Robert Francia-Interim Project Manager
Check rate
Experience
Interim Project Manager
IT services company of a regional energy supplier
- Delivery of various end-customer projects in server and network infrastructure on time, in quality, and within budget.
- Project 1: Firewall renewal, replacement of an ASA firewall with a Fortinet firewall at an automotive supplier.
- Project 2: Migration of file services from dedicated servers at 5 branch locations into a central managed file service, including DHCP, directory, and print services, as well as decommissioning of the old domain controllers.
- Project 3: Renewal of the network infrastructure at the headquarters and branch locations of a logistics company and transition of the LAN, WLAN, and firewall environments into a managed network service.
- Project 4: Network renewal, replacement of the core and access switches at the headquarters of a medical technology company and transition into a managed network service.
- Project 5: Firewall renewal, replacement of an ASA firewall with a Fortinet firewall for a city.
- Environment: ASA and Fortinet firewalls, Cisco network components, ITSM Heat/Ivanti, Confluence.
Project Manager
IT service provider for Finanz Informatik
- Increase of the security level through consistent CIS hardening and proof of technical compliance.
- Hardening of about 7,500 IT assets from different technologies in all stages of an end customer according to CIS benchmark requirements.
- Definition and alignment of the project scope with all relevant stakeholders.
- Setup of the project organization including governance, processes, and documentation standards.
- Creation and maintenance of high-level and detailed plans with MS Project.
- Management of the PMO team consisting of project management and PMO staff.
- Ensuring quality, deadlines, and resource use.
- Structuring of CIs by technology and assignment to CIS benchmarks.
- Definition and maintenance of Qualys profiles and policies.
- Execution of target-to-target checks for non-Qualys controls.
- Planning, control, and quality assurance of Qualys scans before and after hardening.
- Close alignment with the business units for planning and implementation of the hardening measures.
- Support and coordination of the required changes in operations.
- Provision of quality-assured evidence such as scan reports, deviation documentation, and target-to-target checks.
- Setup of transparent reporting on CIs, technologies, and work packages.
- Regular reporting to committees and top management.
- Ensuring acceptance and handover of all project results.
- Setup and maintenance of the risk register, including derivation and follow-up of measures as well as escalation and decision management.
- Environment: CIS benchmarks / hardening standards, CMDB-based CI structures, Qualys compliance scans, about 7,500 IT assets, hardening of server operating systems, middleware, databases, and network components, involvement of about 22 departments and more than 130 project members, classic and hybrid project management.
- Tools: MS Project, Excel, SharePoint, Microsoft 365, ServiceNow (CMDB, Change, Workflow), MS PowerPoint, Think Cell.
Security Analyst IT Risk / Project Manager
French major bank
- Ensuring security compliance for IT applications in the context of DORA compliance.
- Design of the end-to-end process to ensure the security compliance of IT applications.
- Review and assessment of IT application risk profiles with regard to the CIAT criteria (confidentiality, integrity, availability, traceability).
- Definition of the application security baseline by selecting relevant IT security controls for the respective risk profile.
- Conducting security compliance reviews with IT application owners through interviews or workshops.
- Conducting gap analyses to identify risks from not meeting the IT security requirements.
- Validation of the compliance review results and risk findings with security managers and the CISO.
- Formulation of risk-mitigating measures and documentation in the bank's GRC tool.
- Follow-up of measures and alignment of evidence.
- Environment: ServiceNow GRC, NIST Cyber Security Framework, ISO 27001, ISO 27005, DORA.
Project Manager
Municipal energy supplier
- Further development, upgrades, and migrations of geoinformation systems to reduce costs.
- Lovion consolidation project: consolidation of the Lovion network construction system and the Lovion Work Management System, including project planning, interface management with business units, and coordination of software development and data center service providers.
- Smallworld GIS upgrade project: upgrade from version 4.3.08 to 5.3.3, including migration management and setup of the new virtual server infrastructure.
- ETRS89 migration project: conversion of the coordinate system from Gauß-Krüger GK2 to ETRS89.
