Mario Pucko - Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead

Q: Where is Mario based?

Mario is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany .

Q: What languages does Mario speak?

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

Q: How many years of experience does Mario have?

Mario has at least 25 years of experience. During this time, Mario has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 9 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 10 months . Note that Mario may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Mario's latest experience?

Mario's most recent position is Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead – Network Strategy 2030 at ALDB GmbH .

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

In recent years, Mario has worked for ALDB GmbH , ITZBund - IT Service Center of the Federal Government , DB Energie GmbH , Mercedes-Benz AG / Athlon GmbH , and Deutsche Bahn AG .

Q: Which industries is Mario most experienced in?

Mario is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance , Transportation , and Information Technology . Mario also has some experience in Government and Administration , Insurance , and Healthcare .

Q: Which business areas is Mario most experienced in?

Mario is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Project Management , and Operations . Mario also has some experience in Strategy and Quality Assurance .

Q: Which industries has Mario worked in recently?

Mario has recently worked in industries like Transportation , Information Technology , and Government and Administration .

Q: Which business areas has Mario worked in recently?

Mario has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology , Project Management , and Operations .

Recommended expert

Frankfurt am Main, Germany

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Experience

Feb 2025 - Present

1 year 5 months

Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead – Network Strategy 2030

ALDB GmbH

Holistic responsibility for modernizing and expanding federal networks and upgrading critical data center and telecom infrastructure in the high-security agency environment of BDBOS
Planning and management of the expansion of national BOS network infrastructure in the VS-NfD/KRITIS environment with technical decision authority at the architecture and component level (Cisco, Layer 2/3, WAN redundancy)
Planning, tendering (EVB-IT/UVgO) and oversight of the upgrade of security-critical telecom infrastructure for emergency call 110/112 (ACD)
Capacity planning, rack integration, structured cabling, power supply, cooling concept (CRAC/In-Row) and DCIM monitoring for data center expansion
Building the IT department from scratch: structures, governance, processes, team recruiting, vendor selection and long-term IT strategy
Planning and managing infrastructure and application migrations: migration strategies, batch planning, hypercare stabilization and rollback concepts
Creating vendor-neutral specifications (telecom systems, signature solutions) according to EVB-IT and UVgO; contract award and vendor management
Setting up a secure IT environment according to BSI basic protection, ISO 27001 and VS-NfD; developing IT security concepts and CMDB analyses
Hands-on program leadership: decision papers for management and steering committees, risk management, reporting and change request control

Jan 2024 - Dec 2024

1 year

Head of IT Infrastructure | Senior IT Project Manager & Rollout Manager

ITZBund - IT Service Center of the Federal Government

Overall responsibility for the complete rebuild of a master data center from scratch as the technical foundation of the Federal Cloud
Planning, construction and commissioning of all data center disciplines with no existing infrastructure (Zero to One)
Network architecture: WAN/LAN/SAN with Layer-2/3 segmentation, Cisco ACI PoDs, Nexus switching, firewall clusters and VPN gateways
Rack design, structured cabling (copper + fiber), UPS concept, in-row cooling (CRAC) and DCIM monitoring
Validation of bill of materials (Cisco ACI, Nexus, NetApp, VMware vSphere), configuration validation and acceptance tests by discipline
Planning of implementation concepts, space management and supply chain security for critical federal infrastructure
Technical overall coordination: integrated schedule, interface management and acceptance across all disciplines
Creation of security concepts and handover to ITSM operations (ServiceNow, ITIL v4) according to BSI basic protection, ISO 27001 and KRITIS
Stakeholder management: decision papers, risk and quality management throughout all construction phases

Apr 2023 - Dec 2023

9 months

Senior IT Project Manager | IT Strategy Development & Cloud Transformation

DB Energie GmbH

Led the system transformation to introduce a regulatory market access model in the energy sector with BDEW compliance
Designed a hybrid target architecture (On-Prem + SaaS + AWS) with REST/SOAP API design and integration concept for enterprise systems
Subproject lead for the market access model: energy industry processes in an SAP-based system landscape
Requirements analysis, gap analysis and technical solution design in coordination with business units, IT architecture and partners
Platform selection: evaluation of cloud vs. data center based on scalability, operations and compliance criteria
Risk management: building and maintaining a risk register with escalation paths for regulatory compliance
Project controlling: scope, budget and timeline management as well as reporting to the steering board
Training planning, process design and communication concept for organizational rollout
Stakeholder coordination between IT, business units, regulatory bodies and external system integrators

