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About the role
Strategic Engineering and Technical Leadership
A Head of Software Development bridges the gap between executive business goals and technical execution. They align development pipelines with the long-term vision of the company, ensuring that product roadmaps are realistic, scalable, and secure. By establishing clear architectural guidelines and choosing the right technology stacks, they lay the foundation for sustainable software engineering.
Core Deliverables and Responsibilities
- Defining scalable software architecture and technology roadmaps
- Mentoring engineering leads and structuring agile developer teams
- Optimizing continuous integration and continuous deployment workflows
- Managing technical debt and modernizing legacy applications
- Ensuring strict adherence to software quality and security standards
Architectural and Methodological Expertise
Strong tech leaders bring a wealth of experience in modern development paradigms. They are experts in agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, and they understand how to structure microservices, API-first designs, and cloud infrastructure. Their background allows them to make informed decisions on toolchains, automation, and testing strategies that directly improve engineering velocity and system reliability.
Navigating the German Tech Landscape
Operating in Germany requires balancing high engineering standards with strict regulatory requirements. Freelance tech leaders in this region understand how to implement DSGVO compliance directly into the software development lifecycle. They are experienced in bridging the gap between traditional German industrial processes and modern SaaS methodologies, making them highly effective for both established Mittelstand companies and fast-growing tech hubs.
When to Bring in an Interim Leader
Companies hire freelance engineering leaders during critical business phases. This includes sudden leadership departures, major system migrations, or rapid scaling phases where existing structures no longer suffice. An interim professional brings external perspective and immediate relief, helping to restructure development departments and keep key projects on track without long recruitment delays.
Key Attributes of a Strong Tech Lead
Beyond technical brilliance, outstanding software development leaders possess exceptional communication skills. They translate complex engineering challenges into clear business value for stakeholders while protecting developers from administrative distractions. They foster a culture of ownership, continuous learning, and clean code, ensuring that the engineering organization remains motivated and productive.
Meet FRATCH Heads of Software Development
Thomas Übermeier
Innovative Fintech & Blockchain Leader · Head Of Engineering
Last position:
Head of Engineering - Midnight at IOG / Midnight
IOG (IOHK), is one of the world's pre-eminent blockchain infrastructure research and engineering companies.
- Converted a lingering R&D project into a cohesive, production-ready testnet; built and scaled the 35-member engineering team (Core, QA, SRE) to achieve this goal.
- Defined strategic direction and aligned technology development with business objectives as a key member of the leadership.
- Optimized software development processes and implemented agile methodologies, enhancing operational efficiency and code security.
- Delivered projects in a fast-paced startup environment through effective project management and resource allocation.
Markus Gattermann
Interim Project Manager / Head of Engineering & Operations | Mechanical & Special Machinery Engineering | Turnaround & Series
Last position:
Managing Owner at GEC-Solutions
Interim management, project leadership and technical consulting in mechanical and plant engineering for projects in mechanical engineering with a focus on automotive, e-mobility and series production
- Taking over and stabilizing critical projects in special machine construction and the automotive sector (SMEs, OEM, mechanical engineering, automotive)
- Supporting companies facing project delays, scheduling issues and operational challenges
- Leading engineering and project teams and managing complex project structures
- Optimizing processes in development, production and project execution
- Focus on on-time delivery, efficiency, quality and series readiness
Skills:
- Automotive
- Interim Management
- Mechanical Engineering Project Management
- Special Machinery Construction
- Engineering Management
- Operations Management
- Series Ramp-up
- Production Optimization
- Project Stabilization
- Turnaround Management
- Troubleshooting
- Automotive
- E-Mobility
- CAPEX Projects
- Project Management
- Process Optimization
I take on responsibility as:
- Project Manager
- Engineering Manager
- Operations Manager
- Interim Manager
Industries:
- Automotive
- Mechanical Engineering
- E-Mobility
I take on responsibility at short notice in critical mechanical and plant engineering projects and bring schedules, costs and organization back under control.
Complex projects are part of my daily routine. As a senior mechanical engineering expert, I am used to working in the dynamic automotive environment.
