Joachim F. - Global Chief Engineer Braking & Steering Software Systems Engineering

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Bassenheim, Germany

Experience

Jul 2021 - Present

4 years 5 months

Koblenz, Germany

Hybrid

Director System Safety & Product Cybersecurity/Product Governance, Global R&D

ZF

Leading global safety and cybersecurity strategy for ZF’s full product portfolio: audits, assessments, release recommendations, processes, cybersecurity field monitoring, and incident response
Since 2025-01-01 additional responsibilities in AI, data privacy, Automotive SPICE
Governance, Risk & Compliance manager for ZF’s R&D
Pioneered a data based safety and security culture powered by a company-wide digital platform; currently integrating agentic AI for continuous compliance measurement and incident response
Managing ~50 employees at 10 global locations; overseeing safety and cybersecurity for hundreds of product developments and 5000+ system/software engineers, impacting all ZF product lines

Aug 2015 - Jun 2021

5 years 11 months

Koblenz, Germany

Global Chief Engineer Braking & Steering Software Systems Engineering

ZF

Leading development of the software architecture platform for passenger car steering and braking systems, including teams for software safety and cybersecurity
Directed software development processes and infrastructure
Introduced Agile processes (Scrum)
Managed up to ~100 employees worldwide, providing platform to up to ~100 parallel development projects and major vehicle platforms

Jul 2008 - