ITIL Foundation
professionals in Cologne in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.Find freelancers who understand incident handling, service requests, change control, and the basic language of service management. Ideal for teams that need structured IT support, smoother handovers, and cleaner service operations, matched fast with vetted ITIL Foundation professionals.
Meet FRATCH ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE
Matthias Schneider
Last position:
Overall Project Coordinator at Bundeswehr Informatik (BWI GmbH)
- PMO lead for Security Clearance 2 (SÜ2) cleared
- Reporting to sub-program management GMN
- System maintenance 25+
- Functional control and coordination of Jira setup
- Preparation of decision papers (e.g. project planning, steering model, communication plans, controlling models, role and responsibility matrices)
- Development of program-wide knowledge management using Confluence, creation of Jira concept
- Development of an access concept for all project tools
- Analyzing existing processes, identifying improvement potential, and designing solutions to increase efficiency and effectiveness
- Development of a concept for introducing automation approaches in existing tools
- Creating intranet articles as project marketing
- Responsible for project governance through reporting and resource planning in the sub-program
- Agile further development of the project method
- Gathering customer requirements (requirements engineering)
- Preparation and support of contract negotiations (7-year term, budget of over 500 million)
Markus Blohm
Last position:
Consultant, Technical Project Manager at Lanxess
- Project: ESU Windows and SQL Server consolidation / Configuration Management in ServiceNow
- Creation of an as-is analysis of all servers worldwide
- Creation of an as-is analysis of all SQL servers worldwide
- Creation of requirements analyses for SQL and server migrations
- Coordination of requirements with partners for migrations to Hyper-V (on-premises) or Azure Cloud
- Moderation of jour fixe meetings
- Creation of roadmaps and solution models for server migrations
- Setup of test scenarios
- Moderation of workshops for the introduction of a Global Admin Team
- Creation of data models (CMDB) in ServiceNow
- Conducting workshops for the CMDB data model
- Creation of solution models for the CMDB
- Creation of seamless configuration and work documentation for the CMDB
- Creation of reports for license management
- Creation of KPIs for data quality in ServiceNow
- Creation of a service catalog
- Moderation of workshops for creating service requests
- Interface between needs analysis and ServiceNow development team
- Systems used: Windows 7, Windows 10, Microsoft Office 365/2010, Windows Server 20xx, SQL Server 20xx, SharePoint, Azure Cloud, Hyper-V, ServiceNow, various tools
Rafael De Mestre Gebauer
Last position:
Project Lead Automation at Textile industry
Analysis and optimization of end-to-end processes in different business areas such as sales, procurement, order processing and logistics. Redesign of the ERP. Identification of optimization potential, especially in areas with media breaks and manual tasks, as well as creation of a prioritized transformation roadmap with clear business cases and implementation recommendations. Management of automation initiatives. RPA at the production site in China. Evaluation and introduction of relevant AI use cases as well as building basic AI competence in the organization. Training internal employees of the project team and supporting them in the transformation process to develop a continuous improvement culture. Close collaboration with IT and external implementation partners, reporting to senior management.
Main tasks and achievements:
- Analysis of business processes and design of automated processes
- Training and support for employees in China and Germany
- 20% cost savings in logistics
- Regular status reports to management
Halil Oeztoprak
Last position:
Senior Cloud Operations & DevSecOps Engineer (Azure / Terraform / CI-CD) at KfW Bankengruppe
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.
