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 across various business areas such as sales, procurement, 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, including RPA in the production site in China. Evaluation and introduction of relevant AI use cases and building basic AI competence within the organization. Training internal project team members and supporting them through the transformation process to develop a continuous improvement culture. Close collaboration with IT and external implementation partners, reporting to senior management.

Main tasks and achievements:

Analyzing business processes and designing automated workflows
Training and supporting employees in China and Germany
Achieving 20% cost savings in logistics
Providing regular status reports to senior 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, and 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-member client management team in packaging, client design, and Level 3 ticket handling
Organizing alignment 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 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 European sites
Optimizing communication between application owners and technical staff
Planning and managing migration projects, including implementing automations and risk management
Defining documentation processes and providing training/process documentation support
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 5 months

Enterprise Project Manager

TRON IT Consulting GmbH & Co. KG

Specialist in international transition and transformation projects, data center migrations, and rollouts
Creating decision templates, presentations, concepts, communication matrices, and project plans
Structuring and orchestrating technicians and subcontractors
Leading and organizing meetings, conflict management, and resource and budget planning
Developing the W.I.N. principle for identifying and resolving process errors, security gaps, and deadlocks
Change management, escalation management, and rollout management (software/hardware)
Facilitating workshops, team motivation, and coaching executives
Agile & 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 measurement
Cost calculation for proposals, coordination with vendors and internal departments for large clients
Migration from MS Access to SQL, including design, planning, and guidance of varied development teams
Implementation and migration of about 100 VPN routers to DMVPN

Network Specialist

WLAN rollout and connection of 360 hotels using Cisco routers, switches and access points
On-site support for commissioning and acceptance tests
Extension of system features, IOS upgrades and remote configuration changes

Project Manager

Analysis and organization of open issues at an energy provider
Development of optimization proposals and decision-making materials
Introduction of standards and communication plans
Automation of targeted information distribution
Support for change processes, workshop facilitation, and conflict management
KPI reporting and project schedule tracking

Project Manager

Setup of 255 data centers with over 1000 active components and 400+ servers for Schengen EU border security
Team responsibility for 25 staff and a budget of €20M
Network design reviews, level 3 troubleshooting, VoIP introduction and rollout planning
Promoted to Network Team Lead after 3 months and to head of IT infrastructure after 9 months
Defined missing processes, managed interfaces and coordinated parallel projects
Acceptance, handover to operations team and training on incident/config management

Project Manager WAN Consolidation

WAN line consolidation 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

Creating IP and network plan for a financial authority (Oracle, SAP, in-house apps, SQL)
Proposing an IP network architecture including Wi-Fi and IP printers with security guidelines
Defining SLAs, reporting, and documenting processes and architecture
Orchestrating involved parties and ensuring quality

Technical Consultant

Level 3 support and setting up remote workstations for aviation clients
Designing processes, ordering and configuring VPN products and firewall rules
WAN sanity check with live capture and analysis via Wireshark
Rolling out VPN networks and troubleshooting

Transition Manager

Leading 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 towers
Coordinating with Security, Operations, and SAP FI/HR interfaces up to SQL query development

Project Manager Data Center Relocation

IBM (on assignment)

Managing subcontractor control and documenting the current customer infrastructure
Optimizing processes and coordinating customer meetings
Planning the target environment with the network and security teams
Reporting and quality assurance for country migrations
Planning and managing the move of a multi-vendor infrastructure into 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 employees to optimize work processes. Solid technical automation and project management knowledge.

Working style: identifying automation potentials, optimizing and accelerating processes, minimizing risks, and always keeping the big picture in mind. Collaborating with stakeholders to develop solutions and decision templates, orchestrating workflows in development and operations (continuous improvement). Bringing business-critical processes and projects to a successful close by using available resources in a balanced way. Motivating, empowering, and developing teams, involving stakeholders, and building strong cooperative and trustful relationships.

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

In summary: Mr. Possible

Skills

International Transition And Transformation Projects
Data Center Migrations
Rollouts
Industries: Banking, Insurance, Telecommunications, Aviation, Energy Suppliers, Retail
Microsoft Product Suite
Itsm
Confluence
Jira
Sql
Network Protocols
Creating Decision Templates, Presentations, Concepts, Communication Matrices, 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 For Identifying And Resolving Process Errors, Security Gaps, And Deadlocks In Enterprises
Change Management
Escalation Management
Rollout Management (Software/hardware)
Planning, Monitoring, And Ensuring Adherence To Project Timelines
Facilitating Workshops
Team Motivation
Coaching And Supporting Executives
Proposing Optimizations And Overseeing Implementation For Quality Assurance

Languages

German

Native

Spanish

Native

English

Advanced

Education

Computer Science · Bonn, Germany

PhD, 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 32.5 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

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.