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 5 different roles and for 5 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 6 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 Banking and Finance . Rafael also has some experience in 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

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Experience

Jan 2025 - Mar 2026

1 year 3 months

Hybrid

Project Lead Automation

Textile Industry

Analysis and optimization of end-to-end processes in various company areas such as sales, purchasing, order processing, and logistics. ERP redesign. Identification of optimization potentials, especially in areas with media breaks and manual tasks, and 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 implementation of relevant AI use cases and building of basic AI competence within the organization. Training of internal project team members and support during the transformation process to develop a culture of continuous improvement. Close collaboration with IT and external implementation partners, reporting to senior management.

Key tasks and achievements:

Analysis of business processes and design of automated processes
Training and support of staff in China and Germany
20% cost savings in logistics
Regular status reports to senior management

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025

2 years

Project Manager Automation Modern Workplace

Bank

Planning and management of the Windows 11 23H2 rollout of 13,000 clients automated via SCCM
Management reporting for the steering committee and middle management, and automation of daily reports
Project control and optimization of client management for handing over operations to a service provider in India
Orchestration of regular meetings with the 20-person client management team in packaging, client design, and level 3 ticket processing
Organization of coordination meetings with international subsidiaries and departments
Design and implementation of automated continuous improvement processes (Evergreen) for defined software products
Coordination and onboarding of new international subsidiaries
Creation of standard operating procedures, presentations, and decision papers
Technologies: GPO, PowerShell, Zscaler, Intune, Aditus, SharePoint, SQL, Confluence

Jan 2023 - Dec 2024

2 years

Patch Manager

International Retail Group

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

Jan 2002 - Present

24 years 5 months

Enterprise Project Manager

TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG

Specialist for international transition and transformation projects, data center relocations, and rollouts
Preparation of decision papers, presentations, concepts, communication matrices, and project plans
Structuring and orchestration of technicians and subcontractors
Leading and organizing meetings, conflict management, resource and budget planning
Developer of the W.I.N. principle for identifying and fixing process errors, security gaps, and deadlocks
Change management, escalation management, rollout leadership (software/hardware)
Workshop facilitation, team motivation, and support/coaching of 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, etc.)
Learning various programming languages (Occam, Pascal, C)
Development of an ERP system based on MySQL
Website development with Typo3 and PHP

Network Expert

Configuration and testing of O2 PDA for VPN communication in the internal network
AAA server and router configuration, firewall activation and measurement
Quote calculation, coordination of vendors and internal departments for large customers
MS Access → SQL migration including design, planning and guidance of diverse programming teams
Implementation and migration of ~100 VPN routers to DMVPN

Network Specialist

WLAN rollout and connection of 360 hotels using Cisco routers, switches and access points
Support for on-site deployment and acceptance testing
Expansion of system features, IOS upgrades and remote configuration changes

Project Manager

Current state analysis and structuring of open issues at an energy provider
Development of optimization proposals and decision-making support
Implementation of standards and communication plans
Automation of targeted information distribution
Support of change processes, workshop moderation, conflict management
KPI reporting and project plan tracking

Project Manager

Setup of 255 data centers with 1000+ active components and 400+ servers for Schengen EU border security
Team responsibility for 25 employees and a €20 million budget
Network design review, level 3 troubleshooting, VoIP implementation and rollout planning
Promoted 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 testing, handover to the operations team and training in incident/configuration management

Project Manager WAN Consolidation

Consolidation of WAN connections in a bank merger project
Provider coordination and controlling, as well as monitoring of line switches
Automation of targeted information distribution and KPI reporting

Subproject Lead Processes & Documentation

Development of an IP and network plan for the finance administration (Oracle, SAP, custom development, SQL)
Proposal of an IP network architecture including Wi-Fi and IP printers under security requirements
Definition of SLAs, reporting and documentation of processes and architecture
Coordination of involved parties and quality assurance

Technical Consultant

Level 3 support and implementation of remote workplaces for aviation clients
Process design, ordering and configuration of VPN products and firewall rules
WAN sanity check with live recording and analysis via Wireshark
Deployment of VPN networks and troubleshooting

Transition Manager

Led the transition of an ERP subsystem to SAP with a focus on defining KPIs
End-to-end design, testing and configuration of data collection at transmission masts
Alignment with security, operations and SAP FI/HR interfaces up to the creation of SQL queries

Project Manager Data Center Move

IBM (on assignment)

Subcontractor controlling and as-is assessment of the client's infrastructure
Process optimization and coordination of client 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 move 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, Banking and Finance, Retail, and Manufacturing.

Information Technology

Professional Services

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 team members on how to optimize work processes. Solid technical automation and project management knowledge.

Working method: identify automation potentials, optimize and speed up processes, minimize risks, always keep the big picture in mind. In coordination with the involved stakeholders, develop solutions and decision papers, orchestrate workflows in development and operations (continuous improvement). Bring business-critical processes and projects to completion by balancing the use of available resources. Motivate, strengthen, and develop teams, involve stakeholders, build strong collaborations and relationships based on trust.

Highly motivated, responsible self-starter with drive and a keen 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 Range
Itsm
Confluence
Jira
Sql
Network Protocols
Preparation Of Decision Papers, Presentations, Concepts, Communication Matrices, Project Plans
Structuring And Orchestration Of 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 Resolve Process Errors, Security Gaps, And Deadlocks In Corporations
Change Management
Escalation Management
Rollout Management (Software/Hardware)
Planning, Monitoring, And Ensuring Compliance With The Project Timeline
Workshop Facilitation
Team Motivation
Support And Coaching Of Managers
Proposing Optimizations And Supporting Implementation For Quality Assurance

Languages

German

Native

Spanish

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Computer Science · Bonn, Germany

PhD, Automation in the Digital Publication Process · Computer Science · Zürich, Switzerland

Mathematics · Düsseldorf, Germany

...and 2 more

Certifications & licenses

ITIL V3 Foundation

Prince 2

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 14

Experience in Information Technology 32.5 y

Avg length 2 y 8 m

Longest experience 24 y 4 m

Expertise

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

Main industries Information Technology, Professional Services, Banking and Finance

Main business areas Information Technology, Project Management, Product Development

Qualifications

Highest degree Doctorate

Certifications earned 2

Profile

Created

July 2022

Last Update

May 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Have questions? Find more information here.

Where is Rafael based?

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

What languages does Rafael speak?

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

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 5 different roles and for 5 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 6 years and 5 months. Note that Rafael may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Rafael be best suited for?

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

What is Rafael's latest experience?

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

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.

Which industries is Rafael most experienced in?

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

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.

Which industries has Rafael worked in recently?

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

Which business areas has Rafael worked in recently?

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

What is Rafael's education?

Rafael holds a Doctorate in Computer Science.

Does Rafael have any certificates?

Rafael has 2 certificates. These include: ITIL V3 Foundation and Prince 2.

What is the availability of Rafael?

Rafael is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Rafael?

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.