Find the perfect Heads of IT in Germany in minutes from over 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.
Cover IT strategy, infrastructure, cloud migration, cybersecurity, ERP support, and vendor management with the right interim lead. Get fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.
About the role
IT leadership
A Head of IT keeps day-to-day systems stable while moving the stack forward. This role sets priorities for infrastructure, business applications, support, security, and change. In many companies, the freelance Head of IT steps in as an interim IT Director, IT Manager, or IT lead when a gap must be filled fast.
Typical work
- Review the current IT setup and identify risks
- Run service desk, infrastructure, cloud, and workplace teams
- Lead migrations, upgrades, and rollouts
- Align IT with business units and operations
- Manage vendors, licenses, contracts, and budgets
- Improve security, backup, access control, and incident handling
Key skills
Strong candidates combine technical judgment with clear leadership. They know how to speak with developers, support teams, finance, and management without losing the thread.
- IT operations, governance, and service management
- Cloud platforms, networks, endpoints, and identity
- Cybersecurity basics and practical risk management
- ERP, CRM, collaboration, and workplace tools
- Stakeholder management and team coordination
When companies hire
Companies bring in a freelance Head of IT during restructuring, growth, system replacement, or leadership absence. It also makes sense when internal teams need direction for a migration, audit response, or process cleanup. In Germany, this is common in manufacturing, mid-market firms, and multi-site organizations that need structured execution without a long hiring cycle.
What strong leaders deliver
A good Head of IT does more than keep systems running. They create order, reduce friction, and make sure IT supports the business instead of slowing it down.
- Clear priorities and a realistic IT roadmap
- Stable operations with fewer recurring incidents
- Better collaboration between business and IT
- Transparent ownership for systems and suppliers
- Reliable handover after the assignment ends
How to evaluate fit
Look for people who have led similar environments, not just managed tickets. They should understand both operational detail and executive reporting, and they should be able to make decisions under pressure. For a freelance Head of IT, practical experience with interim setups, fast onboarding, and cross-functional communication matters as much as technical depth.
Meet FRATCH Heads of IT
Firas Jradi
IT Governance & IT Compliance Expert
Last position:
Interim Management Group Head of IT Governance & IAM at French-German Private Bank
- Head of the group-wide, international, and cross-functional IT Governance & IAM department within the central IT division of a large French-German private banking group. Disciplinary management of around 30 employees at five different locations within the group (Frankfurt, Paris, Tunis, Saarbrücken, Düsseldorf). Head of IT committees and key role in direct communication with management, the supervisory board, external stakeholders, and regulators.
- Definition and establishment of a state-of-the-art IT strategy process and related IT governance structures for the group's IT department with more than 600 employees (testified by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority and the ACPR) and successful process run.
- Establishment of a new future-oriented process framework for IT and necessary governance structures (process squads) for the continuous improvement of IT processes with regard to new regulatory requirements (including DORA, EU AI Act, etc.).
- Establishment of stringent processes to close a historical backlog of findings (> 100 IT findings, 40 overdue findings in 2022) from internal and external auditors (WP, ACPR, BaFin). Successful reduction of stock of overdue findings to 0 at the end of 2025.
- Supporting more than 20 IT audits per year and establishment of regulatory monitoring processes. Introduction of ServiceNow to revolutionize regulatory change and IT compliance processes with advanced AI functionalities.
- Realignment of IT control processes in conjunction with the newly established ICT risk function under DORA and the three lines of defense concept using the TopEase GRC solution.
- Reduction of the application landscape, by systematically analysing the purpose with application and business owners, identifying duplicates while implementing a One-Tool Strategy throughout the group. Successful reduction of one third of the application landscape within the CMDB.
- Onboarding of all group applications into One Identity's group-wide IAM solution, as well as operation and further development of the solution in connection with segregation of duties (SoD), role-based access management (RBAC), etc.