- Alarm platform project: introduction of a central alarm platform based on the FE2 solution from Alamos.
- Delivery of eight additional small projects in the geo-information environment.
- Environment: Lovion system, GE Smallworld GIS, classic and hybrid project management.
- Tools: Jira, Confluence, Xray, AWS, VMware ESX.
Project Manager, Coach, Sparring Partner
Financial services provider for securities trading
- Upgrade of the BMC ITSM suite, including the release-related move of the infrastructure platform to Native Cloud (Kubernetes).
- Ensuring the application's support capability through the upgrade.
- Coaching the internal project manager in creating project requests and project change requests.
- Support with project planning (milestones, resources, costs, budget).
- Coaching in project control, risk management, and escalation management.
- Support with project status reporting to management.
- Environment: Native Cloud (Kubernetes), BMC ITSM suite, BMC Helix.
Project Manager
Financial services provider for securities transactions
- Migration of 450 on-premise application servers to the Finance Cloud to reduce costs.
- Review of technical requirements and cloud compatibility of the application servers.
- Coordination of commercial as well as ordering and provisioning processes with the IT service provider.
- Execution of a proof of concept for process and technical migration.
- Support for application owners with ordering, technical questions, as well as termination and decommissioning of legacy devices.
- Regular reporting on achieved savings to management and IT controlling.
- Introduction of a Software Asset Management (SAM) tool to close audit findings.
- Budget planning, project planning, and control incl. milestone, resource, and cost plans.
- Coordination of internal staff and external service providers for project delivery.
- Participation in contract negotiations with service providers.
- Management of the implementation of the SAM tool Flexera for automated inventory management.
- Connection of the tool to data sources such as SCCM, AD, and CMDB.
- Implementation of IT Service Management processes and creation of operations manuals as well as security and test concepts.
- Operationalization of the license/software asset management process through the introduction of a SAM service.
- Onboarding of vendors and preparation of commercial contract and license data.
- Execution of license reconciliations and tracking of measures to close audit findings.
- Environment: Windows/Linux servers, Finance Cloud, FlexNet Manager Suite (FNMS) Flexera, SAP CUNO, planningIT, native cloud, classic and hybrid project management.
IT Security Project Manager
Insurance company in Austria
- Planning and implementation of IT security projects to mitigate cyber and information risks in line with DORA, VAIT, and FMA requirements.
- Project planning, control, and creation of milestone, resource, and cost plans.
- Coordination of external service providers and status reporting to management and steering committees.
- Implementation of an Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) and introduction of PKI certificate management for Active Directories.
- Introduction of a Data Loss Prevention (DLP) system based on Microsoft 365.
- Introduction of certificate checking for client-based VPN access and SSL inspection for encrypted internet connections.
- Support with IT compliance audits.
- Introduction of a Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB) solution incl. RFI, RFP, and proof of concept.
- Creation of a ransomware incident response playbook and development of a SOC target operating model.
- Modeling of the security incident response process and integration into the group IT incident management process.
- Development of a concept for implementing a group-wide parent CMDB.
- Environment: Clarity PPM, Jira, Confluence, Ariba, RSA-Archer, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365.
IT Project Manager
IT service provider for Finanz Informatik
- Setup and relocation of a data center incl. replacement of an existing data center and migration of customer IT systems.
- Main contact for the network department and responsible for providing the network infrastructure in the new data center.
- Coordination of around 20-25 employees for design, planning, and setup of the network.
- Moderation of workshops to develop migration concepts for different networks.
- Planning of the network setup in coordination with storage, server systems, and mainframe areas.
- Planning the relocation of firewalls, load balancers, and network management systems.
- Management of external service providers for data center interconnections.
- Implementation of IT security measures to close ECB findings in the area of network infrastructure.
- Implementation of line encryption on cross-connections between data centers.
- Implementation of network segmentation and protection through firewalls as well as securing the stock exchange connection.
- Tracking of measures and regular status updates to the customer.
- Environment: data center network infrastructure, DWDM, Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI), Fortinet/Cisco firewalls, load balancers, LAN, WAN, MAN.
Project Manager / Business Analyst IT Security & Business Continuity / Operating Model
French major bank
- Introduction of a NIST-based cyber security framework in four German entities to reach maturity level 3.
- Execution of control assessments incl. evidence collection and maturity level assessment for over 1,000 controls.
- Setup of a business continuity solution for emergency workstations (Business Recovery Seats) incl. site evaluation and provider onboarding.
- Introduction of the group-wide IT continuity framework and execution of business impact analyses.
- Execution of application and third-party risk analyses in line with BAIT and MaRisk.
- Introduction of a Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF) in line with NIST.
- Design of a cross-functional IT risk management organization and development of the target operating model (TOM).
- Project management for the stream operating model, organization, and governance to consolidate IT operations.
- Development of the target organization in coordination with HR and works councils.
- Support for the program manager as PMO incl. creation of business cases and milestone plans.
- Environment: RSA-Archer, NIST Maturity Assessment Tool, ISO 27001, ISO 27005, BAIT, MaRisk.
IT Transition Manager
IT service provider for Finanz Informatik
- Execution of a service provider change to transfer network and desktop services.
- Main contact for all transition-related topics.
- Coordination and alignment of all necessary activities for service transfer.
- Resource coordination and monitoring of contractually agreed support services.
- Environment: worldwide WAN of a bank, Cisco network components.
Project Manager Cyber Security
Deutsche Großbank
- Project management for the expansion of the ArcSight SIEM environment and transfer into Cyber Security operations.
- End-to-end implementation of ArcSight content onboarding projects based on protection needs analyses.
- Management of migration projects for ArcSight EMS and Reporting Manager.
- Optimization of the content onboarding process in coordination with SOC and Engineering.
- Management of a project to map the onboarding process in the BPM tool TIGGS, including building the CMDB.
- Elimination of audit findings in the area of Security Event Monitoring and vendor governance.
- Planning of the content migration from ArcSight to Splunk.
- Project management for security hardening: review of hardening policies, execution of gap analyses for IT governance, and definition of a requirements catalog.
- Coordination of assessment and review workshops with subject matter experts.
- Environment: HP ArcSight Enterprise Manager, TIGGS, MS SharePoint, RSA Archer, Remedy, ServiceNow, Splunk Enterprise, globally distributed virtual teams.
Service Transition Manager
Aviation / Air-Cargo
- Operational transition for a new central air cargo logistics handling system.
- Ensuring proper transfer into IT operations.
- Single point of contact for the system integration project team regarding service transition.
- Project planning, control, and monitoring of the operational transition in terms of timeline, scope, and budget.
- Coordination of sub-project managers as part of the operational handover.
- Content design of the operational handover process together with operations organizations.
- Organization and management of the Operational Review Boards.
- Environment: Replacement of a host-based system with air cargo management software, migration of around 50 supplier and acceptance systems.
Service Transition Manager / Change Manager
Deutsche Großbank
- Ensuring the proper transfer of software developments into operations as part of a bank integration.
- Definition of the Target Operating Model (TOM) and determination of resource needs.
- Alignment of Service Level Requirements, OLAs, and SLAs.
- Monitoring of quality gates in the waterfall model and delivery of documentation.
- Support in creating operations manuals, escalation matrices, and incident classifications.
- Planning of knowledge transfer for support levels 1 to 3.
- Responsibility for Operational Acceptance Tests and review of operational readiness.
- Introduction and operation of the SAP high-performance platform Magellan.
- Monitoring of changes in the production environment.
- Organization and execution of Change Advisory Boards (CABs) and approval of change requests.
- Environment: software development in Sales/Investments, SAP core banking system (UC4, ETL), BMC Remedy.
Project Manager
Internationaler Mobilfunk- Dienstleister
- Setup of a reporting process for revenue and profit (Revenue, P&L) between a subsidiary and the parent company as part of a company integration.
- Coordination of all activities to integrate the areas on time and within budget.
- Execution of a feasibility study with different options.
- Definition of milestones and responsibilities in the project team.
