Daniel Schaaf
Interim IT Manager
Experience
Jan 2022 - Dec 2023
1 yearInterim IT Manager
Energy Utility
- As interim, covered for an IT manager who was delegated to the leadership team of a very strategic group project for a period of time.
- The task was to assess and approve project requests, and to advise the business side (coaching) in content and methods during project design, evaluation (business case), and implementation.
- Focus areas included core business processes, controlling, accounting, ESRS, planning processes (electricity, gas, heat) in business and finance, trading, Mako, digitalization, information security, and data protection.
- The technology environment included SAP, AZURE, BelVis, adoit, Signavio, plus data mining, Power Platform, SharePoint, various DMS, Adobe, and cloud technologies.
Jan 2014 - Dec 2025
11 yearsCIO
E-commerce company in food retail
- Built an eBusiness platform based on Magento with subprojects: multi-language, multi-shop with different business models B2C and B2B, warehouse management for organic products (batch balancing), forecasting, DMS integration (including rule- and AI-based email tagging), prebilling integration, accounting integration, payment and logistics provider integration, marketplace integration (eBay, Amazon Seller, Amazon Vendor), marketing integration, compliance with new regulations (complex VAT, EU-OSS, organic balancing, etc.), development of multiple micro-applications as process tools, creation of controlling tools and data analysis, development of rule-based apps for fraud detection and prevention, credit scoring, address validation, KPI analysis of fulfillment and marketing processes, DMS connection, several highly complex updates with rollout, hardware virtualization, migration to a private cloud, catalog and content management.
- My roles: overall coordination of IT development with a multinational team of freelancers and operations, global procurement including commodities, finance, HR/payroll/controlling, operational and strategic marketing, SQL analysis, process development, logistics (shipping, import, sea and air freight), change management, business cases.
- The project ran in 12 epics and over 100 sprints using Scrum. (I was product owner and occasional Scrum Master.)
- I have a stake in the company, which currently has 9 employees.
Jan 2011 - Dec 2017
6 years Germany
ITC Process Management
Transportation company
- At Germany’s largest transport service provider, optimized and re-documented ITC processes, data, and applications to fit the new service provider and outsourcing structure.
- In addition to many internal and external interfaces, rebuilt an Intershop B2B ordering system and reset all logistics processes.
- SLAs were enforced through process KPIs.
- A key point was quality assurance of configuration management and the CMDB/PIM (extensive SQL data analysis) and setting up an eLearning offering for the new processes and services.
- My roles (in sequence): process manager, coach, program manager, business analyst, train-the-trainer, data manager, data cleansing, requirement owner, test manager, change manager, internal communications.
Jan 2009 - Dec 2013
3 yearsProject Manager Process Management / Process Manager
Regional energy utility
- At a regional energy utility, developed a process management system that served as a pattern for similar group companies.
- Identified process improvement potentials using KPIs.
- Further transformation focuses included macro and trading processes, metering processes, energy balancing, procurement planning rounds, network construction, reporting requirements, and a unified interface structure.
- My roles: program manager, analyst (as-is and to-be, business cases), coach, trainer for process owners in middle management, business analyst, data manager, test manager, change manager.
- Technologies: ARIS, Camunda, JBoss, SharePoint, SAP IS-U, Allegro, various CAD.
Jan 2007 - Dec 2010
4 yearsProject Owner
- Developed a geodata-based travel portal software.
Jan 2007 - Dec 2010
4 years Germany
Project Manager IT/Processes International Group Alignments
ITC for energy group
- For a world-leading energy company, consolidated its ITC subsidiaries acquired through international mergers into one organization.
- My task was to set up process management departments in eight subsidiaries by training middle management as process and data owners, first to identify national specifics, then to standardize customer processes group-wide.
- The transformation involved unifying processes and data (master, transaction, and asset data) across eight international companies, handling national exceptions (e.g. trading in the UK, MeMi processes in Hungary), and communicating changes internally and externally.
- Project progress was monitored using a custom KPI tool for BPM processes.