Karl-Heinz Schulte
Interim Executive | Board Member for IT, Digital, AI, and Transformation
Last position:
CIO
- CIO at nutrition R&D and producer (family owned)
Strengthened IT Team, recovered IT service, reviewed and streamlined complex SAP landscape, reviewed IT security set-up, reviewed laboratory IT
Adnan Karabegovic
Chief Information Officer
Last position:
Chief Information Officer at ARLANXEO Deutschland GmbH
- Executed post-carve-out stabilization, system consolidation and cybersecurity uplift. Re-assessed system landscape and assets and designed new IT strategy for future. Implemented new IT operating model focusing on product-centric organization and re-internalization of critical resources.
- Successfully designed new IT operating model of the company, based on massive reduction of external dependencies, insourcing of key positions and upskilling of employees.
- Massive reduction of IT cost in the first three years (-40m$), bringing IT spend level below Gartner industry benchmark (1.27%).
- Introduced new product-centric organization based on fusion teams between business and IT across the company.
- Administered implementation of corporate-wide IT/OT cybersecurity program with more than 60 projects.
- Continuous improvement of enterprise IT/OT cybersecurity maturity level with significant increase in the first two years (CMMI >3.5, C2M2 >2.5).
- Governed successful implementation of the business transformation program within IT area by overachieving the savings target by $8m.
- Initiated and created new cloud-based data management platform based on best-in-class technology.
- Implemented first company-wide Microsoft Copilot AI program based on various business cases, leveraging GenAI and AgenticAI.
Garima Chomal
IT Program Director
Last position:
IT Program Director at Trax Retail
- Directed global digital transformation programs enabling enterprise adoption of AI-powered retail analytics solutions
- Led migration from legacy platforms to cloud-based ecosystems, improving data processing performance by over 40%
- Served as strategic technology advisor to enterprise customers, aligning technology roadmaps with business objectives
- Managed cross-functional global teams of 100+ resources across multiple regions
Norman Richter
Occupational Safety Specialist
Last position:
Occupational Safety Specialist at Baltic Distillery GmbH
- Further development of the quality management system
- Conducting internal audits
- Preparing and following up on audits
- Conducting hygiene audits
- Planning external audits
- Creating and tracking deviations
- Document maintenance and creation
- Training employees (food hygiene, product protection)
- Revising supplier management with the purchasing department
- Digitizing the lab and part of the production with new equipment and electronic document management software
- Close cooperation with purchasing, sales, HR, and production management
- Preparing the management review together with senior management
- Acting as measuring equipment coordinator
Stephan Le Anh
IT Generalist
Last position:
IT Generalist at SThree
- Software packaging and distribution with SCCM/MECM
- Application responsibility and support (50–100 applications)
- Documentation via ticket system
- User management via AD console
- Software updates and distribution
- Maintenance and updating of software packages
- Customizing scripts with PowerShell
- Rolling out and implementing new software
- Supporting IT security and compliance
Tools and software: Confluence, M365, Active Directory, Intune, Endpoint Management, SCCM/MECM, PowerShell, VMware Hardware: Lenovo, Cherry, Plantronics, Jabra + peripherals
Tobias Greiner
Head of IT D-A-CH (CIO)
Last position:
Head of IT D-A-CH (CIO) at Sodexo Service GmbH
- Responsible for IT strategy and operational IT governance in the D-A-CH region, covering infrastructure, applications, operations, security, and support
- Developed and implemented a strategic IT transformation to improve scalability, efficiency, and security of IT systems
- Managed a team of 25 specialists and coordinated with global and regional IT stakeholders
- Deployed a centralized IT service model for 250+ sites to standardize and optimize processes
- Supported and technically executed a carve-out to ensure business continuity
- Introduced modern cloud technologies and automation solutions to optimize processes
- Ensured compliance with ISO 27001, GDPR, and ITIL standards to minimize security risks
- Reduced IT costs by 20% through cloud migration and IT consolidation
- Built and led a high-performing IT team with focus on innovation and service orientation
- Led IT transformation projects including ERP migration, IT security, and digitalization
- Improved IT security level by implementing ISO 27001 and GDPR-compliant processes
- Optimized service times by 30% through AI-powered process automation
Ramy Elhawary
Head of IT – Global
Last position:
Head of IT – Global at Rapid Data GmbH
- IT Strategy & Leadership: Develop and execute a forward-looking IT strategy aligned with business objectives, ensuring the adoption of emerging technologies to drive efficiency, innovation, and long-term scalability across all internal IT domains.