- Setup and integration of the reporting structure into existing systems.
- Reporting to project sponsors as well as Global Sales and Finance Management.
- Environment: merchandise management and financial systems, international project environment.
Sabbatical / Stay Abroad
Privat
- Sabbatical and stay abroad.
Project Management / Organization / Coordination
Deutsche Großbank / Bereich Application Integration Windows
- Provision of application servers for the migration of applications as part of a bank integration.
- Single point of contact for the Application Integration Windows team for the integration project.
- Clarification of project requirements for integration services for server applications.
- Coordination of incoming order requirements and commissioning processes.
- Resource planning and control to ensure order fulfillment.
- Interface to change and release management.
- Provision of automated applications in test environments for integration tests and production release.
- Environment: Windows 2003 Server, Active Directory 2003, NetInstall 5.7, MSI technology, Peregrine Service Center 6.1.
Outsourcing Project Manager - Transformation Phase
Internationaler Telekommunikationsdienstleister / Genussmittel Hersteller
- Global network and telecommunications outsourcing at 600 sites worldwide.
- Implementation of a standardized network environment (WAN, MAN, LAN, WLAN) and IP telephony at two factory sites in Germany as well as in Baltic and Nordic countries.
- Moderation of workshops to identify technical requirements and develop migration strategies.
- Definition of site requirements regarding power supply, cabling, and air conditioning.
- Collaboration with solution architects to determine equipment needs.
- Monitoring of hardware and software deliveries as well as technical concepts.
- Pilot and rollout of new infrastructure solutions.
- Negotiation of maintenance windows for migrations in 7x24h factory production environments.
- Management of acceptance tests and documentation of the new environment.
- Multi-project management of up to 11 parallel projects.
- Environment: Cisco network and IPT equipment, MS Project.
Release Manager
Internationaler IT- Dienstleister / Deutsche Großbank
- Transfer of release management processes from the bank to the IT service provider as part of desktop outsourcing.
- Knowledge transfer of processes and methods through interviews and shadowing.
- Documentation and optimization of release management processes and interfaces.
- Assumption of execution responsibility as release manager on behalf of the service provider.
- Coordination with change management processes according to ITIL.
- Environment: Peregrine Service Center 5.1/6.1, workflow management tool ADIS.
Migration Manager (Subproject Manager)
Deutsche Großbank
- Migration of application servers from an NT 4.0 structure to a Windows 2003 Active Directory structure in the investment banking area.
- Technical and organizational responsibility for approx. 250 application servers and 80 bank applications at the London site.
- Interface between infrastructure, operations, and product owners.
- Scheduling and status reporting to overall project management and customers.
- Provision of test, pre-live, and production environments via NetInstall 5.7.
- Preparation and support of acceptance tests as well as production go-live support.
- Design and optimization of supporting processes.
- Environment: Active Directory 2003, Windows 2003 Server, NetInstall 5.7, Peregrine Service Center 5.1/6.1.
Consultant / Analyst
Deutsche Großbank
- Management consulting to ensure internal and external IT compliance in the area of Enterprise Content Management.
- Creation of audit-proof system documentation (operations, security, and emergency concepts).
- Review of IT baseline protection according to BSI for newly introduced content management systems.
- Analysis and optimization of IT operations processes according to ITIL best practices.
- Modeling of business processes for automated document processing in ARIS.
- Planning of cross-functional segregation of duties between development and operations.
- Creation of training concepts, cost plans, and schedules for project implementation.
- Environment: AIX, Windows Server 2003, OS/2, MVS host, ARIS Toolset, BSI baseline protection.
Senior Consultant
ECS Bad Homburg GmbH
- Set up and led a bid management team for the consulting department.
- Qualified customer inquiries and developed solution concepts with subject matter experts.
- Created offers as well as handled price and contract negotiations.
- Managed resources, including qualification and procurement of external resources.
- Acquired and maintained relationships with suppliers and staffing service providers.
- Responsible for project calculations, controlling, invoicing, and management reporting.
- Introduced project management methods and tools.
- Supported pre-sales and business development.
