Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305)

• Regulated environment within a German banking group (approx. 8,500 employees, hybrid cloud strategy).

• Responsible for operating, provisioning, and continuously securing business-critical platforms – including a GenAI chat application, a big data/AI platform, and data science workspaces based on Azure Virtual Desktops and VMs. Ownership of Azure DevOps projects for ShaiHulud and React2Shell, as well as BSI alerts – Security Operations improvements across the SDLC.

• Deployment responsibility for the GenAI chat application, big data/AI platform (BDAI), and data science workspaces (AVD/VM-based) in the respective landing zones.

• Deployment & release management: end-to-end responsibility for deploying portal and service applications across multiple Azure landing zones, including technical approvals, compliance with development team deployment guidelines, and ensuring ITIL-based change and release processes via ServiceNow.

• Azure landing zones & network architecture: design, provisioning, and operation of Azure landing zones for 3-tier web applications with enhanced network segmentation, VNet peering, hub-and-spoke architectures, private endpoints, and firewall integration across separate subscriptions and tenants.

• Azure DevOps governance & operations: ownership of the Azure DevOps organization, including projects, repositories, and CI/CD pipelines; implementation of governance requirements such as branch policies, approval gates, permission models, and audit-ready operating structures.

• Infrastructure as Code (Terraform): design, implementation, and operation of a modular Terraform architecture for standardized cloud infrastructure deployment, including state management, provider versioning, reusability, and policy-as-code approaches.

• CI/CD pipeline engineering: design, operation, and optimization of complex YAML-based CI/CD pipelines with multi-stage deployments, template standardization, self-hosted agents, integrated secret management, and automated quality and security checks.

• Git migration & platform consolidation: planning and execution of repository and pipeline migration from Azure DevOps to GitLab CI/CD, including automated scripts, full Git history transfer, pipeline porting, and platform consolidation.

• Container & platform operations (AKS): operation and security assessment of containerized workloads on Azure Kubernetes Service, centralization of on-premises container registries for ACR.

• OpenShift (OCP) security reviews: security assessment of code baselines, build pipelines, and deployment processes for on-premises OpenShift clusters with critical applications, and derivation of specific hardening recommendations.

• Shift-left security & DevSecOps transformation: introduction of a company-wide shift-left approach for early security integration in development and deployment processes, enabling developers to perform self-led security checks and sustainably reduce vulnerabilities before production (IDE integrations, pre-commit hooks, local scanners).

• Software supply chain security: analysis and mitigation of supply chain risks in NPM- and Yarn-based applications through dependency audits, CI/CD pipeline hardening, token rotation, and restriction of risky build and lifecycle mechanisms.

• Frontend & framework security (React / Next.js): security assessment and coordination of critical vulnerability remediation across platform applications and web frameworks, including coordination and complementary technical mitigations with all teams following BSI alerts.

• Software composition analysis (SCA): introduction and operation of automated vulnerability scans for container images, pipelines/artifacts, and third-party dependencies, including SBOM exports within CI/CD pipelines.

• SAST/DAST integration: design and piloting of static and dynamic application security tests in close collaboration with security architecture and development teams, for continuous improvement of code and runtime security, and establishing operational acceptance tests.

• Artifact & registry consolidation: analysis and consolidation of all package and container repositories for service applications and AKS workloads, aiming for a centralized, secured registry strategy with centralized vulnerability scanning and governance.

• Dependency-Track & SBOM strategy: advising the compliance board on introducing a central SBOM and vulnerability management platform to increase enterprise-wide dependency transparency and accelerate CVE response capability.

• CI/CD pipeline hardening: security analysis and cleanup of the existing pipeline landscape by removing unused pipelines, improving secrets hygiene, implementing least-privilege principles, and isolating build agent environments.

• Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF) optimization: analysis and tuning of existing Azure WAF rules (OWASP Top 10 Core Rule Set, DSR/SDC, custom rules) to defend against known vulnerabilities and exploit patterns, including reducing false positives and improving threat detection.

• Documentation & stakeholder communication: creating and maintaining technical documentation, runbooks, and architecture overviews in Jira and Confluence, as well as active knowledge transfer between operations, development, security, and compliance stakeholders.

• Onboarded and conducted comprehensive documentation and system analysis to assess the existing data infrastructure, facilitating rapid integration and collaboration across functional data teams (modelling, processing, reporting).
• Collaboratively defined the architecture and project structure for a central data pipeline repository, including hierarchical standards, knowledge management strategies, and role-specific responsibilities, enhancing maintainability and onboarding speed.
• Evaluated and validated open-source data routing tools (Airbyte, Apache NiFi, Dragster) for ingest and sync requirements in retail analytics, including local benchmarking and error-state testing.
• Led the design and deployment of Airbyte in Kubernetes, creating customized Helm charts, securing secrets handling, and configuring Ingress with TLS and internal DNS routing, ensuring full API and UI accessibility.
• Troubleshot and resolved Ingress controller issues, iterating through multiple stages of debugging and testing, and documented setup and replication steps for scalable reuse.
• Mapped data models to ARTS standard, supporting schema alignment for ERP and reporting use cases, and coordinated review loops to align future data processing logic.
• Drafted strategic 1-pagers comparing MinIO, Pub/Sub, and routing architectures, providing technical guidance for architectural decisions and investment planning.
• Enabled secure access and authentication mechanisms, including initial evaluation for SAML integration, cluster-level configuration reviews, and service annotation improvements.

