Meet the best Heads of Project Management in Germany matched in minutes with the power of AI from over 15,000 CVs.
Accelerate your complex initiatives with seasoned leaders specializing in PMO setup, agile transformations, and multi-project steering. We connect you with vetted, available freelance professionals who align with your organizational culture and project scope.
About the role
Strategic Steering for Complex German Projects
Freelance project leaders oversee critical business transformations, large-scale IT implementations, and cross-departmental initiatives. In the German market, they frequently manage transition phases in automotive, manufacturing, and financial services, ensuring that complex portfolios align with corporate strategy. These professionals stabilize struggling programs, optimize resource allocation, and establish robust governance structures.
Core Responsibilities and Deliverables
Experienced leaders in this role establish the frameworks that allow project teams to deliver high-quality results predictably. They act as the central interface between executive stakeholders and operational teams.
- Designing and implementing standardized PMO methodologies
- Realigning derailed multi-million-euro project portfolios
- Managing resource capacity and budget allocations across departments
- Facilitating change management during agile or digital transformations
- Leading and mentoring senior project managers and Scrum Masters
Critical Skills and Methodologies
Top professionals combine deep methodology expertise with strong leadership presence. They are fluent in traditional frameworks like PRINCE2, GPM/IPMA, and PMI, as well as agile setups like SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban. In Germany, a successful head of project management must navigate both structured corporate hierarchies and modern, flat-organization cultures. Excellent bilingual communication in German and English is standard, enabling seamless collaboration with local teams and offshore delivery centers.
Why Hire an Interim Leader
Companies opt for freelance project directors to bridge sudden leadership gaps or to bring in objective external expertise during high-stakes reorganizations. An external leader brings an unbiased perspective, free from internal politics, allowing them to make tough decisions quickly. They integrate rapidly into existing team structures, quickly establishing authority and trust to drive immediate project progress without a long onboarding phase.
Meet FRATCH Heads of Project Management
Ole Himmel
Manager Post Merger Integration, Process Management and Digitalization (Software)
Last position:
Interim Head of PMO at RAILPOOL GmbH
Due to the steady growth of the customer organization and the associated increase in the number of projects in a wide range of areas, including IT/digitalization, sales and organizational development, and controlling, the demands on the projects are increasing. Projects are often started but not implemented within the planned time frame, resources are not clearly assigned, and the business value is not clearly demonstrated. The goal of the assignment as Interim Head of PMO is to further develop and embed an existing project organization from the CDO area at management level. It is important that the governance is pragmatic, easy to understand, and simple to apply in daily project work. The tasks and roles are to be defined, embedded in the organization, and this strategic PMO is also to be supported by an IT solution. This solution is to be selected and introduced. In addition, all ongoing projects are to be gradually transferred into PMO governance and project control is to be centralized.
Clemens Eibofner
Industrial Transformation Executive
Last position:
Head of Projects at BORSIG ZM GmbH
- Designed and established the Project Management Office as the organization's central delivery function.
- Expanded Project Management organization from 3 to 10 Project Managers to support portfolio growth.
- Introduced Commercial Project Management and Project Controlling as dedicated governance functions.
- Implemented portfolio governance, executive reporting and standardized performance management.
- Led an international portfolio of more than 20 EPC projects through execution and contractual delivery.
Andrea Krämer
PMO / Project Manager / Transformation Lead
Last position:
PMO / Project Manager / Agile Transformation Lead at Freelancer
PMO | AI Incubator Debt Collection/Financial Services Establishment and implementation of a cross-functional project and governance structure for one of Europe’s leading technology-driven debt collection firms. Focus on collaboration across business units, identification of AI use cases, scaling of data-driven business processes and automation of AI-supported customer interactions.
Strategy and Efficiency Consultant | Retail Analysis, identification, and optimization of inefficient workflows with the goal of increasing employee productivity, improving communication flows, and better aligning the organization with strategic business objectives.
PMO | Big Pharma Establishment of agile working processes and organizational structures, as well as coaching of a cross-functional business unit of a major vaccine manufacturer to enhance efficiency, transparency, and collaboration. Design and implementation of a structured onboarding program to enable more efficient scaling of headcount, along with the establishment of sustainable formats for knowledge sharing and transfer within the organization.
Project Manager | Big Pharma Management and support of the tendering and procurement process for an innovation project aimed at improving efficiency in vaccine management, including coordination of internal and external stakeholders.
Project Manager | Big Pharma Identification and evaluation of additional vaccination sites beyond traditional medical practices. Development of a pilot concept considering regulatory requirements as well as diverse market and stakeholder interests.