Abdelkader El Moumane
Last position:
Lead Business Analyst (PIM)
- Further development and optimization of the PIM system (e.g. data modeling, interfaces, user experience)
- Analysis, structuring, and professional evaluation of business requirements in close coordination with business units and stakeholders
- Translating business requirements into functional and technical concepts (business & solution design)
- Designing and further developing the target PIM architecture including data models, object structures, versioning, and lifecycle concepts
- Defining interfaces, integration concepts, and data flows between PIM, eCommerce, ERP, and other systems
- Quality assurance in close collaboration with business units and the development team
- Effort estimations for analysis, design, and testing activities
- Agile, Scrum, 4APortal, SAP ERP, SAP eCommerce (Hybris)
Michael März
Last position:
Team Lead / Service Owner 2nd Level & ITIL at Creditreform
- Service owner of the receivables management platform Ikarus
- Management and coordination of external 1st-level service providers
- Team leadership and building ITIL-compliant support structures
- Managing the handover to 3rd-level support (internal & external, incl. vendor/development)
- Stakeholder management between the business unit, IT, and external partners
- Jira ticket automations and maintenance of Confluence documentation
Hüseyin Altuntas
Last position:
Business Analyst at Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Inneres, Sport und Digitalisierung
- Responsibility, also as rollout manager, for the successful transition of a basic OZG platform into the client's standard operations by planning and implementing measures along Service Transition and Service Operation according to ITIL, including workshops in a SAFe environment with more than 40 operational stakeholders
- Building and maintaining cross-organizational stakeholder relationships by organizing and running various information sessions on technical configurations and user guides (platform and EfA services)
- Designing and improving various operational and project documents such as the ITIL operations manual, OLA, SLA, service support concept and rollout instructions
- Modeling project-based processes according to BPMN 2.0, EPK and UML related to OZG services with the goal of integrating them into the operational e-government process landscape (SOA)
- Coordinating operational stakeholders and KPI reporting to the project management team using agile methods according to SAFe
- Tech stack / tools: Microsoft 365 (SharePoint, OneNote, Outlook, Teams), Skype for Business, Cisco Webex, ADONIS, MindManager, Jira, Confluence
Thorsten Heintke
Last position:
Program Manager at Telecommunications Industry
- Program Manager for a strategically highly relevant compliance project in the enterprise segment (C4)
- Leading 6 workstreams
- Setting up the project organization, establishing communication structures, project and budget planning, risk management
- Reporting to the CIO
- Facilitating steering committee meetings
- Facilitating critical solution processes
- Responsible for adapting the operating model of the IT organizations in Germany, the EU and India, including planning and managing the relocation of affected employees
Jens Rehsack
Last position:
Technical Product Owner at App Development
Development of a mobile app to slow down the progression of dementia
Coordination of software development (TPO – Technical Product Owner)
agile requirements management (agile requirements engineering)
prioritization of tasks in consultation with stakeholders
stakeholder management
documentation and management of the software architecture
conducting PoC for technology decisions
Documentation as Code
docToolchain, arc42, req42, aim42, tpo42, C4 model, Archimate
ADR, Architecture Decision Records
Docker
Pre-Commit, Conventional Commits, Semantic Versioning
Liberating Structures, Agile Principles, Holacracy, Sociocracy 3.0
Mobile frameworks
AI developing interfaces, LLM
Cordova, Unity
Google Gemini, OpenAI, Character.AI
Prompt development
Serdar Colak
Last position:
Consultant at Freelance
- ISO 27001 implementation & audit readiness
- NIS2 & DORA compliance support
- Interim / fractional CISO services
- IT risk & controls (ITGC, SOX, COBIT, BAIT)
- M&A and IT due diligence for startups/ventures
- Business continuity management (BCM, ISO 22301)
- Cybersecurity framework development (NIST, ISO, BSI)
- GRC tool advisory (Archer, ServiceNow)
Alexander Rautzenberg
Last position:
Business Analyst at Financial Services Provider Landesbank
The Helaba ATLAS project aims to modernize core systems and make them future-proof. As part of the subproject, the existing legacy system for international payments is being replaced by a modern web-based application.
- Analysis of functional and technical requirements
- Analysis and optimization of business processes
- Process modeling
- Preparation and facilitation of workshops
- Defining project scope and prioritizing requirements
- Business process management (analysis, modeling, and optimization)
- Specification of user stories
- Designing business and authorization concepts
- Testing and acceptance
- Designing mockups in Figma
- Creating the UI/UX style guide for web applications Approach: Scrum (agile) Technologies: Jira, Confluence, MS Teams, Conceptboard, Java, Vaadin, Figma
Matthias Bullmahn
Last position:
Interim Change Manager at Automotive manufacturer (OEM)
- Agile transformation of the entire executive board division for battery development using SAFe.
- Set up 5 Agile Release Trains and an agile portfolio.