Apr 2022 - Mar 2023

1 year

Hybrid

Head of IT Delivery | Senior IT Project Manager OEM Infrastructure

Mercedes-Benz AG / Athlon GmbH

Technical overall responsibility for database modernization (Oracle 11g to 19c) and building a hybrid Cloud Landing Zone (AWS/Azure) in the OEM automotive environment under zero downtime
Performance tuning, data migration strategy, test concepts (SIT/UAT/Load) and go-live coordination
Introduction of NVMe-based SAN structures (NetApp), network segmentation, QoS, VLAN, firewall rules
Architecture design for Cloud Landing Zone, integration of existing applications and active-active HA concepts with load balancing (F5/HAProxy)
Blue-green deployment and rolling upgrade for zero-downtime migration with maintenance window coordination
Load, performance and integration tests with defined benchmarks
Coordination of cross-functional teams (infrastructure, DBA, development, operations, service providers) according to TISAX and automotive standards
Compliance and security: vulnerability management and documentation for OEM acceptance and audit

Oct 2015 - Mar 2022

6 years 6 months

IT Program & Portfolio Manager | Senior IT Project Manager

Deutsche Bahn AG

Managing an IT project portfolio with up to 16 parallel initiatives (budget, resources, priorities, dependencies)
Leading a cloud migration program with ~88 applications and ~4,700 servers in AWS, IBM Cloud and Google Cloud (lift & shift, replatforming, zero-downtime, hypercare)
Architecture reviews, Cloud Landing Zone design, network segmentation and transition to active-active architectures
Building governance structures: steering board, stage-gate processes, escalation paths (SAFe, JIRA, Confluence)
Consolidated risk register, impact analyses and executive reporting to CIO and board committees
Leading the mobile app production system subproject, coordinating up to 40 internal and external experts
Transition to ITIL v4–compliant cloud operations, SLA definition and monitoring (CloudWatch, Stackdriver)
C-level reporting and management of teams with Accenture and IBM

Feb 2015 - Sep 2015

8 months

IT Project Manager – ITSM Implementation & SAP Integration

HUK-COBURG AG

Company-wide rollout of the ITSM platform Omnitracker with SAP ERP replacement and ITIL v3-compliant process design
Process design for Incident, Problem, Change, and Request according to ITIL v3; system configuration, customization, and go-live
Bidirectional interfaces between Omnitracker and SAP ERP (FI/CO, RFC) with automated ticket creation
Data migration: mapping, cleansing, and validation of historical ticket data
Requirements analysis through workshops; translation into ITSM configurations and SLA definitions
Test management: test concept, test cases, coordination of SIT and UAT with key users (>150 test cases)
User training, operations manual, and process documentation
Go-live with a 4-week hypercare phase and coordinated issue resolution

Mar 2014 - Dec 2014

10 months

Head of Project Management Office – PMO Setup & IT Governance

W&W AG

Established a company-wide Project Management Office with PM standards (PRINCE2, PMP, Scrum)
Developed governance structures, stage-gate processes, templates, and role models
KPI-based portfolio controlling (earned value, burn rate, milestone tracking) with monthly executive reporting
Prioritization framework for resource and capacity management according to strategic IT roadmap
Quality gates, action tracking, and escalation model up to executive level
Coaching and advising project managers, and introducing agile methods alongside the traditional PM framework
Definition and enforcement of IT governance policies and audit-ready project documentation

Nov 2012 - Dec 2013

1 year 2 months

IT Project Manager – SAP Transformation

Fresenius Netcare GmbH

Led SAP transformation projects (FI, SD, MM, PM) with full budget, scope, and quality responsibility
Requirements analysis, customizing, cross-system interface design (IDoc, RFC, BAPI), and go-live
Data migration: concept, mapping, transformation rules, cleansing, and validation
Test management: test concept, coordination of SIT and UAT with business stakeholders
Managed interdisciplinary teams (SAP consultants, ABAP developers) following V-Model XT
Ensured data consistency and compliance in an international healthcare environment

Mar 2000 - Aug 2012

12 years 6 months

Business Analyst | Release Manager | Junior Project Manager

Deutsche Börse AG / EUREX AG

Analysis and optimization of critical trading and settlement processes (Xetra, EUREX) under MiFID and ISO 27001
Release management with 99.99% SLA: planning, deployment coordination, rollback concepts, and post-release monitoring
Developed scripts and tools (VBA, SQL) for process automation and performance analysis
Requirements analysis and specification of complex needs in an international financial market environment
Incident and problem management, CMDB maintenance, and emergency procedures in a 24/7 operation
Coordinated interdisciplinary and international teams

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Banking and Finance, Transportation, Information Technology, Government and Administration, Insurance, and Automotive.

Banking and Finance

Transportation

Information Technology

Government and Administration

Insurance

Automotive

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Operations, Strategy, and Quality Assurance.

Information Technology

Project Management

Operations

Strategy

Quality Assurance

Summary

With over 25 years of experience – from Business Analyst at Deutsche Börse to today's Head of IT for national critical infrastructure (BDBOS, Network Strategy 2030). One of the few experts who combine corporate-level program leadership with deep technical expertise: migrated ~88 apps and ~4,700 servers in multi-cloud, built a new data center from scratch, performed Oracle database migrations with zero downtime, and delivered telecom infrastructure for emergency calls 110/112.

