeané Bresler, one of our Customer Service Representatives. “The ultimate goal for all of us is to serve the customer to the best of our ability.”
That shared mindset is why so many people chose to return — and why new team members tend to stick around. Service is a powerful force, especially when the output is often so exciting!
Communication that actually goes somewhere
When company values are aligned with the team and the job at hand, they become ingrained. More a collective habit than a conscious decision. Open communication is one of the unbreakable habits for the Shapeways team. Daily huddles, one-on-one chats and quick face-to-face check-ins help everyone stay aligned.
“We need to be open to that communication. That’s really, really important. It needs to be transparent and we need to be able to accept feedback at all times, whatever that means.” Explains Antoinette.
But it’s not just top-down — everyone has a voice and that information has daily positive impacts. Knowing what’s going on at the top strategic level is important, but so too is knowing about the minutiae of the production process.
“It [open communication] definitely helps… when a client reaches out, I can help them better, because I understand what they’re talking about — and what’s possible,” said Jeané.
Growth that feels personal
From front-line operators to technical leaders, our growth is often home-grown. People move through departments, take on new challenges, and grow into roles they didn’t originally apply for, didn’t know they wanted or never thought they’d be perfect for.
Jeané is a great example of someone who has taken that journey: “During my time in distribution, I started to learn the systems and processes and got the opportunity to work a bit more in post-production. Then I moved over to pre-production, doing some planning. And then about three months ago, the job opportunity opened up in customer service. I thought it might be a good fit — I applied and got the job.” Managers and teammates take notice and make space for development because sometimes the right solution (or even the right question) gets lost in the excitement of the now.
Tistou Geenen, our Continuous Improvement Engineer, has also had the opportunity to grow alongside us, starting out while still studying applied mathematics and returning after graduation to work full time. He explained: “I did not really recognize the opportunity that was here for me. It was really the management that reached out and said, ‘hey, we think you would be a really good fit for this’… I had no idea what being a continuous improvement engineer would entail or how that would look. So I needed a lot of guidance at the start. But I definitely got it.”
Stability through change
There are people here who’ve been through everything — the startup phase, global expansion, and now a leaner, more focused version of the company. That continuity creates confidence.
“From startup to grow-up, moving offices, building teams in the US, migrating infrastructure through six different data centers, moving to the cloud, then moving out again. I like that. I like change,” said Hans.
That experience doesn’t mean we’re stuck in our ways. It means we know how to solve hard problems — and still get excited by finding and solving new ones.
Real people, real passion
What unites the team isn’t a single background but a mindset. Our team is diverse in skills, nationality, focus and outlook. But we share some key characteristics.
“We want people who are passionate, who haven’t applied just to apply to a job, but have applied because they really want to come and work for us,” explained Antoinette.
That could mean deep technical experience. Or it could mean curiosity and drive. 3D printing and on-demand manufacturing remains an incredibly exciting area to work in, simply because the problems it can help to solve are so diverse and impactful.
We’re hiring!
We’re growing the team at the moment and looking for new people to join us on-site in Eindhoven. If you’re open-minded, eager to learn, and excited to work in a diverse, collaborative environment — there’s a place for you here.
We want team members who will have new insights, who have new ideas and who will be open to challenge, to change and to championing themselves and their colleagues.
Explore our open roles and apply now:
Account Executive EU (Eindhoven – Netherlands)
Part Time Bookkeeper Netherlands/US Support
TAGS:
Careers; 3D printing; team spotlight, HR