• Lecturer for the GenAI Track at the Master School Institute of Technology
• Development of a full-stack AI application (React + Python/FastAPI) for automated supplier product import with intelligent column and category classification (4-layer hierarchical) including human-in-the-loop validation

• Consulting and creation of various web applications based on SharePoint and the React framework for different clients
• Development and testing of accessible apps for SharePoint
• Creation of various test cases for test automation
• Development of various solutions based on Azure
• Creation of various web services based on .NET
• Development of various SharePoint Framework solutions
• Development of various UI solutions based on SharePoint
• Consulting and creation of various Power Apps applications and Power Automate for the steel industry and an IT consulting company
• Support, consulting, and development with offshore teams for SharePoint 2013, 2016, and microservices for a logistics company
• Consulting, concept design, and development of microservices and web applications based on Microsoft technology and the React framework for a logistics company
• Consulting, concept design, and development of various SharePoint Framework solutions on SharePoint 2016 for logistics
• Consulting for the migration from SharePoint 2010 to 2016 for an IT consulting company

• Responsible for the 5-head development team and Scrum + DevOps approach
• Designed and implemented the cloud architecture for the application landscape
• Lead development for the user management on Azure Cloud using .NET 8/C#
• Development for the user management frontend using React (TypeScript)
• Technologies: Azure AD, Functions, Storage, CosmosDB, Service Bus, AKS, Monitor, Pipelines, Key Vault, MSSQL, Bicep, App Service, Log Analytics, Application Insights, Cost Management
• Backend: .NET/C#; Frontend: Angular (TypeScript)
• Unit testing: NUnit, xUnit, Moq
• CI & CD: Azure DevOps, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
• DevOps & IaC: Bicep, Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes
• Security & Compliance: ISO 27001, DevSecOps
• Software development approach: Scrum, SAFe, Kanban

• Conceptualization and administration of Azure AD (app registrations, hybrid identities, group concepts)
• Azure Monitoring
• Design and building of Azure-based solutions (IaaS / PaaS)
• Consulting and technical support of internal cloud projects
• Automations for Azure solutions

• Maintained a SaaS billing platform on AWS as part of the Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) team.
• Played a key role in an AWS cloud migration project, implementing Terraform (IaC), creating CI/CD processes and pipelines, hardening images, upgrading tool versions, and developing scripts.
• Wrote documentation.

AWS Cloud migration:

• Design and implement CI/CD for deploying AWS resources using GitLab CI, Terraform, and GitOps.
• Create and configure DevOps toolchain including Jenkins, Harbor, and Vault.
• Deploy billing application, microservices, and supporting infrastructure services to Nomad clusters.
• Re-designed TLS/mTLS certificate management using Vault and Lambda.

Security (Infrastructure Hardening & Patch Management & Vulnerability Scanning):

• Managed multiple AWS accounts for Consul/Nomad/Traefik clusters (10–20 EC2 instances/account, ASG) and DevOps toolchain accounts (Harbor, Jenkins, Vault).
• Created hardened AMIs via Packer based on CIS benchmarks for Nomad, Jenkins, Harbor, and Vault; deployed using Terraform.
• Integrated Trivy via Harbor plugin for container image scanning.
• Implemented strict AWS VPC security group rules.
• Developed and maintained patching process across environments using Qualys and Wiz.
• Deployed Qualys Cloud Agent to all EC2 instances, tracked CVEs and tested patches in lower environments before rollout.
• Automated patch deployment across all AWS accounts using Terraform and GitLab CI and verified patch compliance via Qualys/Wiz dashboards.

• Implementation of complex Azure resources using Terraform IaC and Azure DevSecOps pipelines with network security and zero-trust governance policies

• Optimization of the existing network design, firewall and database migration

• Implementation of governance and network policies as Policy as Code (PaC)

• Establishment of company-wide Azure connectivity using Azure VPN as an IPSec tunnel

• Implementation of hybrid on-premises multi-cloud connectivity (GCP, Azure) using Terraform

• Development of Azure Functions for scheduled cron jobs and Service Bus message queuing with topics

• Optimization of messaging with Service Bus premium features and IP whitelisting

• Stakeholder management, customer communication and creation of Architectural Decision Records (ADR)

• Responsible for cost-efficient quick wins in Azure and on-premises systems

Projects:

Project: RWE – Development of a company-wide Zero Trust cybersecurity architecture (CITADEL) Role: Senior Enterprise Cybersecurity Architect / Zero Trust Architect Company: RWE AG Description: Concept and implementation of the strategic CITADEL cybersecurity target architecture at RWE, based on the Zero Trust architecture principle and aligned with regulatory requirements such as NIS2, ISO 27001 and company-wide security governance policies. The goal was to build a measurable, auditable and scalable security architecture with a strong focus on Identity Governance, compliance transparency and operational manageability. Responsibilities & Achievements:

• Zero Trust architecture design: Developed a company-wide Zero Trust reference architecture (Identity, Device, Network, Application, Data) including trust zones, control points and enforcement mechanisms according to NIS2.
• Identity & Access Governance (IGA): Designed and introduced IGA governance structures including role models, recertification processes, segregation of duties (SoD) and lifecycle management for identities and access.
• Security governance & KPIs: Defined and implemented security KPIs and metrics to manage Zero Trust maturity, identity risks and compliance at the management level.
• Compliance & reporting: Built standardized compliance reports and dashboards to support internal audits, external assessments and regulatory evidence (e.g. NIS2).
• Architecture & stakeholder alignment: Worked closely with Enterprise Architecture, IT operations and business units to integrate the CITADEL architecture into existing IT and security landscapes.
• Strategic security consulting: Advised programs and projects on Zero Trust compliance, identity centricity and regulatory requirements in the energy and critical infrastructure (KRITIS) environment. Technologies & Methods: Zero Trust Architecture, NIS2, Identity Governance & Administration (IGA), IAM, RBAC, SoD, Entra ID, SailPoint, Zscaler, Terraform / IaC, Policy as Code, security KPIs, compliance reporting, NIST 2.0, ISO 27001, Enterprise Security Architecture, governance frameworks, risk & control management

Project: Scalable AI Workbench Platform on Microsoft Azure Role: Cloud Architect & Engineer Company: Siemens Energy Description: Design, development and operation of a secure, modular cloud infrastructure to support Data Science, Machine Learning and AI applications for various engineering teams at Siemens Energy. Responsibilities & Achievements:

• Cloud architecture: Designed and implemented an Infrastructure-as-Code solution (Terraform) for automated provisioning of Azure resources (Resource Groups, Storage Accounts, Cosmos DB, Application Insights, networking, PostgreSQL Flexible Server, Azure Container Apps, Azure Container Registry).
• Developer portal: Used Backstage with custom frontend and backend plugins (Node.js, TypeScript, React.js, PostgreSQL, Container Apps) to enable self-service and empower developers, data scientists and AI/ML engineers.
• Role-based access control: Implemented Azure RBAC to grant targeted access (e.g. Storage Blob Data Contributor, Reader) to engineering groups (e.g. AI Engineers) for relevant resources.
• Data platform engineering: Built and configured a multi-layered storage landscape (Raw, Curated, Vector data), including automated container creation and access control for advanced analytics and AI workloads.
• DevOps integration: Integrated with Azure DevOps for CI/CD pipelines to automate deployment, monitoring and compliance.
• Security & compliance: Implemented Private Endpoints, network policies and Managed Identities to ensure data protection and regulatory compliance.
• Collaboration: Worked closely with cross-functional teams to align the cloud infrastructure with business and technical requirements and drive digital transformation at Siemens Energy. Technologies: Azure, Terraform, Azure DevOps, Cosmos DB, Application Insights, Azure Storage, Private Endpoints, Azure Synapse, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Entra ID, RBAC, Backstage, Node.js, React.js, PostgreSQL, Python (automation), Git

• Analyze of customer’s requirements and design architectural solutions for customer projects
• Design and implementation of cloud infrastructure and services: AWS, Azure and OpenStack
• Consulting for cloud architectures and operating concepts
• Data Center migration accompaniment and coordination with developers and Stakeholders

• Automatic report generation based on log data from the Senstar surveillance camera software, tracking access times of different camera systems
• Gathering requirements and translating them into a suitable technical solution
• Implementing Python scripts to read, process, and convert Senstar log data into PDF reports
• Reading configuration files to control the scripts
• Packaging the Python scripts and all dependencies into an executable .cmd for offline installation on Windows Server
• Providing a --help parameter to list and explain the script options
• Creating documentation for installing, configuring, and running the scripts
• Technical environment: Python 3, SQL, Senstar, Windows Server, Python setuptools, fpdf

• Leading architecture and delivery of AI-powered educational content platform, managing two development teams with full technical ownership.

• Designed and architected the Content Hub platform replacing legacy SiteFusion systems, enabling professors to create AI-assisted learning materials for improved student outcomes.

• Established technical strategy, defined architecture requirements, and aligned two cross-functional teams (AI Media Team, TEAQ Team) on a unified delivery roadmap.

• Implemented Clean Architecture principles and AI-agent-friendly documentation standards across the engineering organization.

• Drove adoption of modern development workflows including CI/CD automation and MongoDB-based content management solutions.

• Project: Mazars Windows 11 rollout: responsible for the Windows 11 rollout at the Mazars client
• Understanding customer-specific requirements (hardware compatibility, application dependencies, Microsoft AD group policies)
• Implementing hardware logistics at customer sites
• Coordinating IT, business unit, security, and compliance teams
• Updating infrastructure
• Performing driver and firmware updates
• Automating the rollout using scripts
• Notifying users, providing FAQs, change logs, and support contacts
• Technologies: Baramundi Management Center, AD, Azure AD, Intune, Office 365, OpenProject, RDP, Topdesk, MS Teams, PowerShell