- Prepared the shift from a functional to a process-based organization.
- Managed a scope of 400+ people across Germany, Europe and China.
- Applied tailored SAFe methods.
- Stakeholder management as well as consulting, training and coaching of leadership (product management, release train engineers, system architects).
- Built a portfolio with budgets from around €150 million up to over €1 billion.
- Trained junior colleagues at Big4 consulting firms.
- Introduced PI plannings, quality metrics and team training.
Yannick Tessa
Last position:
Cloud Architect at Anonymous
- Implementation of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform to ensure a scalable, repeatable, and secure Azure infrastructure
- Implementation and optimization of CI/CD pipelines with Azure DevOps
- Management of container and server environments and AKS
Tanya Akin
Last position:
Excellence Lead / Collaboration Coach at EnBW AG
- Successfully transformed an established support/ITSM team into an agile product development team.
- Realigned a formerly cohesive DevOps team that had drifted apart by developing a shared strategy and improving collaboration with a more data-driven mindset.
- Took on the role of Product Owner during the extended absence of the original Product Owner while guiding the team toward self-organization and adopting a customer-centric perspective.
- Designed, developed and implemented an AI initiative to systematically tap into artificial intelligence potential within the business unit.
- Managed stakeholders and developed and conducted an AI Design Thinking workshop, including AI fundamentals and insights.
- Trained the excellence cluster (UX/strategy/agile methods) on artificial intelligence as a methodological competency in team coaching.
- Provided strategic consulting and coaching to the Demand & Innovation team on process optimization, focusing on efficiency gains and improved prioritization mechanisms.
- Developed and delivered tailored training to promote agile mindsets and practices for various audiences, from development teams to leadership levels.
- Facilitated large-group workshops to foster cross-department collaboration and improve communication structures.
- Introduced OKR methodology for strategic team alignment and to promote transparent performance measurement.
- Provided conflict coaching and mediation in critical team situations to create a trusting and productive work atmosphere.
- Supported change management with a focus on the Prosci methodology for the sustainable embedding of new ways of working and digital transformation.
- Member of the Leading X leadership team.
Panagiotis Aggelopoulos
Last position:
Group Chief Technology Officer & Managing Director at HRS Group
- Steered HRS Group's technology landscape across ProcureTech, TravelTech, FinTech, BPATech, and Data domains. Co-owner of the product strategy, directly supporting IPO readiness through enhanced SaaS scalability, rapid product innovation, and fortified cybersecurity. Pioneered data- and AI-driven platforms for Fortune 500 clientele.
- Growth & efficiency through HRS PAY: Developed the HRS PAY platform, slashing transaction processing time by 80% and raising customer satisfaction by 40%, catalyzing a 15% customer expansion and 20% booking leakage reduction.
- AI-driven value creation in back-office automation: Launched a real-time AI copilot tool, driving a 28% upsell in VAT reclaim services, advancing policy compliance and cost savings for enterprise clients.
- Engineering scale for growth: Rapidly scaled the engineering org from 200 to 350 engineers, increasing squads from 15 to 35+, aligning talent and resources with growth targets via OKRs and Amazon’s “Working Backwards” approach.
- Product flywheel & input/output metrics: Applied product flywheel model and robust metrics (cycle time, deployment frequency), fostering rapid development while maintaining high resilience and quality.
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
ITIL Foundation statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
25 years (Germany: 23 years)
Position duration
3.5 years (Germany: 3.1 years)
Positions per freelancer
15 (Germany: 14)
Top business areas
Information Technology, Operations, Project Management
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Banking and Finance
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development
Bachelor's degree or higher
77% (Germany: 81%)
Master's degree or higher
47% (Germany: 48%)
Doctorate
17% (Germany: 7%)
Certifications per freelancer
10 (Germany: 7)
Most common languages
English, German, Turkish
Speak two or more languages
100% (Germany: 97%)
Based on our profile pool as of 28 Aug 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers holding this certification in Cologne, DE are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range.