Strategy Consultant | Automotive & Retail Development of a market analysis on “innovation in retail” for a luxury automotive manufacturer, including an international benchmark of current trends and innovations. The project included analyzing innovative retail store concepts, experience centers, and showrooms with a focus on interactivity and technology, as well as deriving recommendations on brand fit and customer experience to support the design of a new, forward-looking brand store.
Product Owner | Automotive Management of the integration of a service provider’s SDK for identity verification into the OEM’s system landscape, ensuring secure driver authentication before enabling safety-critical features. Responsibilities included managing technical, contractual, and process requirements, leading the tendering process, forecasting usage, and preparing management reports, while working closely with IT development, legal, compliance, customer service, and procurement teams.
Product Owner | Automotive Responsible for ensuring GDPR-compliant documentation of software components and establishing proper processes for data processing and storage. This included creating records of processing activities, managing data processing agreements, and overseeing the review and update of privacy policies, as well as defining and implementing requirements to ensure data security and integrity.
Interim Head of Buying & Category Management | E-Commerce Led the strategic and operational development of the buying department of a fashion e-commerce company, with full responsibility for process optimization and budget management. The role involved building and maintaining supplier relationships, negotiating contracts, and managing a team of 7–10 direct reports, including recruiting and onboarding new employees and a new Head of Buying & Planning. Additionally, a standardized onboarding program was designed and implemented, and close collaboration with the CEO and cross-functional teams ensured alignment with the overall business strategy.
Product Owner | Aviation Led the relaunch of a private jet airline’s website, including the redesign of backend and content management systems. The role covered gathering and structuring stakeholder requirements, defining functional specifications, shaping the visual design and user experience, and coordinating the development team to ensure timely and high-quality implementation.
Consultant | Various Projects: Digital Transformation Retail Provided consulting services on digital transformation, customer engagement/CRM, digital store concepts, and omnichannel strategies. This included developing forward-looking concepts, managing agile software development projects for mobile applications, collaborating closely with developers and UX/UI designers, and supporting IT recruiting efforts.
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)
Max Grauer
PMO Lead for Governance Project Document Management
Last position:
PMO Lead for Governance Project Document Management at Deutsche Telekom Business Customers GmbH
- Led the data migration from ImageMaster to SharePoint while adhering to strict data security standards
- Developed an optimized process concept to increase efficiency
- Created and managed a detailed project plan with MS Project, including milestone and resource management
- Coordinated all stakeholders and produced governance documentation up to go-live
- Used the SAP Project System for project control
- Managed a team of 4 people
Neli Georgieva
PMO Lead, Scrum Master, Agile Coach,
Last position:
Cohort Participant at Founder Institute
- Customer discovery and product-market fit validation for an AI tutoring platform
- MVP experiments: customer interviews, landing page tests
- Entrepreneurship training: product-market fit, go-to-market strategy
Michael Gericke
Interim Manager, Project Management Lead
Last position:
Interim Manager, Head of Project Management at Hubert Schlieckmann GmbH
Optimizing and monitoring project management
Internal/external stakeholder management
Conflict and escalation management
Point of contact for customers
Leading team meetings
Planning, coordinating, and controlling projects with consideration of client and project milestones
Developing, monitoring, and ensuring adherence to financial and personnel planning
Tracking deadlines and ensuring project and product quality
Welded assemblies from 7xxx series aluminum extrusion profiles
Complex chassis assemblies made from stamped, forged, and cast parts
Module carriers, structural elements, door components
Progressive and transfer presses, robotic welding, automated assembly, mechanical aluminum profile machining
6 team members
Georg Wagener
Head of PMO
Last position:
Head of PMO at Vivax Net GmbH
- Lead FTTH program management
- Select and implement digitalization software
- Lead process management
- Lead procurement and logistics
Anocha Taejiw
Head of Finance | PMO
Last position:
Director at turn2value GmbH
As Director of turn2value, Anocha Taejiw supports companies in the implementation of complex transformations in Finance Department. He assists in the areas of controlling & reporting, forecasting and the implementation of holistic value-enhancing programs
Christina Mante
Head of PMO
Last position:
Head of PMO at PriceWhaterhouseCoopers GmbH
- Coaching the PMO team on project management processes and methods
- Project control
- Reporting to project boards
- Risk management
- Change management
- Standards for project documentation
- Creating project documents (project manual, reports)
Hans-Peter Ramatschi
Interim Director Project Management
Last position:
Interim Director Project Management at Heater and air conditioning equipment manufacturer (non-automotive)
- Improved status and performance of the project management department
- Project management "Project Management Excellence"
- Operational coaching in crisis projects
- Root cause analysis
- Developing and implementing improvement measures
- Reporting to Head of R&D
Silke Wöhning
Head of Project Management and Consultancy
Last position:
Head of Project Management and Consultancy at Systemtechnik GmbH
- Planning of projects and consulting services: professional, technical and commercial, focusing on transformation for public transport
- Identification and assessment of project risks with development of measures and recommendations for risk minimization and avoidance
- Evaluation of projects and reporting
