Managing Director
matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AI.Steer strategy, profit and loss, team leadership, and operational execution with a freelance Managing Director who can step in for growth, turnaround, or interim coverage. Fast, precise matching with vetted, available freelancers.
Meet FRATCH Managing Director
Kossi A.
Last position:
Project Manager at Deutsche Bank
Migration of an existing application to a new IT infrastructure.
- Managed all project activities (infrastructure, applications, data, security, architecture)
- Planned complex network architectures with security requirements
- Designed and coordinated firewall configurations
- Planned and managed interfaces between ERP, cloud, and third-party systems
- Coordinated middleware solutions (e.g., SAP Integration Suite, MuleSoft, Boomi)
- Defined data flows, mapping rules, and integration architectures
- Managed data migrations and master data harmonization
- Coordinated with business departments, IT teams, service providers, and external partners
- Team size: International team of 35 employees – Germany | Poland | India | USA
- Languages: English
Tools: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project), Brainloop, Jira, Confluence, MS SharePoint
Andreas Z.
Last position:
Founder & Owner at AZentron Solutions
- Interim management: Temporary leadership in supply chain, logistics, and operations - including budget, investment, and personnel responsibility.
- Project management: Steering infrastructure, construction, and automation projects as well as transformation and digitalization programs.
- Supply chain consulting: End-to-end strategies, network and site planning, intralogistics, and automation - from international corporations to regional SMEs.
- Process and organizational development: Optimization of workflows, systems, and control logic; building KPIs and reporting structures.
- Executive mentoring: Supporting leaders in growth, change, and crisis situations.
Mike B.
Last position:
Freelance UX-Researcher, Designer at Bodensee Schiffsbetriebe; Labhard-Medien
- UX research, UX concept development, and UX design for an AI dialogue system with information on events, locations, public transport timetables, and special trips. Observations, remote user tests, session recordings, analytics evaluations, RapidUserTests, prototyping, etc., using Figma/Figma Make, Claude Design, and OpenAI Codex (Design)
Onur K.
Last position:
Project Manager & Outsourcing Manager at SENEC GmbH (EnBW Group)
- Built a scalable nearshore IT developer hub (Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland) as an independent company through a BOT model (Build – Operate – Transfer)
- Identified, selected, and managed full-service agencies; introduced management and control mechanisms, including KPIs, SLAs, and regular service reviews
- Prepared and reviewed data processing agreements and framework contracts in coordination with Legal & Compliance; integrated regulatory requirements (including KRITIS) into process design
- Advised on cloud vs. on-premise strategies, data storage, and authorization concepts; supported Procurement with tendering and service provider evaluations
- Managed change and process harmonization between internal teams and nearshore partners; reported to executive management, CFO, and CIO
Result: Scalable IT developer hub with an audit-ready governance model, reduced operating costs, and accelerated product development.
Gabriele B.
Last position:
Founder and Managing Director at PaiperOne GmbH
- Main tasks and responsibilities: development, acquisition, sales, consulting, and controlling
- Area of work or industry: Software as a Service in AI compliance and consulting
Selection of client projects:
- Creation and operation of an AI governance platform, including training content on the use of AI in companies
- Design, setup, and operation of the ISO 42001 management system at PaiperOne with certification by TÃœV
- Auditor according to ISO 17024 at Austrian Standards for the "AI Manager"
- AI training for staff of two Austrian publishing groups
- AI training for the management level at the State of Lower Austria
- AI strategy workshop for a municipality in Styria and a municipality in Salzburg
- AI workshops for the House of Digitalization in Tulln
- AI training for municipalities at KDZ
- Delivery of training on "Certified AI Compliance Officer" at the Academy for Internal Audit
- Organizational consulting on AI governance at ÖGK
- Project support for the "homepage chatbot" at öbv
- Certification exams at Austrian Standards
Christoph P.
Last position:
ICT DevSecOps Engineer & Security Coordinator at Abraxas Informatik AG
- Interface role with the SOC team; improved incident response time by 45% through structured escalation processes and proactive security monitoring.
- Defined technical standards for a multi-tenant enterprise platform (10+ services), resulting in a 30% shorter onboarding time for new clients in the public sector.
- Active knowledge transfer and mentoring of a 6-person team; increased team autonomy and established a sustainable engineering culture.
- Reduced time to market by 50% by optimizing CI/CD pipelines and establishing self-service deployments.
- Stack: GitLab CI/CD, Kubernetes, Nexus, Harbor, ArgoCD, HashiCorp Vault, Grafana, Python, PostgreSQL, Java, Spring Boot, Flyway, Quarkus, JBoss, Loki, Go, Kafka, Kustomize, MongoDB
Thomas P.
Last position:
Product Owner & AI Automation Architect (B2B) at Ihre-Hygieneberatung
Development of a digital audit application for inspections in medical facilities. The goal is to connect on-site data collection, voice recording, documentation and downstream processes in one end-to-end, AI-supported workflow.