Average rates for ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 28 Aug 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
About the certification
What it covers
ITIL Foundation is the entry-level certification for IT service management. It shows that a person understands the core ideas behind designing, delivering, and improving IT services in a business setting. For companies, it is a practical signal that the freelancer can work with shared processes instead of ad hoc support.
Core skills
- Incident, problem, and change basics
- Service value, continual improvement, and service quality
- Roles, responsibilities, and common ITSM terms
- Working with tickets, requests, and service teams
- Understanding how IT supports business goals
The certification is often held by service desk staff, support leads, junior process managers, and consultants who need a common ITIL language. It is also a good fit for freelancers who join transformation work or help teams align daily support with clearer service practices.
What it tells you
A freelancer with ITIL Foundation has a shared understanding of how IT services should be managed in a controlled way. That matters when you need someone to slot into an existing support model, improve handoffs between teams, or help document standard ways of working.
In Cologne, this is useful for companies that work with local IT teams, shared service functions, or German-speaking stakeholders while keeping delivery remote or hybrid. The certification does not prove deep technical specialization, but it does show a solid grasp of service management basics that reduce friction in day-to-day work.
Typical use cases
- IT service desk and support operations
- Change and release coordination
- Process improvement and service transition
- Internal IT alignment during growth or restructuring
- Consulting work that needs a common ITSM framework
PeopleCert now issues the certification, and many professionals still know it under the older AXELOS name. Searchers also use the shorthand ITIL Foundation, so companies looking for freelancers should use that term when screening profiles. It is especially relevant in environments where reliability, clear escalation paths, and predictable service delivery matter.
Frequently asked questions
What clients ask us most about ITIL Foundation — answered in short.
ITIL Foundation shows that a freelancer understands the basic principles of IT service management. It points to familiarity with terms and practices such as incident handling, change control, and continual improvement. For companies, that usually means less ramp-up time when the person joins an existing support or service process.
ITIL Foundation is the current entry-level certification in the ITIL scheme. Many people still say ITIL v3 Foundation out of habit, but the modern certificate reflects the current service management framework issued by PeopleCert. If you see either term on a profile, check the version and the holder’s practical experience.
ITIL Foundation is a good fit for service desk analysts, support specialists, process coordinators, and junior consultants. It is also useful for freelancers who work with internal IT teams and need a shared vocabulary for service work. It is not only for managers; hands-on contributors can benefit from it as well.
A freelancer with ITIL Foundation is often useful in incident management, request handling, change coordination, and service improvement work. The certification matters most where teams need structure and clear ownership around IT support. It is common in enterprise IT, managed services, consulting, and internal operations.
ITIL Foundation covers the basics and the overall logic of the framework. Higher levels go deeper into specialist practice, managing professional development, or more advanced service management topics. If you need someone to apply ITIL principles in a practical team setting, Foundation can be enough; if you need framework leadership, look for more advanced experience too.
To earn ITIL Foundation, candidates usually study the framework’s core concepts, key practices, and service lifecycle thinking. Many people prepare with structured training, self-study, or a mix of both, then take a formal exam through PeopleCert. The main challenge is learning the vocabulary and understanding how the practices fit together.
ITIL Foundation is tied to the current PeopleCert certification scheme, so holders should follow the renewal rules that apply to their certification status. In practice, professionals should keep an eye on PeopleCert’s continuing certification requirements and any updates to the qualification path. Companies hiring freelancers should ask whether the certificate is current and whether the person has kept their knowledge fresh.
In Cologne, ITIL Foundation can be especially useful when you need freelancers who can work with German and international teams in a structured way. It helps in environments where support requests, change approvals, and service ownership must be clear across on-site and remote collaboration. The certificate gives a useful baseline when hiring for shared service and IT operations roles.
The average hourly rate for freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE is 115 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 922 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE, 77% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 47% hold at least a Master's degree, and 17% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE have 25 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.5 years.
The most common languages among freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE are English (100%), German (98%), and Turkish (23%).
The most common industries among freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE are Information Technology (95%), Professional Services (63%), and Banking and Finance (53%).
The most common business areas among freelancers with ITIL Foundation in Cologne, DE are Information Technology (98%), Operations (88%), and Project Management (88%).
FRATCH ITIL Foundation main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
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