- My role: coach for project and process management at headquarters and in eight country offices, change manager.
Jan 2007 - Dec 2008
1 year Germany
Technical Architect PRM/CRM
Mobile network operator
- At one of Germany’s leading mobile operators, introduced a new partner relationship management system.
- My task was to translate business requirements into IT specifications.
- This project used the Rational Unified Process methodology, with requirements defined exclusively in a cascade of use cases.
- A challenge was forecasting and KPI tracking for IT processes and scheduling and executing extensive batch runs.
- My roles: technical architect, test planner, data analyst.
- Technologies: Oracle CRM (formerly Siebel), Nokia.
Jan 2004 - Dec 2006
3 yearsProject Lead Process Management International Data Products
International telecom group
- For an international telecom group, modeled and optimized highly regulated product-specific processes (international data products). Focus areas included sales, offer calculation, provisioning (new, change, cancellation), incident management, logistics, and billing under country-specific regulations and accounting rules.
- The core was redefining KPIs (the basis for BSS management targets) to better align processes with corporate goals.
- For billing and pre-product procurement, worked with IT to map processes in SAP, implementing complex billing models in SD, MM, and FI modules.
- My role: lead of the process management team, creation of functional specifications (requirements documents), and project lead for implementation.
- Program manager: internal shared-service implementation after a 2006 group restructuring, defining and mapping new service processes and SLAs across units, developing enterprise architecture and international processes, negotiating and coaching, drafting requirements, program management, change process, and data migration. Mostly served as coach to the lead project manager.
- Data cleansing (transaction and master data), master data concept, and migration into various OSS and BSS systems for a telecom group (2005): reconciled legacy purchase and sales data structures via SQL extracts, created error profiles, cleansing mass data semi-automatically, used DMS for unstructured data, uncovered issues leading to €20 M in refunds or back-billing.
- Project lead: process integration and digitalization Bid-to-Bill ITC services (2004): created an SAP-based end-to-end integration solution across main departments and all CRM, BSS, and OSS systems for an international ITC provider. Focus on service-oriented architecture processes and an AI application guiding the production model for highly regulated international products from sales through service. Developed unified semantics and master data model and a detailed business case. Trained sales teams and organized communication of the new application. My role was content and formally responsible project manager for the business side (would be called product owner today), project executed in ten two-week sprints.
Jan 2002 - Dec 2004
2 yearsStrategic IT Planning / Program Management (Line Staff)
Large travel industry group
- For a major travel group, updated strategic IT planning (enterprise architecture). Used a highly aggregated process model to map current IT landscape and plans, identify synergy potentials, and prioritize projects via portfolio analysis.
- In strategy workshops, refined mid-term planning focused on process and organization. Technically, created architecture matrices as a basis for consolidation.
- Introduced the new approach via classroom training and eLearning.
- Also supported business area projects (technical, process, and business case), focusing on CRM, finance, and coordination with the internal outsourcing partner.
- The main goal was designing and executing the integration strategy on an EAI platform based on web services.
- Selected and implemented an analytical, database-driven IT planning tool.
- My role: line staff.
Jan 2002 - Dec 2003
1 year Germany
Strategic Marketing
German telecommunications company
- For a large German telco, analyzed its product portfolio and market positioning of key competitors.
- Focused on new technologies, network structures, protocols, access technologies, and sales and service processes.
- Identified trends in telephony, data, and internet.
- Delivered recommendations covering security, OSS, MPLS, DSL, VoIP, professional services, and channel sales.
- My role: strategic marketing.
Jan 2001 - Dec 2002
1 yearWeb - Content Management Organization
Large bank
- Web content management organization for a large bank.
Jan 2001 - Dec 2002
1 yearBusiness Development and Financial Planning
Mid-sized IT company
- Business development and financial planning for a mid-sized IT company.