- IT Infrastructure & Operations: Oversee the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of a secure, scalable, and high-performance IT infrastructure, enabling business growth and operational stability in a dynamic, international environment.
- Cybersecurity & Compliance: Establish and maintain robust IT security frameworks, policies, and technical controls to safeguard company assets and data, ensuring full compliance with industry regulations and standards.
- Cloud Architecture & Operations: Design, implement, and optimize cloud strategies using platforms such as Microsoft Azure and AWS, ensuring cost-efficiency, performance, and alignment with business needs across hybrid and cloud-native environments.
- Team Leadership & Development: Build, lead, and empower a high-performing IT team, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement across all internal IT areas including ITSM and Development and DevOps.
- Vendor & Stakeholder Management: Collaborate cross-functionally with internal stakeholders and external technology partners to ensure efficient IT service delivery, seamless project execution, and cost-effective vendor management.
- Digital Transformation & Automation: Champion digital transformation by introducing automation and cloud-first strategies, modernizing legacy systems, and optimizing internal IT processes to increase agility and scalability.
- Application Management: Lead the implementation, integration, and lifecycle management of Enterprise Applications, ensuring a seamless, secure, and user-centric application landscape.
- Budget & Cost Control: Manage the IT budget with precision, ensuring transparent cost control while supporting strategic investments that align with business priorities and future growth.
Konstantin Simonow
Head of Cyber Defense Unit
Last position:
Head of Cyber Defense Unit at Simonow Consulting GmbH
- Established the Cyber Defense Unit following a major cybersecurity incident
- Recruited a team of Cybersecurity Architects, Engineers and Senior Security Analysts
- Managed the team’s resources and activities in defining and implementing a target cybersecurity architecture, monitoring the IT landscape, detecting and responding to security events and incidents, and consulting other IT stakeholders in their efforts to improve the organization’s cybersecurity posture (comparable to Technical CISO role)
- Led the separation of Information Security (governance, risk, compliance) and Cyberdefense Unit (technical cybersecurity), in close collaboration with the CISO
- Led the selection and onboarding of external Security Operations Center (MSSP)
Joerg Reger
Chief Information Officer
Last position:
Chief Information Officer at CQLT SaarGummi Group
Chief Information Officer with more than two decades of international leadership experience in publicly traded and regulated industrial environments.
Responsible for the structural realignment of complex, long-standing IT organizations to bring transparency, control, and financial stability.
Leading global IT organizations with budgets up to €120 million and up to 320 employees.
Developing and rolling out centrally managed operating models, setting up transparent financial and governance structures, and consistently delivering business-critical platform initiatives (e.g., SAP S/4HANA).
Focused on restoring decision-making, prioritization, and execution power during transformation phases under increased organizational pressure.
Leveraging technology as a strategic tool to increase efficiency, stabilize operations, and support sustainable business development.
Global IT Transformation & Operating Models
SAP S/4HANA & Platform Harmonization
Digital Manufacturing & Industry 4.0
Governance, Compliance & Cyber Resilience
International Organizational Leadership
Sourcing & Location Strategies
Overall responsibility for strategy, governance, budget, and operations of the global IT function with an annual budget of approximately €45 million and an international team of about 95 employees across all locations.
Direct reporting line to the executive management and close strategic coordination with the CFO and COO.
