Julian H.-Senior IT Project & Program Manager | 12+ Years | AI, Cloud, Data, Rollouts, Transformation

Project: Building a data platform for education data in Baden-Württemberg

Responsible for overarching program management of a large-scale transformation and IT project in the public sector to develop and introduce a modern data platform for the Baden-Württemberg education system, with a budget in the high seven-figure range. The multi-project program included numerous parallel subprojects with different business and technical focuses that had to be coordinated, managed, and brought together into an integrated overall solution.

• Overall responsibility for managing a complex transformation and software program with numerous teams and subprojects working in parallel, in close collaboration with public-sector clients and business departments
• Establishment and management of robust program, governance, and decision-making structures to ensure focused, on-time, and quality-assured delivery
• Responsibility for cross-program reporting, escalation management, decision preparation, and status communication up to management and steering committee level
• Management and facilitation of complex business and technical coordination processes, workshops, and conflict resolution across project boundaries to ensure an integrated overall solution
• Budget tracking, resource management, and management of risks, dependencies, and critical decisions across the overall program
• Close coordination with internal and external stakeholders for the strategic and operational management of the project
• Ensuring compliance with data protection and regulatory requirements throughout all project phases

Project: Development and implementation of immersive VR training solutions for the life sciences and pharmaceutical industry

Responsible for overarching program management of an international multi-project software development program for providing virtual training environments in a highly regulated industry (customers included Merck, Amgen, and Bayer) with a budget of up to seven figures. The goal was to implement secure, scalable XR solutions for leading pharmaceutical and medtech companies while meeting strict quality, compliance, and data protection requirements.

• Overall responsibility for planning, managing, and delivering several parallel custom software and product development projects in the life sciences environment
• Ensuring budget, schedule, and quality targets in an agile, regulated software development process with clear release and quality gates
• Interface management between engineering, UX/UI, QA, IT security, compliance, and customer project teams, including clear responsibilities and cross-functional coordination
• Management of external service providers and development partners, including vendor, contract, and escalation management to ensure on-time release delivery
• Close coordination with international customers for requirements analysis, sprint and release progress tracking, decision preparation, and acceptance of deliverables
• Introduction of efficient reporting and management structures for project transparency and governance (KPIs, status, risks, escalations)
• Facilitation of complex coordination processes between internal and external stakeholders and support with conflict and escalation management

Project: Development & launch of a disruptive mobile product

Overall responsibility for a strategically critical IT program to develop and launch an innovative, app-based mobile product. The program included several parallel workstreams (product/tariff logic, app & backend, integration into core telco systems) and required close coordination of cross-functional teams and resources.

• Overall responsibility for managing a strategically important large-scale IT project with several parallel workstreams and cross-functional dependencies
• Responsibility for program governance, end-to-end delivery management, release/cutover planning, and coordination of key dependencies with CRM/CPQ, billing/charging, provisioning, identity/IAM, payment, analytics, and customer care
• Ensuring cross-functional collaboration and managing all participating project teams and stakeholders to identify and resolve obstacles at an early stage
• Designing and implementing end-to-end customer journeys to maximize customer satisfaction and increase market appeal
• Planning and executing extensive end-to-end testing and hypercare phases to ensure a smooth product rollout
• Managing risks, issues, escalations, and decisions required in a highly critical project environment, with regular reporting to C-level stakeholders

• Rolling out modern GNSS positioning technologies through IoT and cloud integration to improve service quality, data availability, and location accuracy across 14 European markets
• Leading a multinational technology program to introduce positioning solutions with direct connections to existing B2B service platforms and network-side infrastructures
• Coordinating cross-functional teams and managing international technology partners and external service providers for technical implementation and integration
• Establishing and managing scalable governance structures to coordinate the introduction and integration of cloud and IoT components into existing IT and system landscapes
• Managing technical integrations and interfaces with existing systems and operational processes across the group
• Ensuring operational readiness during the rollout through active risk and escalation management
• Closely coordinating with internal departments, technical stakeholders, and external partners to align with strategic objectives and market requirements
• C-level reporting to ensure transparent management and support operational and strategic decision-making during the European rollout

Project: Building and leading the project management team of an international IT service provider

Built, scaled, and provided functional and disciplinary leadership for a project management team responsible for managing a customer portfolio with numerous parallel IT and software projects in the seven- to eight-figure budget range. As department head, I was responsible for project and delivery governance (methodology, standards, reporting), resource and capacity planning, and the overall management of scope, budget, timelines, risks, and quality, with the clear objective of reliably delivering the contractually agreed results.

• Team leadership & portfolio management: Managed a team of 15 project managers responsible for several simultaneous customer programs in automotive, telecommunications, logistics, and energy; established clear roles, escalation paths, and decision-making formats (steering committees, delivery reviews, risk boards)
• Delivery in an IT service provider environment: End-to-end responsibility from scoping/transition through implementation, acceptance, hypercare, and handover to operations; managed change requests, prioritized backlogs, and ensured delivery capacity across multiple streams (development, testing, infrastructure, operations)
• Example Porsche AG – Cloud Data Infrastructure: Program/project management of a cloud-based data infrastructure project, including the development of a scalable cloud architecture (platform/foundations, security by design, operating model) and coordination of key dependencies with enterprise IT, data protection, and security
• Additional customer projects (selection): Vodafone (telco/IT projects in the product and platform environment), METRO AG (enterprise IT, integration, and digitalization initiatives), Haeger & Schmidt Logistics (digital logistics and planning solutions), and ZF (industrial/connectivity programs, e.g., in a 5G/campus network context)
• Software/SaaS programs & transition projects: Developed and implemented modern software and SaaS solutions with responsibility for design, development, testing, and go-live; particular focus on transition and modernization projects in IT infrastructure (legacy replacement, standardization, platform/tooling modernization)
• Modernization & cloud migration: Advised on and managed the implementation of cloud migrations (target architecture, migration waves, cutover planning), introduced scalable SaaS solutions, and integrated them into existing system landscapes; translated trends such as Industry 4.0, IoT, and digital ecosystems into concrete implementation roadmaps
• Customer & stakeholder management (up to C-level): Served as the central program- and portfolio-level contact with responsibility for clarifying objectives, prioritization, and decision-making; managed expectations, status and steering communications, and escalations, as well as commercial management covering service scope, change requests, acceptances, and critical project phases