IT Service Management Expert in Frankfurt

• 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.

Europe-wide re-platforming & centralization

• Independently created the migration concept and implementation plan for the Europe-wide centralization and consolidation of IT services for around 20 European companies as part of a re-platforming program.
• Migration assessment: analysis of the existing IT, infrastructure, application, and service landscapes of the companies as the basis for the migration strategy.
• Development of the centralized target vision and target architecture based on a modern technology stack, taking platform and containerization approaches into account.
• Design of a highly available central infrastructure in an active-active model across two data centers; consideration of cloud, infrastructure, application, CMDB, and IAM services.
• Development of the migration and transformation roadmap, including defining migration waves, dependencies, requirements, and priorities for the move from decentralized services to the central platform.
• Analysis of technical and organizational dependencies, identification of migration risks, and development of a structured approach for step-by-step migration and centralization.
• Creation of target, solution, and implementation views for each service domain; design of the end-to-end join-move-leave process as a blueprint for the European rollout (Jira/Jira Asset Management).
• Alignment of migration strategy and roadmap with European companies, management, IT, providers, and other stakeholders; presentation of the 12-month roadmap to the Managing Director Europe.

• Main point of contact for the provisioning of end devices and operating systems
• Pre-installation of software according to company guidelines and integration into the corporate network (Wi-Fi, VPN, domain)
• User support with setup, process improvements, and handling of returns (RMAs)

• Manage and coordinate site design, deployment, new Core/DWDM implementation, and optimization of a robust and scalable fiber optic network infrastructure
• Create high-level design (HLD) and low-level design (LLD) documents for core and aggregation network
• Define scope of network elements and establish operational and deployment guidelines
• Determine core-site strategy, integrate voice and ISP systems, and swap core components of 60 existing sites
• Develop site design, execute proof of concept, and deploy additional core sites

• Coordinated documentation lifecycles ensuring compliance, approvals, and accessibility.
• Maintained and controlled master data in document management systems (M-Files, SharePoint).
• Prepared reports, dashboards, and presentations for senior management.
• Supported internal/external communication and formal reviews.
• Improved knowledge management through metadata validation and version control.
• Oversaw approval workflows, documentation compliance, and master data management.
• Provided advisory support to stakeholders on IT documentation and archiving standards.
• Implemented and supported change and problem report management processes within ITSM framework.
• Prepared KPI dashboards and structured reports to monitor CM deliverables and track compliance.
• Maintained and improved documentation workflows in M-Files and Confluence, ensuring metadata accuracy and GDP compliance.
• Tools: M-Files, Jira, Confluence, SharePoint, MS Office

• Holistic responsibility for modernizing and expanding federal networks and upgrading critical data center and telecom infrastructure in the high-security agency environment of BDBOS
• Planning and management of the expansion of national BOS network infrastructure in the VS-NfD/KRITIS environment with technical decision authority at the architecture and component level (Cisco, Layer 2/3, WAN redundancy)
• Planning, tendering (EVB-IT/UVgO) and oversight of the upgrade of security-critical telecom infrastructure for emergency call 110/112 (ACD)
• Capacity planning, rack integration, structured cabling, power supply, cooling concept (CRAC/In-Row) and DCIM monitoring for data center expansion
• Building the IT department from scratch: structures, governance, processes, team recruiting, vendor selection and long-term IT strategy
• Planning and managing infrastructure and application migrations: migration strategies, batch planning, hypercare stabilization and rollback concepts
• Creating vendor-neutral specifications (telecom systems, signature solutions) according to EVB-IT and UVgO; contract award and vendor management
• Setting up a secure IT environment according to BSI basic protection, ISO 27001 and VS-NfD; developing IT security concepts and CMDB analyses
• Hands-on program leadership: decision papers for management and steering committees, risk management, reporting and change request control

• ITSM consulting, analysis and optimization of IT capacity with BMC TSCO / BMC Helix
• Drafting "Governance guidelines for operational capacity management"

• Recognition of national notified bodies
• Preparation of cybersecurity competency reports
• EU Radio Equipment Directive

• General CTO responsibilities (architectural design, operational setup, external runtime product evaluation, investor buy-in, regulatory compliance).
• Software development oversight (implementation on deep-dive-in) plus workflow design.
• Product co-ownership.
• Tech/tools/frameworks: proprietary software (Java, JavaScript), Kubernetes, Postgres, MiniIO, Ollama (internal), several xAI API (external), OpenTofu (Terraform), Keycloak, Kafka, Prometheus, ELK Stack, GitHub, GitHub Workflows, Argo CD, ISO 27001, BSI-ISM, EU AI Act.

• Provided leadership as Product Owner for the DMS module in an agile multi-team setup
• Coordinated the nationwide rollout including requirements management and roadmap development
• Built and maintained the product backlog focusing on scalability, usability and data protection
• Conducted sprint reviews, refinements and stakeholder demos with over 15 involved teams
• Developed a rollout and training concept for successful launch at over 200 government agencies
• Introduced a reporting and monitoring dashboard to measure usage success
• Worked closely with architects, QA and operations to ensure integration into the existing system landscape

• Conception, design, and development of new digital application processes for banking and insurance products
• Stakeholder management
• Definition of new agile software development processes within the organization, including the definition and introduction of a cross-functional Definition of Ready (DoR)
• Management of internal and external software development teams
• Annual budget and product roadmap planning

• Led the migration of local SharePoint sites to SharePoint Online, including planning, coordination, and communication
• Advised on governance, security, and data protection
• Created project documents: project charter, project plan, communication strategy plan, risk and risk mitigation plan, scope of work documents
• Analyzed manual processes and developed automated solutions

• GfK Data center IT Infrastructure project onsite coordinator (Equinix DC FR2/FR7) training FEs in Equinix DC Carla, FNT, Jira Confluence, ServiceNow (Change/Problem/Incident MGMT), DCIM, ITSM, ITIL
• Reporting significant incidents as the on-site technical coordinator and initial point of contact for vendor escort and smart hands
• Utilizing CMDB-GUI, NIQ-Browser, CMDB-Filtering-GUI, OSS-Radar, BigBrother, CheckMK, and TTWOS for 2nd and 3rd level troubleshooting support
• Maintaining MDF, IDF, computer rooms, and closets; coordinating with service desk, reception, and security for visitor access
• Managing asset lifecycle including operation, retirement, stocking, and destruction with proper SanDisk procedures
• Leading footprint data centre optimization and reduction in FR2/FR7; handling network, server, storage, desktop, hosting, IT security, video conferencing, and telephone operations
• Coordinating server relocations, fibre optics/copper cable preparations, CMDB updates, and stakeholder cooperation
• Implementing IT infrastructure design, maintenance, configuration, and construction following Dell/HP/Apple ESD safety precautions
• Single POC for change management network, Star Track, backup & storage, cloud, Linux, Windows, EUS teams & Software Centre installs
• Successfully completed DC Footprint Reduction Project 2021/2022 and GfK New Hardware DC Refresh Initiative
• Planning, configuring, and installing Dematic server rooms and switch configurations in Heusenstamm, Wurzburg, Kahl am Main, and Graz Austria
• Providing on-site media equipment setup for HP, hospitals, manufacturers, and laboratories
• Ensuring professional rack and cable management following best practices
• Maintaining up-to-date plant maps accessible to all teams showing technology space and spare locations
• Offering technical assistance for live events, town halls, forums, streaming, and hybrid events on and off campus
• Providing second level support for Poly video conferencing systems across multiple time zones
• Conducting frequent computer room walkthroughs, recording power, cooling, alarm, security threats, and mapping wireless environment and access points

• 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.