Rafael De Mestre Gebauer - Project Manager Modern Workplace

Q: Where is Rafael based?

Rafael is based in Cologne, Germany and can operate in on-site , hybrid , and remote work models.

Q: What languages does Rafael speak?

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

Q: How many years of experience does Rafael have?

Rafael has at least 32 years of experience. During this time, Rafael has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 6 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 5 years and 5 months . Note that Rafael may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Rafael's latest experience?

Rafael's most recent position is Project Lead Automation at Textile Industry .

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

In recent years, Rafael has worked for Textile Industry , Bank , International Retail Group , and TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG .

Q: Which industries is Rafael most experienced in?

Rafael is most experienced in industries like Information Technology , Professional Services , and Telecommunication . Rafael also has some experience in Banking and Finance , Retail , and Manufacturing .

Q: Which business areas is Rafael most experienced in?

Rafael is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology , Project Management , and Product Development . Rafael also has some experience in Research and Development and Supply Chain Management .

Q: Which industries has Rafael worked in recently?

Rafael has recently worked in industries like Information Technology , Professional Services , and Banking and Finance .

Q: Which business areas has Rafael worked in recently?

Rafael has recently worked in business areas like Project Management , Information Technology , and Supply Chain Management .

Recommended expert

Cologne, Germany

Check rate

Experience

Jan 2025 - Mar 2026

1 year 3 months

Hybrid

Project Lead Automation

Textile Industry

Analysis and optimization of end-to-end processes in different business areas such as sales, purchasing, order processing, and logistics. Redesign of the ERP. Identification of optimization potential, especially in areas with process breaks and manual work, as well as creating a prioritized transformation roadmap with clear business cases and implementation recommendations. Steering automation initiatives. RPA in the production site in China. Evaluation and introduction of relevant AI use cases as well as building basic AI skills within the organization. Training internal project team members and supporting them through the transformation process to build a continuous improvement culture. Close collaboration with IT and external implementation partners, reporting to executive 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 executive management

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025

2 years

Project Manager Automation Modern Workplace

Bank

Planning and leading the Windows 11 23H2 rollout of 13,000 clients, automated via SCCM
Management reporting for the steering committee and middle management, as well as automation of daily reporting
Project control and optimization of client management for handing over operations to a service provider in India
Orchestration of regular meetings with the 20-member client management team in the areas of packaging, client design, and level 3 ticket handling
Organizing alignment meetings with international country organizations and departments
Design and introduction of automated continuous improvement processes (Evergreen) for defined software products
Coordination and onboarding of new international country organizations
Creating standard operating procedures, presentations, and decision templates
Technologies: GPO, PowerShell, Zscaler, Intune, Aditus, SharePoint, SQL, Confluence

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

Patch Manager

International Retail Group

Leading Windows and Linux server patch management across sites in Europe
Improving communication between application owners and technical staff
Planning and controlling migration projects as well as introducing automation and risk management
Defining documentation processes and supporting training/process documentation
Managing Linux and Windows technicians and running daily/weekly status meetings
Supporting onboarding and knowledge transfer to the new outsourcing partner
Defining and supporting implementation of bring-in and bring-out service processes in ServiceNow
Supporting the migration to AVS/Azure

Jan 2004 - Jun 2006

2 years 6 months

On-site

Network Expert

Lufthansa Systems

Configuration and testing of O2 PDA for VPN communication in the internal network
AAA server and router configuration, firewall activation and measurement
Quote calculations, coordination of vendors and internal departments for large customers
Migration from MS Access to SQL with design, planning, and guidance of heterogeneous development teams
Implementation and migration of around 100 VPN routers to DMVPN

Jan 2002 - Present

24 years 7 months

Enterprise Project Manager

TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG

Specialist for international transition and transformation projects, data center relocations, and rollouts
Creating decision templates, presentations, concepts, communication matrices, and project plans
Structuring and orchestrating technicians and subcontractors
Leading and organizing meetings, conflict management, resource and budget planning
Developer of the W.I.N. principle to identify and fix process errors, security gaps, and deadlocks
Change management, escalation management, rollout management (software/hardware)
Workshop facilitation, team motivation, and supporting and coaching managers
Agile & Waterfall project management in an international corporate environment

Jan 1993 - Dec 2000

8 years

Software Developer

Self-employed

Implementation of various AI algorithms (hidden line algorithm, parallel processing, skeleton algorithm ...)
Learning different programming languages (Occam, Pascal, C)
Development of an ERP system based on MySQL
Website development with Typo3 and PHP

Network Specialist

WLAN rollout and connection of 360 hotels using Cisco routers, switches, and access points
Support during commissioning and acceptance on site
Expansion of system features, IOS upgrades, and configuration changes remotely

Project Manager

Assessment of the current state and structuring of open issues at an energy provider
Creation of optimization proposals and decision-making bases
Introduction of standards and communication plans
Automation of target group-specific information distribution
Support with change processes, moderation of workshops, conflict management
KPI reporting and project plan tracking

Project Manager

Setup of 255 datacenters with 1000+ active components and 400+ servers for Schengen EU Border Security
Team responsibility for 25 employees and a budget of €20 million
Network design review, level 3 troubleshooting, VoIP introduction, and rollout planning
Promotion to network team lead after 3 months and to head of IT infrastructure after 9 months
Definition of missing processes, interface management, and coordination of parallel projects
Acceptance, handover to the operations team, and training on incident/config management