Realigned a historically decentralized IT landscape of 28 legally independent entities and separate budget and control logics into a centrally managed, internationally standardized operating model.
Introduced transparent governance, reporting, and financial structures with clear separation and active management of CapEx and OpEx budgets at the corporate level.
Established group-wide IT financial and performance management with clear investment prioritization, transparent CapEx/OpEx structure, and active portfolio governance to sustainably enhance decision-making at the executive level.
By consistently centralizing, standardizing, and harmonizing platforms (including global rollout of SAP S/4HANA), structural complexity was significantly reduced.
IT cost base was sustainably cut by about 15% while significantly improving performance and service levels and increasing transparency and control for executive management and leadership.
At the same time, strategically expanded the production IT architecture in the context of Industry 4.0 by integrating MES and IoT systems in OEM-related, safety-critical production environments and building audit-ready governance and security structures while meeting regulatory requirements (e.g., automotive standards, TISAX-like frameworks, global compliance rules).
Maintained strict focus on strategically relevant initiatives by clearing parallel projects, reducing redundant structures, and establishing clear responsibilities to noticeably increase speed, commitment, and execution power in the organization.
High international presence with operational responsibility at production sites and an active role as a strategic sparring partner to the executive management.
Peter Scheitterer
IT Project Manager
Last position:
IT Project Manager at PAS Provider for Hospital
Overall responsibility for managing a clinical digitization project in a regulated hospital environment.
Design and implementation of a patient call and management system (PASO) for the orthopedics department of a large hospital.
- Project management, planning, and control
- Process analysis and optimization, and managing implementation and rollout
- Coordination with clinical departments, IT, and external service providers
- Ensuring integration into existing IT and process landscapes
Project scope: 310 person-days, team size: 21 members.
Emil Simedrea
Project Manager
Last position:
IT Project Manager at Eurowings Aviation GmbH
- The project aimed to reduce the scope of the annual PCI DSS audit and increase security in credit card payments.
- Credit card payments were tokenized and data and business processes adjusted so that no personal data was used in the internal IT infrastructure.
- Tools: MS Office, Jira, Confluence, draw.io, Miro, Scrum.
- Designed the tokenization of credit card payments.
- Clarified necessary changes to the architecture and data model.
- Designed and implemented process changes in the call center.
- Prepared management documentation on project status, decisions required, risks and escalations.
Michael Schleier
Head of IT Project Management and Software Development DACH
Last position:
Head of IT Project Management and Software Development DACH at Webhelp Holding Germany GmbH
- Established and developed the IT organization in the DACH region (including Poland and the Balkans)
- Directly reporting to the CTO, handling various special tasks (e.g., GDPR, communication with the works council, data protection support and CISO)
- 9 years of disciplinary and technical leadership of project management teams (internal and external clients) and software development in the DACH region
- 4 years of disciplinary and technical leadership of the IT Service Desk for the DACH region (1st level)
- Defined strategy and developed roadmaps in collaboration with the CTO (infrastructure renewal, digitalization, security, BCM)
- Derived projects from the roadmap, prioritized, planned and executed them
- Team leadership (managing project teams up to 50 people; disciplinary and technical leadership of 12 people)
- Data center build/relocation (one build, three relocations/mergers)
- GDPR implementation (initial registration, maintenance process, procedure directories)
- Managed ISO27001 initial certification and two recertifications (ITSM, IT processes, hardware and software inventory, development guidelines)
- Established and took responsibility for IT requirements management
- Responsible as system owner for in-house developments (automation platform, tracking and security tools)
- Process analysis (gathering, alignment, analysis, improvement, design)
- 6 months as interim CTO (due to the CTO's illness)
Reza Moini
Head of IT Operations
Last position:
Head of IT Operations at Centogene GmbH
- Advanced to directly report to C-level and lead the €1.5M budget with AWS, utilizing S3, EC2, and RDS services to run 21 accounts, 5 OUs, and 3 PB of data by architecting the AWS environment and monitoring KPIs.
