Jens Keckstein
Interim Manager
Experience
Feb 2024 - Present
1 year 6 monthsInterim Manager
- Optimized project management governance for the location
- Improved the entire project management and governance process
- Developed organizational standards
- Consulted on building the new project management department
- Advised on future organizational structure and positioning
- Advised on assigning internal and external team members
- Defined requirements for the new project management department
- Developed and conducted various employee interviews
- Documented current processes (As-is)
- Developed future state scenarios
- Contributed to change initiatives
- Identified pain points
- Derived action points
- Defined the PM methodology
- Defined roles
- Defined project types
- Aligned definitions with internal requirements
- Structured the rollout project for the new PM methodology
- Executed the rollout project for the new PM methodology
Jan 2022 - Dec 2023
1 yearProgram Manager
- Program management | digitalization of procurement and accounting processes
- Managed the strategic program for digitalization initiatives with four projects for procurement and accounting as shared service units for the group:
- Digital invoice capture (approvals | release process)
- Selection and implementation of a supplier management platform (SRM)
- Selection and implementation of a procurement platform (eProcurement)
- Designed and managed the proof-of-concept for SRM & eProcurement
- Efficiency analysis for the accounting area (SSE tasks | capacity)
- Concept for efficiency increase in digitalization initiatives
- Task shifting | change | FTE adjustments
- Program planning: themes | outcomes | risks
- Ensured project progress | schedule adherence | risk management
- Managed external service providers and consultants
Feb 2021 - Jun 2022
1 year 5 monthsProgram Manager
- Program management | steering strategic IT and organizational projects
- Full responsibility for developing the strategic program with ten projects to develop and deliver CAL suite solutions
- Ensured alignment with corporate strategy and business requirements
- Managed and coordinated project stakeholders | coached project managers | advised leaders on project management methodologies
- Developed new global IT initiatives | analyzed new project proposals for timeline, internal funding, and implementation options
- Integrated new workstreams into program planning
- Developed program project plan: milestones | outcome definitions | risks
- Ensured project progress | schedules | risk management at program level
- Managed budget: preparation | monitoring | reporting | escalation
- Reviewed and approved work plans of external service providers and consultants
- Established standards and procedures for project and program reporting
- Reporting lines: C-level | IT leadership team | steering committee | business unit managers
Jun 2020 - Dec 2020
7 monthsInterim Manager
- Implemented efficiency measures in organizational optimization “Lean”
- Reduced and reallocated resources for a sustainable organizational setup. Focused the company on relevant key topics against competitors and growth with modern processes and technology
- Took over the project: delivered results on time and on budget
- Supported departments with existing and identified potential lean initiatives
- In-scope areas included: B2B | B2C | Private Banking | Operations | IT | HR
- Set up HR controlling: KPIs | progress tracking | escalation
- Conducted analysis “FTE development in IT 2018-2021”:
- Cost and FTE trends of internal staff and external service providers
- Capacity analysis: demand vs. supply
- Compared with cost drivers in run-the-bank and change-the-bank
Jul 2019 - Oct 2019
4 monthsProgram Change Manager BPM
- Change management design (OCM) | implementation of BPM measures in the IT Strategy Implementation program
- Led change management activities (OCM) in a complex organizational transformation program with 32 parallel projects
- Designed and adapted the IT strategy change management framework to define BPM requirements
- Updated approach and documentation for OCM within the framework
- Defined communication channels and implemented selected communications at program and project levels
- Developed key messages for IT strategy and BPM for integration into the employee magazine, program newsletter, and communication guide
- Conducted stakeholder interviews with 14 BPM leads
- Created stakeholder analyses, change impact analyses, and action plans for each project
- Developed individual change stories for each project
- Supported and coached delivery service managers (project leads) on OCM measures in their projects
- Designed the change network with a change ambassador for each project
Sep 2018 - Dec 2019
4 monthsInterim Manager