Project Manager WAN Consolidation

Consolidation of WAN lines in a bank merger project
Provider coordination and controlling as well as monitoring of line switches
Automation of target group-specific information distribution and KPI reporting

Subproject Lead Processes & Documentation

Creation of IP and network plan for financial administration (Oracle, SAP, custom developments, SQL)
Proposal for an IP network architecture including Wi-Fi and IP printers under security requirements
SLA definition, reporting, and documentation of processes and architecture
Coordination of the involved parties and quality assurance

Technical Consultant

Level 3 support and rollout of remote workstations for aviation customers
Process design, ordering, and setup of VPN products as well as firewall rules
WAN sanity check with live recording and analysis via Wireshark
Rollout of VPN networks and troubleshooting

Transition Manager

Lead the transition of an ERP subsystem to SAP with focus on KPI definition
E2E design, testing, and configuration of data collection at transmission masts
Coordination with Security, Operations, and SAP FI/HR interfaces through to SQL query creation

Project Manager Data Center Relocation

IBM (on assignment)

Subcontractor control and as-is assessment of the customer's infrastructure
Process optimization and coordination of customer meetings
Project planning for the target environment together with the network and security team
Reporting and quality assurance of country migrations
Planning and managing the relocation of a multi-vendor infrastructure to the central data center

Industry Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Professional Services, Telecommunication, Banking and Finance, Retail, and Manufacturing.

Information Technology

Professional Services

Telecommunication

Banking and Finance

Retail

Manufacturing

Business Area Experience

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

Experienced in Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development, Research and Development, and Supply Chain Management.

Information Technology

Project Management

Product Development

Research and Development

Supply Chain Management

Summary

Structured Agile & Waterfall project manager with a strong talent for motivating people and improving work processes. Solid technical knowledge in automation and project management.

Working style: spotting automation potential, optimizing and speeding up processes, minimizing risks, always keeping the big picture in mind. In coordination with the involved stakeholders, developing solutions and decision templates, orchestrating processes in development and operations (continuous improvement). Bringing business-critical processes and projects to completion by using available resources in a balanced way. Motivating, strengthening, and developing teams, involving stakeholders, and building strong partnerships and trusting relationships.

Highly motivated, responsible self-starter with drive and a strong eye for IT operations and security. Resilient and goal-oriented, with a strong passion for quickly learning new technologies and tools.

In short: Mr. Possible

Skills

International Transition And Transformation Projects
Data Center Relocations
Rollouts
Industries: Banking, Insurance, Telecommunications, Aviation, Utilities, Retail
Microsoft Product Portfolio
Itsm
Confluence
Jira
Sql
Network Protocols
Creating Decision Templates, Presentations, Concepts, Communication Matrices, And Project Plans
Structuring And Orchestrating Technicians And Subcontractors
Leading And Organizing Meetings
Conflict Management
Resource And Budget Planning
Development And Application Of The W.I.N. Principle To Identify And Fix Process Errors, Security Gaps, And Deadlocks In Large Corporations
Change Management
Escalation Management
Rollout Management (Software/Hardware)
Planning, Monitoring, And Ensuring Compliance With Project Timelines
Workshop Facilitation
Team Motivation
Supporting And Coaching Managers
Suggesting Improvements And Supporting Implementation For Quality Assurance

Languages

German

Native

Spanish

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Computer Science · Bonn, Germany

Doctorate, Automation in the digital publishing process · Computer Science · Zürich, Switzerland

Mathematics · Düsseldorf, Germany

...and 2 more

Certifications & licenses

Scrum Master

srcumalliance.org

ITIL V3 Foundation

Prince 2

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 14

Experience in Information Technology 32.5 y

Avg length 2 y 10 m

Longest experience 24 y 6 m

Expertise

Recent roles Project Lead Automation, Project Manager Automation Modern Workplace, Patch Manager

Main industries Information Technology, Professional Services, Telecommunication

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development

Qualifications

Highest degree Doctorate

Certifications earned 3

Profile

Created

July 2022

Last Update

July 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Rafael is based in Cologne, Germany and can operate in on-site, hybrid, and remote work models.

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

Rafael has at least 32 years of experience. During this time, Rafael has worked in at least 6 different roles and for 6 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 5 years and 5 months. Note that Rafael may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Based on recent experience, Rafael would be well-suited for roles such as: Project Lead Automation, Project Manager Automation Modern Workplace, Patch Manager.

Rafael's most recent position is Project Lead Automation at Textile Industry.

In recent years, Rafael has worked for Textile Industry, Bank, International Retail Group, and TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG.

Rafael is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Professional Services, and Telecommunication. Rafael also has some experience in Banking and Finance, Retail, and Manufacturing.

Rafael is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Project Management, and Product Development. Rafael also has some experience in Research and Development and Supply Chain Management.

Rafael has recently worked in industries like Information Technology, Professional Services, and Banking and Finance.

Rafael has recently worked in business areas like Project Management, Information Technology, and Supply Chain Management.

Rafael holds a Doctorate in Computer Science.

Rafael has 3 certificates. These include: Scrum Master, ITIL V3 Foundation, and Prince 2.

Rafael is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

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

To hire Rafael, click the Meet button on the profile to request a meeting and discuss your project needs.