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

Analyzing and optimizing end-to-end processes in various business areas such as sales, purchasing, order processing, and logistics. Redesigning the ERP. Identifying optimization potentials, especially in areas with manual handoffs and manual tasks, and creating a prioritized transformation roadmap with clear business cases and implementation recommendations. Managing automation initiatives. Implementing RPA at the production site in China. Assessing and introducing relevant AI use cases and building basic AI competence within the organization. Training internal project team members and guiding them through the transformation process to develop a continuous improvement culture. Working closely with IT and external implementation partners, reporting to senior management.

Key responsibilities and achievements:

Analyzing business processes and designing automated processes
Training and supporting employees in China and Germany
Achieving 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 for 13,000 clients automated via SCCM
Management reporting for the steering committee and middle management, as well as automating daily reports
Project control and optimization of client management for transferring operations to a service provider in India
Orchestrating regular meetings with the 20-person client management team in packaging, client design, and level 3 ticket handling
Organizing coordination meetings with international subsidiaries and departments
Designing and implementing automated continuous improvement processes (Evergreen) for defined software products
Coordinating and onboarding new international subsidiaries
Creating 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

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

Jan 2002 - Present

24 years 4 months

Enterprise Project Manager

TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG

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

Jan 1993 - Dec 2000

8 years

Software Developer

Self-employed

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

Network Expert

Configuration and testing of O2 PDAs for VPN communication in the internal network
AAA server and router configuration, firewall activation and measurements
Quotation calculation, coordination of vendors and internal departments for large clients
Migration from MS Access to SQL including design, planning and guidance of heterogeneous programming teams
Implementation and migration of around 100 VPN routers to DMVPN

Network Specialist

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

Project Manager

Recording and organizing open issues for an energy provider
Developing optimization proposals and decision-making tools
Introducing standards and communication plans
Automating audience-focused information distribution
Supporting change processes, facilitating workshops, conflict management
KPI reporting and project tracking

Project Manager

Building 255 data centers with over 1000 active components and 400+ servers for Schengen EU border security
Team leadership for 25 staff and a €20M budget
Network design review, level 3 troubleshooting, VoIP introduction and rollout planning
Promoted to network team lead after 3 months and to IT infrastructure manager after 9 months
Defining missing processes, interface management and coordinating parallel projects
Acceptance, handover to the operations team and training on incident/configuration management

Project Manager WAN Consolidation

Consolidation of WAN lines in a bank merger project
Provider coordination, controlling and monitoring of line switches
Automating audience-focused information distribution and KPI reporting

Subproject Lead Processes & Documentation

Creation of IP and network plan for financial administration (Oracle, SAP, custom developments, 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
Orchestration of involved parties and quality assurance

Technical Consultant

Level 3 support and implementation of telework setups for aviation clients
Process design, ordering, and configuration of VPN products and firewall rules
WAN sanity check with live capture and analysis via Wireshark
Rollout of VPN networks and troubleshooting

Transition Manager

Managing the transition of an ERP subsystem to SAP with a focus on KPI definition
End-to-end design, testing, and configuration of data collection at cell sites
Coordination with security, operations, and SAP FI/HR interfaces up to SQL query creation

Project Manager Data Center Relocation

IBM (on assignment)

Subcontractor controlling and as-is assessment of customer 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 management of 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 work processes can be optimized. Solid technical knowledge in automation and project management.

Working style: Identifying automation potentials, optimizing and speeding up processes, minimizing risks, always keeping the big picture in mind. Collaborating with involved stakeholders to develop solutions and decision papers, orchestrating workflows in development and operations (continuous improvement). Completing optimization of business-critical processes and projects by making balanced use of available resources. Motivating, strengthening, and developing teams, involving stakeholders, building strong cooperation and trusting relationships.

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 Migrations
Rollouts
Industries: Banking, Insurance, Telecommunications, Aviation, Utilities, Retail
Microsoft Product Portfolio
Itsm
Confluence
Jira
Sql
Network Protocols
Preparing Decision Papers, Presentations, Concepts, Communication Matrices, Project Plans
Structuring And Orchestrating Technicians And Subcontractors
Leading And Organizing Meetings
Conflict Management
Resource And Budget Planning
Developing And Applying The W.i.n. Principle To Identify And Fix Process Errors, Security Gaps, And Deadlocks In Corporations
Change Management
Escalation Management
Rollout Management (Software/hardware)
Planning, Monitoring, And Ensuring Compliance With Project Timelines
Moderating Workshops
Team Motivation
Supporting And Coaching Managers
Proposing Optimizations 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

ITIL V3 Foundation

Prince 2

Statistics

Experience

Total positions 14

Experience in Information Technology 32 y

Avg length 2 y 8 m

Longest experience 24 y 3 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

April 2026

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

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.