Design and development of a Flutter audit app with Claude Code for the structured execution and documentation of inspections.
Processing of voice recordings captured in the app through automatic transcription and AI-supported creation of structured inspection reports, followed by an approval process
Connecting various data sources such as email, Odoo 19, attendance records and Google Drive via n8n to automate billing and follow-up processes
Automatic provision of required documents and email delivery through n8n-controlled workflows, including the use of LLMs for text creation
Skills: Flutter, Claude Code, LLM Integration, n8n, Odoo 19, Google Drive, Process Automation
Nikola N.
Last position:
Founder and CEO - Senior Business Analyst at fintechno AI GmbH
- Business analysis
- Requirements engineering
- System design
- Various insurance projects
- Technology stack: msg.Billing (in-/ex-collection)
- Product: Pay-per-use car insurance based on blockchain and OBD-II real-time telemetry with AI
Jürgen S.
Last position:
Interim CFO - member of executive management at Transport catering company (NDA), group company, Germany; publicly listed group, Switzerland
- Stopped the chaos: rebuilt the team, filled silo IT roles, eliminated silo solutions, and cut them off decisively
- Established consistent reporting, ensured reliability
- Conducted recruitment
- Created IT harmony
- Implemented process standards
Marco S.
Last position:
IT Consulting & Project Management at acardo
- Project management for customer projects
- Requirements analysis
- Product Owner
Axel M.
Last position:
Interim HR Lead Transformation – International E-Commerce & Logistics Environment at Inpact HR (Interim Management)
- Organizational Design: Strategic realignment of the organizational structure to increase operational excellence and prepare for a scaled shared service model.
- Tech-Driven HR Transformation: Supporting process optimization through the integration of modern automation solutions and AI-powered tools to increase efficiency in workforce management.
- Strategic Change & Rightsizing: Design of a change-management framework to align personnel resources with a new, centralized steering model.
Constantinos S.
Last position:
Managing Director at PrimeLogic Advisory SÃ rl
- Partnering with organisations to manage complex IT programmes, architect and implement ERP solutions, and embed AI where it drives measurable performance gains.
- ERP solution architecture and hands-on delivery across the full lifecycle (Oracle Cloud, Infor LN, Cegid, iValua)
- Programme and delivery leadership in both Waterfall and Agile environments (SAFe / Scrum / Kanban) - governance, stakeholder management, and execution at scale
- Comprehensive assessment of business processes, organizational maturity, and technology landscape to ensure successful ERP adoption and digital transformation initiatives
- Current mandate: Oracle Cloud SCM implementation for a Big Four consultancy
- Geneva-based; operating across Switzerland and the EU
Stefan V.
Last position:
Managing Director and Technical Lead at Building a Trading Company
- Developed business strategy, positioning, and market approach for a new B2B and B2C trading company.
- Designed and implemented the corporate website and online shop end to end, and coordinated suppliers and digital sales capabilities.
Christoph Q.
Last position:
Managing Director at Stage-IT
optimizing business processes
IT consulting
- ERP
- intralogistics process
- production planning process
- Sales (wholesale, online, B2B B2C)
- product information management
- business intelligence
implementation
- interfaces (SAP, EDI, Databases, ERP, ...)
- ETL processes
- BI Reports
Daniel N.
Last position:
Strategy Advisor · Interim & Fractional Executive · Board Member DSIM at DriveDelta GmbH
Strategy needs rhythm. Continuous strategic guidance for industrial & technology leaders — turning strategic priorities into real progress.
Selected Impact:
- EV infrastructure rollout strategy — hypothesis-driven business & monetization model launched, > €80M cost savings, 30+ stakeholders engaged. Wolfsburg, DE
- Interim project lead, 200 HC — site alignment & new working model; +15% efficiency via faster decisions and reduced R&D spend. Frankfurt / Switzerland / Turin / USA / UK
- Automotive Updateability Framework — strategic, use-case-driven concept aligned across 10 brands and ~50 management stakeholders in 30+ workshops. Berlin / Munich, DE
- AI-readiness for R&D & SME transformation — benchmarked AI solutions, RACI & agile sales process, target operating model with top-management alignment. Berlin / Stuttgart, DE
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
Managing Director statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
24 years
Position duration
4.1 years
Positions per freelancer
11
Top business areas
Project Management, Strategy, Operations
Top industries
Professional Services, Information Technology, Manufacturing
Certification focus areas
Information Technology, Project Management, Human Resources
Bachelor's degree or higher
86%
Master's degree or higher
55%
Doctorate
12%
Certifications per freelancer
3
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
95%
Based on our profile pool as of 10 Sep 2026.
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.