- Execution of projects and delivery of consulting services on time, with required quality and within budget
- Project, hardware and consulting services forecasting
- Disciplinary and professional staff management
- Team development and coaching
- Resource planning across various locations
- Stakeholder management
- Client management with service and support
- Development of contingency plans
Axel Kresse
Head of Enterprise Project Management
Last position:
Head of Enterprise Project Management at Koch Industrieanlagen GmbH
- Leading and expanding the project management department
- Introducing a project management method based on PMI’s PMBOK
- Rolling out a web-based project management and collaboration tool
Ricardo Schaitanow
Head of Project Management Department, Project Manager
Last position:
Head of Project Management Department, Project Manager at BPS Planung GmbH
- Project management team leadership
- Project control, project controlling, quality management
- Overall project management for BIM projects / architectural planning, building services engineering (HVAC/plumbing), infrastructure
- Contract and variation management
- Project acquisition, contract negotiations
Sven Neumann
Business Executive for Strategy & Operations | International Interim Executive: CFO / COO / CEO or Head of PMO / PMI
Last position:
Acquisition Program Manager at impacts4u
- Strategic planning and management of a transition
- Monitoring the end-to-end execution of the acquisition program
- Stakeholder communication for all acquisition-related communications
- Risk management: identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies
- Reporting and analysis during and after the acquisition
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Heads of Project Management statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
21 years
Position duration
2.6 years
Positions per freelancer
12
Top business areas
Project Management, Information Technology, Strategy
Top industries
Manufacturing, Professional Services, Information Technology
Certification focus areas
Project Management, Information Technology, Strategy
Bachelor's degree or higher
100%
Master's degree or higher
71%
Doctorate
14%
Certifications per freelancer
5
Most common languages
German, English, Spanish
Speak two or more languages
88%
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 Project Management & 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
Got questions? Learn key details about FRATCH right now
A freelance head of project management directs complex project portfolios, establishes organizational standards, and leads project management offices. They ensure that strategic initiatives are executed on time, within scope, and on budget by aligning diverse teams and managing stakeholder expectations.
Hiring a freelance interim PMO lead makes sense during sudden leadership vacancies, major corporate restructuring, or when launching high-risk programs. Freelancers bring immediate availability, specialized transformation expertise, and an objective perspective that permanent employees might lack.
Look for established certifications such as PMI-PMP, GPM/IPMA Level A or B, or Prince2 Practitioner, alongside agile credentials like SAFe Program Consultant. In Germany, a qualified project management director must also possess strong bilingual skills in German and English to manage both local operations and international stakeholders.
A seasoned head of project management typically works in a hybrid model, balancing remote strategic planning with regular on-site presence in Germany for steering committee meetings and team alignment workshops. They utilize digital collaboration tools like Jira, Confluence, and MS Project to maintain full transparency across distributed teams.
While a program manager focuses on a specific set of interconnected projects, a head of project management is responsible for the overall project culture, methodology standards, resource management, and governance across the entire organization. They oversee all PMs and program managers within the company or department.
Yes, restructuring or establishing a PMO is a common task for an interim project director. They assess current bottlenecks, implement modern governance tools, train existing staff, and transition the department to a sustainable, high-performing state before handing over to a permanent successor.
Evaluate a potential head of project management by reviewing their past track record of successfully delivered large-scale portfolios and crisis-resolution situations. Strong candidates can clearly articulate how they handled resource conflicts, stakeholder resistance, and budget overruns in previous assignments.
Freelance heads of project management are highly sought after in Germany's core sectors, including automotive, industrial engineering, energy, and financial services. These industries regularly face massive digital transformations, supply chain reorganizations, and regulatory shifts that require experienced, objective leadership.
The average hourly rate for Heads of Project Management in Germany is 129 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,033 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Heads of Project Management in Germany, 100% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 71% hold at least a Master's degree, and 14% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Heads of Project Management in Germany have 21 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.6 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Heads of Project Management in Germany are German (94%), English (94%), and Spanish (24%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Heads of Project Management in Germany are Manufacturing (65%), Professional Services (65%), and Information Technology (59%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Heads of Project Management in Germany are Project Management (100%), Information Technology (82%), and Strategy (82%).
FRATCH Heads of Project Management main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home across the DACH region — available on-site in the major business hubs or fully remote. Choose a location to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin Hamburg Munich Cologne Frankfurt Stuttgart Dusseldorf Leipzig Dortmund Essen Bremen Dresden Hanover Nuremberg Request a Free Demo
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
