Alexander W. - Freelance Head of Development / Strategy Consultant

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Hamburg, Germany

Experience

Nov 2022 - Apr 2023

6 months

Berlin, Germany

Freelance Head of Development / Strategy Consultant

LabMaker GmbH

Advice on a variety of open science hardware projects in electronics, mechatronics and optoelectronics
Comprehensive system analysis and DFM optimization of a novel open hardware miniature two-photon microscope
Collaboration with scientists at renowned academic institutions to align the client’s work
Manufacturing coordination with local and international partners for PCB assembly, CNC machining and optics
Process analysis for product design, production planning/execution, product lifecycle and product data management
Coaching employees across departments on requirements that complex technical products place on business processes
Developing a comprehensive PLM & PDM concept tailored to development and manufacturing needs
Initiating intensive and direct cross-department exchanges to identify improvement potentials
Planning shopfloor layout improvements with the production team and supporting the implementation process
Rapid onboarding of two new English-speaking colleagues in technical product management and development
Ad-hoc and in-depth training of employees in software tools like KiCad or Autodesk Inventor
Advice on long-term development to become a scalable, stronger partner in the Open Science Hardware community

Mar 2022 - Present

3 years 6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Automation & Mechanical Engineering Developer / Managing Director

BitSelect Systems GmbH (own company)

Established the structural foundations for PCB manufacturing, especially for component management
Designed and built a pick-and-place machine based on a SCARA industrial robot
Assembled, tested and commissioned the pick-and-place machine; planned and implemented necessary adjustments
Integrated the machine with OpenPnP software; customized and extended the Java-based application
Evaluated additive manufacturing methods (FDM, HP MJF, SLA, SLS) for producing complex mechanical parts
Developed, manufactured and tested electronic assemblies
Planned and executed extensive procurement (around 40 separate orders)

Oct 2021 - Mar 2022

6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Freelance IT Administrator

SSW-Trading GmbH

Rollout, operation and debugging of infrastructure and services on AWS using Terraform and Kubernetes/EKS
Technical support for test trading in new markets in collaboration with the development team
Rapid diagnosis and resolution of trading disruptions, sometimes as part of an on-call duty
Further development of various processes around Microsoft 365 (especially Exchange, Azure AD)
Analysis of existing system configurations and mapping them into Ansible playbooks
Creation and revision of documentation for processes and infrastructure
Design and implementation of an onboarding guide to convey the technical context of the trading systems
Worked in an agile team integrated into existing work package management processes

Apr 2021 - Oct 2021

7 months

Hamburg, Germany

Electronics Developer / Managing Director

BitSelect Systems GmbH (own company)

Identified key demanded features for a new retro-gaming electronics product in the consumer segment
Conducted a feasibility study and initial planning for key features and design aspects
Designed schematics and PCBs for a tightly integrated multi-board system
Analyzed the supply chain of needed components with cost sensitivity of a consumer product in mind
Co-designed MCAD to achieve a highly compact form factor without compromising other product traits
Managed BOM, sourced components and adjusted designs to address a challenging parts market
Finalized the design, prepared production data and produced initial prototypes

Jul 2020 - Present

5 years 2 months

IT Infrastructure Modernization

Upgrade existing Proxmox VE server hardware and deploy virtualized Microsoft Windows servers to set up a GPU-accelerated VDI for specialized software
Set up a Kubernetes cluster to deliver various applications. Managed with a GitOps workflow to avoid “stale infrastructure” and ensure trust in deployment status despite the irregular attention a side project gets. Extensive monitoring to ensure reliable operation
Serves as a platform for productive (private) use and – importantly – as a learning environment for Kubernetes
metallb
Grafana
GitLab
ingress-nginx
Filebeats
Seafile
kubernetes-sig/external-dns
Logstash or fluentd
Nextcloud
coredns etcd for external-dns
Elasticsearch
Generic web server
bind / named
Kibana
Miniflux
Prometheus
UniFi Controller
Minecraft server
Alertmanager
ioBroker
Related databases

Feb 2020 - Dec 2020

11 months

Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany

Freelance IT Solution Architect

Landesvermessung und Geobasisinformation Brandenburg (LGB)

Designed, implemented and documented a highly available database solution for a statewide geoportal
Reviewed and improved a configuration management system
Acted as the lead Linux administrator long-term, diagnosing and resolving incidents
Coordinated upgrades and modifications in heterogeneous staging-based environments
Supported departments by evaluating and implementing technical requests
Developed and presented a strategic vision for adopting a container-based microservice architecture

Aug 2017 - Present

8 years 1 month

Development and Manufacturing of a CNC Milling Machine

A long-term project with significant progress in recent months. The goal is to build a 500 kg-class CNC milling machine with a granite base for high-speed machining of light metals
Target accuracy in the single-digit micrometer range within a small envelope of ~50 mm. Rapid feed rate of 0.5 m/s
Automatic tool changer. Project components include the entire mechanical design, drive systems, electrical systems and a LinuxCNC-based real-time control

Feb 2014 - Feb 2020

6 years 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Embedded Systems Developer

Schäfter + Kirchhoff GmbH

Product conception, feasibility studies and specification writing
Developed systems with multiple high-speed, high-density PCBs under tight mechanical and thermal constraints
Design for Manufacturing and coordination of prototype production with EMS providers
FPGA and embedded software design, architecture planning and implementation
Evaluated HW/SW tooling, developed workflows and introduced DevOps tools and processes
Engineered custom optical measurement systems in electromechanics and drive technology
Led demanding development projects
Provided technical leadership to two English-speaking team members

Jun 2013 - Jun 2013

1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Software Development Intern (parallel to / as part of vocational training)

Neusoft Technology Solutions GmbH

Developed an OpenGL-based map data viewer in C# as part of a test evaluation framework
Integrated the map data viewer into the main software branch

Aug 2011 - Jan 2014

2 years 6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Apprentice IT Specialist for System Integration

atrias personalmanagement GmbH

IT administration in a mixed Linux/Windows environment
Diagnosed and resolved network and application issues
Improved processes and infrastructure
Introduced the UC solution Microsoft Lync
Managed the migration of all IT systems to DIS AG
Developed software to simplify the creation of job postings according to corporate identity
Created a mobile version of the company website

Jul 2010 - Jul 2011

1 year 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Mechatronics Manufacturing Associate

Schäfter + Kirchhoff GmbH

Assembled electronic and mechanical modules
Proposed process improvements to boost production efficiency and product quality
Supported custom special projects

Feb 2010 - May 2010

4 months

Quickborn, Germany

Electronics Technician for Special Machinery and Automation

RaTec Strahlenmesstechnik GmbH

Designed a PCB for a detector pulse simulator to test radiation detectors
Evaluated CANopen-based I/O modules
Installed and programmed a PLC-based door speed limiter for extremely heavy doors
Supported assembly in special machinery construction