Average rates for Managing Director
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.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 10 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
Managing Director experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Professional Services (69%)
- Information Technology (66%)
- Manufacturing (47%)
- Automotive (33%)
- Banking and Finance (31%)
- Retail (28%)
- Education (26%)
- Media and Entertainment (25%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the role
What they lead
A Managing Director sets direction and makes the business work day to day. The role connects strategy, finance, people, sales, and operations. Companies bring in a freelance Managing Director when they need clear leadership for a transition, a growth phase, or a gap in the senior team.
Typical deliverables
- Define priorities and convert them into an executable plan
- Lead the management team and align department goals
- Review performance, margin, cash flow, and major risks
- Improve operating routines, reporting, and decision making
- Support restructuring, market entry, or post-merger integration
- Represent the business with key clients, owners, and partners
Core skills
A strong Managing Director combines commercial judgment with calm leadership. They need to read the numbers, understand the market, and keep people moving in the same direction. Common tools include financial dashboards, KPI reporting, CRM systems, ERP data, and structured management reviews.
- Strategic planning and execution
- P&L ownership and budget control
- Stakeholder management
- Team leadership and hiring
- Change management and turnaround work
When companies hire one
Freelance Managing Directors are often the right choice when a company needs an experienced leader now, but not permanently. This is common during interim cover, a founder handover, rapid scaling, or a difficult phase that needs focus and discipline. In smaller firms, the role may sit close to the owner; in larger companies, it often supports a division, subsidiary, or business unit.
What strong professionals do differently
The best Managing Directors do not stay at slide level. They set priorities, make hard calls, and follow through until the plan sticks. They know when to delegate, when to intervene, and how to keep both senior stakeholders and operational teams aligned. Strong candidates explain how they have improved performance, not just how they have managed meetings.
Fit for your setup
For companies, the right person can work on-site, hybrid, or remotely depending on the mandate. If the work affects culture, leadership, or a local leadership team, regular on-site presence usually helps. If the task is a focused interim assignment, remote coordination with clear reporting can work well. For freelancers, the role often suits people with broad general management experience, not only a single functional specialty.
Frequently asked questions
The facts hiring teams ask for most often when it comes to Managing Director.
A Managing Director leads the business on behalf of the owner, board, or group leadership. The work can include strategy, financial control, people leadership, sales focus, and operational follow-through. In many assignments, the person is expected to bring order quickly and keep the management team aligned.
A freelance Managing Director makes sense when you need senior leadership for a defined period, a transition, or an urgent gap. This is common for interim cover, turnaround work, or a founder-led company that needs experienced support without a long hiring process. It is also useful when the scope is broad but not yet stable enough for a permanent appointment.
The strongest Managing Director profile combines business judgment, leadership, and financial control. You should look for clear P&L ownership, good communication with owners and teams, and the ability to turn goals into action. Experience with change management is often a strong sign, especially in complex or fast-moving environments.
The titles overlap, but the remit can differ by company size and structure. A CEO usually sits at the top of the whole organization, while a Managing Director may lead a company, region, or business unit. A General Manager often has a narrower operational scope and less direct ownership of long-term strategy or external stakeholder management.
A good brief should explain the mandate, decision rights, current problems, and expected outcome. The freelancer also needs to know who they report to, which teams they lead, and whether the focus is growth, stabilization, or transformation. The clearer the scope, the faster a Managing Director can take ownership.
Yes, but the fit depends on the assignment. Strategy work, reporting, and board preparation can often be handled remotely, while culture change, team resets, and difficult stakeholder situations usually benefit from on-site presence. Many companies choose a hybrid setup for a freelance Managing Director.
Ask for concrete examples of leadership decisions, business results, and difficult situations they have handled. Strong candidates talk in specifics about priorities, trade-offs, and how they measured progress. A good Managing Director should also show how they build trust quickly with owners, managers, and key clients.
They usually need broad leadership experience across several business functions, not just one specialty. Useful backgrounds include company leadership, business unit management, interim management, turnaround, or growth leadership. The key is proof that they can step in fast, take control, and improve the situation without long onboarding.
The average hourly rate for Managing Director is 127 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 1,013 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers working as Managing Director, 86% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 55% hold at least a Master's degree, and 12% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers working as Managing Director have 24 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 4.1 years.
The most common languages among freelancers working as Managing Director are German (99%), English (94%), and French (26%).
The most common industries among freelancers working as Managing Director are Professional Services (69%), Information Technology (66%), and Manufacturing (47%).
The most common business areas among freelancers working as Managing Director are Project Management (75%), Strategy (68%), and Operations (66%).
FRATCH Managing Director main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home all over Germany — available on-site in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and every major business hub, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin 
Hamburg 
Munich 
Cologne 
Frankfurt 
Stuttgart 
Dusseldorf 
Leipzig 
Dortmund 
Essen 
Bremen 
Hanover 
Nuremberg 
Vienna 
Zurich Countries:
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Philipp Thomaschewski
FRATCH CEO