Jan 1999 - Dec 2002
2 years Switzerland
Coach, Project Manager, Architect
Non-food retail group Switzerland
- For Switzerland’s second-largest retail group, developed an eBusiness strategy, built and coached an IT business unit. The challenge was a heterogeneous group structure with acquired store chains, department stores, and various finance services (customer card systems) not yet integrated data-wise or organizationally.
- Main project: build a unified integration and eBusiness platform to migrate all existing eCommerce activities, services, and backend connections. The architecture also aimed to serve as the EAI platform for integrating the entire enterprise landscape. We had a detailed ROI calculation for this solution.
- After defining specs and technical architecture, ran a tender and verified the winner’s .NET solution in a POC. Designed and delivered training for project managers in various group organizations.
- Other strategic tasks: personalization and cross-selling concept, integration of business processes and market communications between online and offline, and defining workflows for shop systems.
- My role: project manager, architect, CIO coach.
Jan 1999 - Dec 2000
1 yearE-Business Strategy and B2B Integration
Purchasing consortium of mid-sized retail companies
- E-Business strategy and B2B integration for a purchasing consortium of mid-sized retail companies.
Oct 1999 - Dec 2025
25 years 3 monthsBusiness and IT Consultant
Self-employed
- Process consulting, project management, IT architecture and strategy consulting.
- Creation and alignment of requirements and specifications.
- Agile methods, change management, data cleansing.
- Test, quality, and requirements management, rollout management.
- Financial planning, marketing and sales consulting.
- IT trainer, marketing consultant.
- Since 1999, designed and delivered about 50 management seminars on topics like web project management, eCommerce strategy, CRM projects, eBusiness technologies, personalization, internet security and payment, KPIs and project controlling (for Management Circle, Plenum Institute, IIR, Management Forum, Siemens Business Services, Deutsche Telekom AG, German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association).
Jan 1997 - Sep 1999
2 years 9 monthsManagement Consultant Strategic Marketing
Detecon Marketing Consulting GmbH
- As management consultant for strategic marketing delivered projects such as:
- Indirect sales channel planning and setup for an ISP division of a telecommunications group (1998–1999): In a purely strategic pre-project, studied partner models of complementary IT and telecom providers (no ISP benchmark existed). Developed five partner models based on value-chain and market analysis and outlined steps. Three models have since been implemented and applied to other product areas. I led the pre-project. The “value-added reseller” model was implemented with a partner who provided the project manager; I was content lead, covering product and service design, cost planning, business case, marketing plan and materials, partner contracts, and partner training. First, acquired 120 partners, then standardized partner onboarding in the client’s process. This ran over 1½ years while I was on Detecon’s payroll.
- Business consultant for ITC products in healthcare (1997): For the healthcare sales team, evaluated market viability of new internet-based healthcare products through workshops and business cases with key players. Documented quantitative and qualitative healthcare processes, estimated automation market potential (electronic patient records, drug logistics, online consultations, etc.), and communicated results via training. My role: business consultant strategic marketing, business case author.
- Customer service call center setup (1999): Follow-up to the ISP project, led setup of a three-tier customer service call center, including technical partner service hotline. Defined service levels, processes, and call volume analysis, covering technical and organizational/business planning and execution (ACD/CTI, trouble ticketing (Remedy), EAI (Tibco), job descriptions, call planning, equipment, staffing and training, and KPIs). I led and owned this project end to end. At full scale, 30 agents and 50 third-level line staff. My role: project manager.
- Functional planning (process and IT) of a communication platform for healthcare (1998).
- Marketing planning, technology platform, and market launch of software and music-on-demand (1998).
Jan 1992 - Dec 1997
5 years Windhagen, Germany
Head of Sales, Sales Marketing
Medical Technologies GmbH
Languages
German
Native
English
Advanced
Education
Oct 1994 - Jun 1996
Fernuni Hagen
Business Administration · Hagen, Germany
Oct 1987 - Jun 1992
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe University Frankfurt
Diploma, Solid State Physics, Scientific Photography · Physics · Frankfurt, Germany · 1,25
Certifications & licenses
ITIL
Prince2
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