Gavrilo Olah
Head of Software Development
Last position:
Head of Software Development at Davidsmeyer & Paul GmbH
- Strategic project development, realisation, and implementation with internal and/or external development team
- Multi stakeholder management
- Planning new projects, cost calculation, risk calculation
- AI project for the electrical components production
- Building management systems integrations (BACnet, Modbus, etc)
- Inhouse BACring system architecture and development (control system for fire protection and smoke extraction systems)
- Inhouse MES system architecture and development
- Project management
- Agile-SCRUM project development
- Solution architecture and processes analytics (UML)
- Business application development
- Jira project management
- Reporting and documentation
- Recruitment process for the IT staff
- Software architecture, project development, costs, risks
- Education IT staff (internal and external)
- Responsibility for 5 development/DevOps/QA teams
Carlos Medina
Implementation in Pimcore/Shopware
Last position:
Implementation in Pimcore/Shopware
- Consulting, design, analysis, software architecture and development
- Designing, developing, and implementing a Pimcore environment and connecting multiple external API systems in a Kubernetes environment, as well as various PIM and ERP systems
- Technologies: Unix environment, design, Symfony development, PHP 8+, software architecture, MySQL/SQL, shell scripting, Git DevOps tasks, AI coding support, Pimcore 12, Shopware 6
- Team size: >10 people
Andrej Getze
Head of Engineering
Last position:
Head of Engineering at Pumpenfabrik Wangen GmbH (part of Atlas Copco)
- Led the engineering organization with 25 employees across series development, order engineering/master data, documentation, and project management/certification
- Managed an annual budget of €2.5 million
- Restructured the department by merging teams, streamlining processes, and significantly increasing overall efficiency
- Established a dedicated project management & certification department, enabling successful audits (including 3A) and completion of long-standing development projects
- Drove platform and product standardization, reducing complexity and increasing scalability across the portfolio
- Reduced lead times by up to 60% through modular design principles, process optimization, and industrialization efforts
- Built a high-performing R&D team from the ground up and successfully launched two new products within the last two years
- Lowered employee turnover from 24% to below 5% during restructuring by implementing a new leadership culture, clear responsibilities, and targeted talent development
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)
Volker Krause
Head of Engineering
Last position:
Head of Engineering at Infoniqa
- Led engineering execution: roadmap planning, capacity alignment, risk management, dependencies, and delivery tracking.
- Consolidated multiple payroll product lines into a unified SaaS platform on Dynamics 365 Business Central, enabling scalable post-merger operations and reducing operational complexity across the portfolio.
- Restructured engineering and product teams in a remote-first setting across Germany, Austria and Poland, consisting of five cross-functional units: compliance/enabling, platform, DevOps and two stream-aligned teams with total FTE depending on phase of reorganisation.
- Rebuilt the mid-level leadership layer and mentored engineering leaders, establishing a leadership pipeline and strengthening architectural decision-making across teams for scalable growth, delivery ownership and predictability.
- Designed platform foundations and system boundaries using Team Topologies aligned structures, enabling scalable ownership, clear interfaces and parallel development across distributed teams.
- Spearheaded AI transformation by implementing AI-assisted SDLC practices using SpecKit and GitHub Actions for automated, executable specifications, while delivering agentic product capabilities by securely exposing platform data and services to AI agents and copilots via RAG-based retrieval pipelines and MCP-style extensions.
- Drove modularisation of tightly coupled legacy logic into independently deployable services, improving maintainability, testability and architectural clarity while preserving continuity through targeted, low-risk extraction rather than full rewrites.
- Established observability, CI/CD and DevOps governance as platform capabilities, increasing automated compliance gates from 25% to 75% and improving deployment cadence by 40% across 15+ product versions.
- Improved operational resilience using DORA-aligned practices (lead time ↓50%, SaaS MTTR ↓85%), strengthening reliability and reducing support overhead.
- Coordinated engineering recovery for the German payroll platform during a company-wide P0 ransomware incident; restored platform continuity within 72h, validated data integrity, and rolled out hardened runbooks and automated recovery playbooks.
- Responsible for budget compliance and cost oversight in Engineering, with limited P&L responsibility and participating in the annual COGS/OPEX/CAPEX planning cycle.
Ilja Weber
Software Expert
Last position:
Software Expert at Siemens Betriebskrankenkasse
- Technical consulting and support for business units
- Strategic consulting and development of the overall software landscape
- Product ownership
- Onboarding and mentoring of junior developers
- Advising non-technical management
- Analysis and evaluation of existing systems
- JavaScript code reviews
- Development in the Java tech stack with Spring Boot and Clean Code
- Docker
- OpenShift & GitLab as CI/CD
Jens Meßinger
Fullstack Developer / Team Lead
Last position:
Fullstack Developer / Team Lead at Self-employed (Meßinger & Rantzuch GbR)
- Provided fullstack web development as a new development and replacement of existing desktop and web applications for an ERP solutions provider in the education sector
- Analyzed and redesigned development processes and collaboration in distributed teams
- Responsibilities included team leadership, conceptual design, architecture, implementation, DevOps and consulting
- Technologies: C# & .NET (ASP.NET 7), Angular 14, JavaScript/TypeScript, OData/REST, SOAP, Azure DevOps
- Integrated interfaces to educational providers and authorities
Dominik Wei-Fieg
Head of Mobile Development / CTO
Last position:
Head of Mobile Development / CTO at MOSAIC BLABBER
- Technology strategy planning concerning the client-server and blockchain environments
- Development of smart contracts for the EOS blockchain using C++, Python and JavaScript and for Ethereum using Solidity
- Development of the BLABBER mobile app for iOS and Android using React Native
Maksym Shvaykovskyy
Head of System Integrations
Last position:
Head of System Integrations at TAKKT AG
- Lead high-performing teams to enhance enterprise system efficiencies, specializing in ERP and PIM systems within AWS, Azure, and proprietary datacenter infrastructures
- Ensure seamless alignment with stakeholder visions through strategic tech integration and dynamic leadership
- Build Generative AI solutions using platforms such as Azure/OpenAI, Google, Claude, and Ollama
- Develop intelligent system integrations and advanced data strategies leveraging AI and machine learning models
- Champion Agile methodologies (SCRUM) and mentor team in roles such as Team Lead, Scrum Master, and Product Owner
- Deliver robust, scalable solutions that power strategic business growth and operational excellence
Manfred Höhn
Team Lead / Project Manager Software Development SAFe/Scrum
Last position:
Team Lead / Project Manager Software Development SAFe/Scrum at UTA Edenred
Robert Reiz
Senior Software Development Manager
Last position:
Senior Software Development Manager at LivePerson
- Promoted to Senior Software Development Manager
- Responsible for four teams and five direct reports
- Managed the development recruiting process in Mannheim
- Grew the Mannheim office from 15 to 60 people
- Reported to the VP of Engineering of EMEA and represented him when he was unavailable
Konstantin Hagelüken
Head of Sound Department
Last position:
Web Coding & Design at Club Tipping Point
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Heads of Software Development statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
22 years
Position duration
3.4 years
Positions per freelancer
11
Top business areas
Information Technology, Product Development, Project Management
Top industries
Information Technology, Manufacturing, Automotive
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Human Resources
Bachelor's degree or higher
90%
Master's degree or higher
50%
Doctorate
10%
Certifications per freelancer
1
Most common languages
German, English, Russian
Speak two or more languages
93%
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 Software Development & 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
Need more info? We have all the details about FRATCH
While a Chief Technology Officer focuses on long-term corporate technology strategy and high-level business alignment, a Head of Software Development manages the actual execution of that strategy. They lead the engineering teams directly, optimize software development processes, and ensure that high-quality products are delivered on time.
German organizations often face long notice periods for permanent hires when building new products or restructuring departments. Hiring a freelance interim engineering manager bridges this leadership gap immediately, allowing you to maintain project momentum while searching for a permanent replacement.
A qualified freelance software lead operating in Germany has deep knowledge of DSGVO compliance. They integrate privacy-by-design principles into the development lifecycle and ensure your cloud architecture and user data handling meet strict European security standards.
A competent technical director must possess strong architectural knowledge across modern frameworks and cloud platforms. They should be well-versed in microservices, containerization, and automated testing to guide their engineering squads effectively.
To keep distributed engineering teams aligned, a remote tech lead establishes clear asynchronous communication protocols and structured agile rituals. In Germany, they often combine remote work with occasional on-site workshops in major hubs like Munich, Berlin, or Frankfurt.
Generally, an experienced software development manager focuses on strategy, architecture, and team organization rather than writing daily code. However, they must remain technical enough to conduct code reviews, unblock developers, and make informed architectural choices.
Look for an interim engineering lead who can demonstrate successful system migrations, department scaling, or turnaround projects. Their portfolio should show how they improved delivery velocity, reduced technical debt, and built stable, high-performing teams in past assignments.
A successful head of engineering working with German companies must communicate technical concepts clearly to non-technical business stakeholders. They are often expected to bridge the communication gap in English-speaking or bilingual developer teams while aligning with local management structures.
The average hourly rate for Heads of Software Development in Germany is 126 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,009 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Heads of Software Development in Germany, 90% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 50% hold at least a Master's degree, and 10% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Heads of Software Development in Germany have 22 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 3.4 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Heads of Software Development in Germany are German (100%), English (93%), and Russian (29%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Heads of Software Development in Germany are Information Technology (86%), Manufacturing (57%), and Automotive (36%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Heads of Software Development in Germany are Information Technology (86%), Product Development (86%), and Project Management (86%).
FRATCH Heads of Software Development 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
Get in touch with the FRATCH team and we will get back to you within 4 hours.
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We always have the time for a call or email!
Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
