Jan Bergholz - Freelance Project Manager

Q: Where is Jan based?

Jan is based in Aachen, Germany .

Q: What languages does Jan speak?

Jan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced) .

Q: How many years of experience does Jan have?

Jan has at least 13 years of experience. During this time, Jan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 8 months . Note that Jan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Jan's latest experience?

Jan's most recent position is Freelance Project Manager at SDE .

Q: What companies has Jan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jan has worked for SDE , Smart District GI , SmartQuart , gridX , and 2nd Brain .

Q: Which industries is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in industries like Energy , Information Technology , and Manufacturing . Jan also has some experience in Automotive and Aerospace and Defense .

Q: Which business areas is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in business areas like Product Development , Project Management , and Production . Jan also has some experience in Research and Development , Operations , and Information Technology .

Q: Which industries has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in industries like Information Technology and Energy .

Q: Which business areas has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in business areas like Product Development , Project Management , and Operations .

Recommended expert

Aachen, Germany

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Experience

Jan 2023 - Present

3 years 5 months

Germany

Freelance Project Manager

SDE

Provide strategic consulting and lead technical projects in the energy and IT sectors.
Develop smart grid concepts including microgrids and charging infrastructure.

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

United Kingdom

Technical Consultant

Smart District GI

Developed a scalable microgrid solution tailored to the residential housing sector focusing on decarbonization and local energy autonomy.
Created foundational concept, defined technical specifications for an RFI, and assessed suppliers based on technical presentations and expertise.
Resulted in a successful RFI process and technical groundwork for microgrid deployment.
Collaborated with consulting team, client, and multiple suppliers.

Jan 2020 - Dec 2025

6 years

Germany

Project Manager and District Lead

SmartQuart

First 'Reallabor der Energiewende' in Germany for autonomous energy supply across heat, electricity, hydrogen.
Development of three smart districts designed to maximize energy self-sufficiency through efficiency measures, enabling virtual energy exchange via market mechanisms (e.g. VPP).
Served as national blueprints for climate-neutral urban development.
Role: Dual responsibility as project manager for the EMS, and district lead for Essen-quarter.
Result: New foundation for municipal energy business models and B2B products.
Team: Cross-functional agile teams across 9 consortium and multiple external partners.

Jan 2020 - Dec 2023

4 years

Product Owner & Team Lead TPM

gridX

Led SaaS and IoT product development for the energy sector.
Engaged in feature negotiation, prioritization, and market rollout.
Introduced new project management standards to improve coordination and quality.

Jan 2018 - Dec 2022

5 years

Germany

Product Manager and Developer

2nd Brain

Developed an integrated project and knowledge management platform tailored to the customer’s industrial setting, enabling more efficient internal collaboration and structured process oversight.
Responsible for design, backend implementation, and coordination with external development contributors.
Deployed a functional MVP used productively by the client.

Jan 2017 - Dec 2019

3 years

Germany

Team and Project Lead

Next R5

Developed novel materials for plain bearings, including manufacturing processes and full industrialization for automotive applications.
Led internal R&D and production teams under direct leadership.
Achieved successful series production and resolved manufacturing issues in both Germany and India.

Jan 2017 - Dec 2019

3 years

Germany

Manager, Materials Development

Rheinmetall

Managed development from R&D to mass production.
Provided disciplinary team management and established SCRUM practices in the testing lab.
Optimized budget control.

Jan 2013 - Dec 2017

5 years

Germany

Post-Doc & Researcher, Materials Science

Forschungszentrum Jülich

Developed high-performance coatings and streamlined manufacturing processes for the energy industry.
Coordinated international research partnerships.

Founder, Lead Developer and Writer

nosy.science

Founded and led development of a science communication platform about automation, natural language processing, and personalized content delivery for researchers, institutions, and hobbyists.
Designed the platform to make complex research topics accessible and engaging.

Industry Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.

Experienced in Energy, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Automotive, and Aerospace and Defense.

Energy

Information Technology

Manufacturing

Automotive

Aerospace and Defense

Business Area Experience

See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.

Experienced in Product Development, Project Management, Production, Research and Development, Operations, and Information Technology.

Product Development

Project Management

Production

Research and Development

Operations

Information Technology

Summary

Over 10 years of experience managing large scale complex industrial and IT projects
Delivered to 23 business-customers on 4 continents
14 products shipped – both hardware and software
Flexible through expertise Energy, IT, HR, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, research…
10 international and interdisciplinary teams built, and managed

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Education

TU Braunschweig

M.Sc. in Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) · Engineering · Braunschweig, Germany

Ruhr University Bochum

PhD in Engineering · Engineering · Bochum, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Energy Consultant

CorConsult Energie

Inspirational Leadership

HEC Paris

Project Management (PMP/PMBOK Equivalent)

TÜV Nord Academy

Six Sigma Green Belt

Kennesaw State University

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 9

Experience in Energy 11.5 y

Avg length 3 y 5 m

Longest experience 5 y 11 m

Global Experience

Countries worked in 2 (Germany, United Kingdom)

Primary country Germany

Expertise

Recent roles Freelance Project Manager, Technical Consultant, Project Manager and District Lead

Main industries Energy, Information Technology, Manufacturing

Main business areas Product Development, Project Management, Production

Qualifications

Highest degree Doctorate

Certifications earned 4

Profile

Created

November 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Where is Jan based?

Jan is based in Aachen, Germany.

What languages does Jan speak?

Jan speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).

How many years of experience does Jan have?

Jan has at least 13 years of experience. During this time, Jan has worked in at least 8 different roles and for 8 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 2 years and 8 months. Note that Jan may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Jan be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Jan would be well-suited for roles such as: Freelance Project Manager, Technical Consultant, Project Manager and District Lead.

What is Jan's latest experience?

Jan's most recent position is Freelance Project Manager at SDE.

What companies has Jan worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Jan has worked for SDE, Smart District GI, SmartQuart, gridX, and 2nd Brain.

Which industries is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in industries like Energy, Information Technology, and Manufacturing. Jan also has some experience in Automotive and Aerospace and Defense.

Which business areas is Jan most experienced in?

Jan is most experienced in business areas like Product Development, Project Management, and Production. Jan also has some experience in Research and Development, Operations, and Information Technology.

Which industries has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in industries like Information Technology and Energy.

Which business areas has Jan worked in recently?

Jan has recently worked in business areas like Product Development, Project Management, and Operations.

What is Jan's education?

Jan holds a Doctorate in Engineering from Ruhr University Bochum and a Master in Engineering from TU Braunschweig.

Does Jan have any certificates?

Jan has 4 certificates. Among them, these include: Energy Consultant, Inspirational Leadership, and Project Management (PMP/PMBOK Equivalent).