- Corporate consolidation of three sister companies into one organization in two steps
- Designed the organizational integration of the companies
- Planned and executed the merger of the three operational legal entities
- Designed the rebranding process
- Identified issues relevant to the merger both externally and internally
- Clarified legal aspects and structuring options
- Coordinated legal topics with the parent company
- Co-developed the organizational structure for the unified company
- Identified and managed areas and topics
- Handled product approvals | trademarks | patents | utility models
- Managed export regulations (e.g., tax warehouse, excise duties, permits)
- Monitored transition periods (e.g., market authorizations)
- Managed changes in operations and production
- Managed internal corporate adjustments
- Oversaw personnel-related aspects and works council matters
Feb 2018 - Aug 2018
7 months Germany
Programme Manager DACH
- Ensured GDPR compliance at a financial services provider
- Implemented central legal requirements for GDPR compliance by the May 25, 2018 deadline
- Took over and turned around the project in a crisis situation
- Delivered quick wins by May 25 and beyond in areas such as:
- Accountability and governance: data retention schedule | policies
- Fair and lawful processing: FPN | web pages | verbal and privacy notices
- Enhanced individual rights (implementation in ERP and non-ERP systems)
- Initiated and managed implementation of blocking and deletion of personal data (pilot)
- Covered areas: operations | operations delivery | collections
- Downstream: finance | pricing | HR
- Business process management
- IT change management | data warehouse
- Led the business concept “Block & Delete” for the ERP system (PowerTeam)
- Program budgeting: Opex | Capex
- Managed the PMO (2 staff)
Jul 2017 - Oct 2017
4 monthsInterim Manager
- Corporate consolidation of three sister companies into one organization in two steps
- Designed the organizational integration of the companies
- Planned and executed the merger of the three operational legal entities
- Designed the rebranding process
- Identified issues relevant to the merger both externally and internally
- Clarified legal aspects and structuring options
- Coordinated legal topics with the parent company
- Co-developed the organizational structure for the unified company
- Identified and managed areas and topics
- Handled product approvals | trademarks | patents | utility models
- Managed export regulations (e.g., tax warehouse, excise duties, permits)
- Monitored transition periods (e.g., market authorizations)
- Managed changes in operations and production
- Managed internal corporate adjustments
- Oversaw personnel-related aspects and works council matters
May 2015 - Oct 2015
6 monthsInterim Manager
- Make-or-buy study for foreign business of a midsize savings bank
- Cost-benefit study on outsourcing the foreign business unit
- Make-or-buy analysis for product portfolio and staffing
- Comparison: in-house | partial outsourcing | full outsourcing
- Collected internal cost structures and revenue per product/category
- Conducted market and potential analysis for strategic product portfolio assessment
- Created, ran, and evaluated an RfP for three external service providers
- Built a business case with multiple scenario analyses
- Performed cost estimation of new service offerings
- Prepared a decision template with recommendations for the board
Dec 2013 - Mar 2014
4 monthsProgram Manager Governance
- Company transformation to introduce unified global IT processes
- Strategic transformation program to roll out global corporate processes in SAP ERP | SAP CRM | SAP HRM
- Set up program structures in line with corporate governance guidelines
- Responsible for creating the program handbook according to PMBOK
- Defined the handbook structure and deliverables
- Change: defined and detailed program-wide standards and processes: escalation | change request | stage gates | reporting
- Defined and detailed governance bodies: program charter | project steering committee
- Change: established responsibilities, decision rules, and decision levels
- Change: developed 32 project roles, including functions and seniority levels
- Defined skills, responsibilities, and expectations for each role
Feb 2012 - Dec 2013
11 months Germany
Program Manager
- Reorganization | transformation | partial relocation of a financial services provider
- Migrated positions from the German headquarters to other company locations (national and international) with lower costs or to consolidate centers of excellence
- Took over and turned around the program: delivered results on time and on budget, saving about USD 8 million in two years
- Re-launched project structure (matrix), scheduling, and communications