- Led a strategic cloud migration from legacy systems to AWS, reducing data center costs by 42% annually. Designed and executed the transition plan, including refactoring and rehosting operations, ensuring system compatibility, and optimizing infrastructure connectivity.
- Reduced external firewall costs by €204k per month by eliminating the external service provider and bringing the function in-house, advertising on LinkedIn, screening candidates and leading the interviews.
- Lowered mobile phone costs from €276k to €60k for 300 users on 2-year contracts by negotiating better tariffs with Vodafone, removing unnecessary services for each user and standardizing across all countries.
- Saved €45k per annum by eliminating infrastructure and external IT consultancy costs in Zug, Belgrade, Berlin and Boston by reviewing the services, conducting a risk assessment and building an in-house team.
- Increased payment terms from 30 to 180 days with the four main suppliers which generated an additional €280k per month into the business by persuading them to support the company during a difficult period.
Timo Hahn
IT Product Owner / IT Project Manager
Last position:
IT Product Owner / IT Project Manager at Schaeffler AG
- Responsible for tool-based project and portfolio management in the group
- Designing, enhancing and operating Jira- and Confluence-based workflows
- Translating management and business requirements into reliable tool concepts
- Integrating Jira into existing tool landscapes (e.g. Planview, ServiceNow, SAP BW)
- Establishing governance, reporting and KPI structures
- Rolling out new workflows including training & key user models
- Using AI features to support planning & analysis
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of IT statistics
Typical experience
23 years
Average project duration
3.1 years
Certifications per freelancer
4
Top business areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Operations
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Manufacturing
Most common languages
German, English, French
Bachelor's degree or higher
92%
Master's degree or higher
38%
Salary / Daily Rate Distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of freelancers in this role are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows how many freelancers charge within that range. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Average rates for Heads of IT & Seniority distribution
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Frequently Asked Questions
Curious about FRATCH? Find the answers you need
A Head of IT runs the IT function from both the operational and strategic side. The work usually includes infrastructure, support, security, systems, vendors, and team coordination, plus planning for upgrades or change. In an interim setup, the role often focuses on stabilizing the environment and giving the business clear priorities.
Choose a freelancer when you need leadership now, but the long-term structure is still open. This is common during parental leave cover, reorganization, migrations, audit remediation, or a sudden vacancy. A freelance Head of IT can keep things moving while you decide on the permanent model.
A strong IT Director or Head of IT combines technical judgment, people leadership, and calm decision-making. Look for experience with IT operations, cloud, security, workplace tools, vendor management, and stakeholder communication. The best candidates can explain complex issues in plain language and turn them into action.
Not always, but the titles are often used for similar responsibility. In smaller companies, IT Manager and Head of IT may mean the same person leads the full function. In larger organizations, the IT Director may sit above several managers, while the Head of IT owns a specific domain or site.
Expect a clear assessment of the current setup, a prioritized action plan, and visible ownership of ongoing IT work. A good Head of IT will also define responsibilities, improve reporting, and coordinate vendors or internal teams. If there is a transformation underway, they should bring structure to the roadmap and the rollout.
Both models are possible, but the right setup depends on the environment. If the company has multiple sites, hardware issues, or a team that needs close leadership, on-site presence is often useful, especially in Germany-based organizations with local operations. For governance, planning, and vendor coordination, remote collaboration can work well.
Look for evidence of order, not just technical knowledge. A strong IT Manager or Head of IT can explain how they improved stability, reduced noise, handled vendors, and aligned IT with business needs. During interviews, ask for examples of difficult situations, what they changed, and how they measured progress.
Freelance Heads of IT are usually brought in for clear responsibility and fast impact. Expect access to management, existing systems, and the people who actually run the environment, because the role depends on good information. Success comes from listening early, making priorities visible, and handing over cleanly at the end.
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