Skills

Head Of It & It Strategy (Enterprises & Government Agencies) · Program & Portfolio Management
Data Center Build & Infrastructure Upgrade (Network, Telecom, Energy) · Cloud Transformation: Hybrid-/Multi-Cloud (Aws, Azure, Gcp, Ibm)
It Governance, Bsi Basic Protection, Vs-Nfd, Kritis, Iso 27001, Enhanced Security Clearance (Ue2) · Stakeholder & C-Level Communication, Steering Committee
Telecom Infrastructure: Emergency Call 110/112, Acd, Bos Communication · Pmo Setup, Sap Transformation, Itsm Implementation
Cloud: Aws · Microsoft Azure · Google Cloud · Ibm Cloud · Hybrid-/Multi-Cloud · Cloud Landing Zone · Kubernetes · Iac
Data Center: Build/Upgrade · Wan/Lan/San · Cisco Aci/Nexus/Asa · Netapp · Vmware · Nvme San · Structured Cabling · Crac · Dcim
Telecom & Bos: Telecom System · Acd · Emergency Call 110/112 · Bos Communication · Voice Switching · Redundancy Concepts
Database & Erp: Oracle 11g-19c · Sql · Pl/Sql · Vba · Sap (Fi/Co/Sd/Mm/Pm) · Sap Btp · Idoc · Rfc · Bapi · Rest/Soap
Itsm & Pm Tools: Servicenow · Remedy · Omnitracker · Jira · Confluence · Ms Project · Clarity Ppm · Sharepoint · Visio
Security: Bsi Basic Protection · Iso 27001 · Vs-Nfd / Ue2 · Kritis · Tisax · Mifid · Gdpr · Evb-It · Uvgo · En 50126/50128/50129 (German Federal Railway Authority – Eba)
Pm Methods: Pmp (Pmi) · Itil Expert V3/V4 · Safe 5.0 · Scrum · Prince2 · V-Modell Xt · Waterfall · Hybrid · Earned Value

Languages

German

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Jun 2003 - Present

Goethe University Frankfurt

Diploma in Business Administration · Business Administration

Federal Commercial Academy and Federal Commercial School Innsbruck

High School Diploma · Innsbruck, Austria

St. Galler Business School

Master of Management (part-time) · Master of Management · St. Gallen, Switzerland

Certifications & licenses

Enhanced Security Clearance (Ue2)

ITIL Expert v3 / Foundation v4

Axelos

PMP Project Management Professional

PMI

PRINCE2 Practitioner

SAFe 5.0 Scaled Agile Framework

SAFe Program Consultant

Scrum Certified Scrum Master (CSM)

Scrum Alliance

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 9

Experience in Banking and Finance 12.5 y

Avg length 2 y 9 m

Longest experience 12 y 5 m

Expertise

Recent roles Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead – Network Strategy 2030, Head of IT Infrastructure | Senior IT Project Manager & Rollout Manager, Senior IT Project Manager | IT Strategy Development & Cloud Transformation

Main industries Banking and Finance, Transportation, Information Technology

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Operations

Qualifications

Highest degree Master

Certifications earned 6

Profile

Created

June 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Where is Mario based?

Mario is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

What languages does Mario speak?

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

How many years of experience does Mario have?

Mario has at least 25 years of experience. During this time, Mario has worked in at least 9 different roles and for 9 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 10 months. Note that Mario may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Mario be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Mario would be well-suited for roles such as: Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead – Network Strategy 2030, Head of IT Infrastructure | Senior IT Project Manager & Rollout Manager, Senior IT Project Manager | IT Strategy Development & Cloud Transformation.

What is Mario's latest experience?

Mario's most recent position is Senior IT Project Manager / Program Lead – Network Strategy 2030 at ALDB GmbH.

What companies has Mario worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Mario has worked for ALDB GmbH, ITZBund - IT Service Center of the Federal Government, DB Energie GmbH, Mercedes-Benz AG / Athlon GmbH, and Deutsche Bahn AG.

Which industries is Mario most experienced in?

Mario is most experienced in industries like Banking and Finance, Transportation, and Information Technology. Mario also has some experience in Government and Administration, Insurance, and Healthcare.

Which business areas is Mario most experienced in?

Mario is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Operations. Mario also has some experience in Strategy and Quality Assurance.

Which industries has Mario worked in recently?

Mario has recently worked in industries like Transportation, Information Technology, and Government and Administration.

Which business areas has Mario worked in recently?

Mario has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Operations.

What is Mario's education?

Mario holds a Master in Master of Management from St. Galler Business School and a Bachelor in Business Administration from Goethe University Frankfurt.

Does Mario have any certificates?

Mario has 6 certificates. Among them, these include: Enhanced Security Clearance (Ue2), ITIL Expert v3 / Foundation v4, and PMP Project Management Professional.

What is the availability of Mario?

Mario is immediately available for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Mario?

Mario's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.