Sub-Project Manager User Survey / PC Rollout
Unisys Deutschland GmbH
- Led the site and user survey workstream for a Europe-wide PC standardization project at a chemical company.
- Rolled out 38,000 client PCs across Europe.
- Collected inventory data manually through user interviews (200 PCs/day).
- Built an organizational structure with team lead level and managed up to 120 employees.
- Planned and carried out training measures.
- Reported status to the overall project management and handled escalations.
- Developed quality assurance measures.
- Environment: Windows XP, Radia software distribution, Bluecurrent rollout tool, MS Project.
IT Consultant / Management Consultant
Unisys Deutschland GmbH
- Qualified providers for a network outsourcing project in South America, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe.
- Prepared tender documents (RFI + RFP).
- Conducted the provider qualification process for a global MPLS network.
- Evaluated service provider offers and created a benchmarking matrix.
- Led service and price negotiations with shortlisted providers.
- Prepared decision papers for management.
Sub-Project Manager
Unisys Deutschland GmbH
- Set up the network and server infrastructure for a service center for automated document processing.
- Planned and designed the data center network infrastructure as well as WAN connectivity for 11 branch offices.
- Coordinated suppliers and accepted implementations (UPS, Cisco components, racks).
- Managed the relocation of around 30 server systems and 50 client workstations.
- Put the environment into operation together with the customer.
- Environment: Windows NT 4.0/2000 Server, Unisys document scanning lines, Cisco routers/switches.
Project Manager
m+s Elektronik AG
- Europe-wide rollout and operation of securities trading systems for Deutsche Börse.
- Rollout of EUREX, XETRA, and CBOT trading systems.
- Set up a helpdesk for remote monitoring and administration of the systems (5 x 18 hrs.).
- Led the nine-person international support and rollout team.
- Ensured compliance with SLAs.
- Environment: Windows NT 4.0, SUN Solaris, HP AIX, BMC Patrol.
Industry Experience
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Experienced in Banking and Finance, Information Technology, Telecommunication, Transportation, Food and Beverage, and Professional Services.
Business Area Experience
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Experienced in Project Management, Information Technology, Operations, Quality Assurance, Procurement, and Sales.
Summary
More than 25 years of IT and telecom experience, including many years as a salaried senior consultant and project manager at various IT system and consulting companies. Freelance since 2007.
Many years of experience leading IT infrastructure, organization, and security projects. Strong knowledge in service transformation and transition, solution implementation, standardization, migration, and rollout. Solid background in IT governance, risk & compliance, as well as information, IT, and cyber security, and also in business and IT continuity.
Consulting and reporting to top-level management such as CIO, CTO, and CISO.
Extensive experience with complex outsourcing and business integration projects, also on an international level and abroad.
Leadership experience in projects with more than 130 project team members. Working with globally distributed virtual teams (virtual teaming, nearshoring, and offshoring).
Skills
Leading Projects And Programs In It Infrastructure And Network
Leading Projects And Programs In Information, It, And Cyber Security
Leading Projects And Programs In Service Transformation And Transition
Leading Projects And Programs In Hardware And Software Rollouts
It Service Management (Itsm)
Information, It, And Cyber Security
It Risk Management
It Governance
Information Security Management System (Isms) Implementation
Information System Auditing
Languages
Education
University of Applied Sciences of Deutsche Bundespost Telekom in Dieburg
Dipl.-Ing. in Communications Engineering · Electrical Engineering, specializing in Communications Engineering · Dieburg, Germany
Certifications & licenses
Certified NIS2 Directive 2.0 Lead Implementer
Certified Information System Auditor
ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer
PECB
CISSP (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional
ITIL Expert In IT Service Management
OCG / APMG
Certified Project Manager (Level C)
GPM / IPMA
COBIT Foundation Certificate
ISACA
Cyber Security Practitioner
ISACA / BSI
ITIL V3 Intermediate Lifecycle Certificates
ITIL V3 and V2 Foundation Certificate In IT Service Management
Splunk Power User 6.3 Certification
Statistics
Experience
Global Experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
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