- Scope management | risk management | evaluation of change requests
- In-scope departments: IT infrastructure | networks | product | client | service delivery, among others
- Set up controlling: KPIs | progress tracking | escalation
- Matched structural requirements of starting and landing sites
- Change: helped develop organizational structures at target destinations | work shadowing between sending and receiving teams
- Change: adapted cross-cutting processes (SOP)
- Developed program-wide reporting (cross-project)
- Member of steering and approval committees | change control forum
- Led workshops and meetings
Apr 2009 - Jul 2009
4 monthsLead Process Manager
- Re-launched “New Customer Card” at a home improvement chain as process manager
- Re-launched customer card system for customer retention and new customer acquisition
- Product launch (go-live) | product management | process management
- Studied systems: inventory management | POS | campaign management | financial accounting
- Coordinated between IT processes, marketing, and sales departments
- Created the full functional specification for system adjustments (process design)
- Produced complete process documentation and manual
- Adjusted processes: checkout flow | electronic order processing | discount handling via loyalty management (external provider)
- Process redesign: added category discounts
- Process design: customer card as a trigger for kick-back
- Process design: accounting for kick-back vouchers
Oct 2006 - Apr 2008
1 year 7 months Germany
Interim to perm | Country Manager D
B2B-Technik-Gesellschaft
- Built the organization and sales setup of a B2B technology company
- Founded the company and set up operations in Germany
- Led the subsidiary as a GmbH with full general commercial power of attorney
- Planned and executed market entry | competitor analysis
- Selected target customers | B2B sales of tracking and tracing services
- Acquired and supported new customers
- Negotiated cooperation agreements with strategic partners (retailers | resellers | insurance groups)
- Managed budget including planning and control
- Responsible for sales targets
- Line managed three employees
Jan 2004 - Sep 2006
1 year 9 months Frankfurt, Germany
Senior Business Consultant Financial Institutions
NetCo Consulting GmbH
- Outsourcing desktop services business case
- Introduced KPI management and BI platform (SAS SPM)
Sep 2000 - Jul 2001
11 months Hamburg, Germany
Project Manager for “DSL Marketing via AOL”
AOL Bertelsmann Online GmbH & Co KG
- Designed an online product and customer-facing business and IT processes
- Product launch (go-live) | product management | process management
- Defined project scope and work packages | business processes: customer contact | order management | customer services | billing | reporting
- Negotiated a sales partnership with a telecom company
Jul 1996 - Aug 2000
4 years 2 months Frankfurt, Germany
Consultant in Banking Structures
Mummert + Partner Unternehmensberatung AG
- Advised banks and financial services companies
- Created detailed concepts for projects (organization and processes)
- Conducted feasibility study and concept for card management system
- Managed outsourcing projects for a German bank
Summary
Your interim manager and program manager for business transformation and organizational development. He steps in when leadership is needed to advance your company or parts of it. He is your helmsman in project management | reorganizations | change management initiatives: from analysis, through concept design, hands-on implementation to successful completion – with more than 30 years of professional experience. His specialties include organizational mergers of SMEs or their separation | carve-outs into other European countries | globally. He also reviews business units under cost/benefit aspects (make-or-buy) and leads executive development within change initiatives. He is your helmsman in reorganizations | change management initiatives | project leadership: from analysis, through concept, hands-on implementation to successful completion – with more than 30 years of professional experience. In close cooperation with decision makers and key players, he has a clear idea of what he can expect from leaders – and he demands it. Working with people, involving people, leading people – his open, appreciative and reliable manner quickly makes him a trusted advisor and leader.
Languages
German
Native
English
Advanced
Education
Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences
Diplom-Betriebswirt (FH) · Frankfurt, Germany
Genossenschaftsbank
Bank Clerk
Certifications & licenses
Bank Clerk
IHK
Change Manager
IHK
Interim Executive
European Business School
Certified SME Consultant
BVMW
Certified Project Manager (Level C)
GPM | IPMA
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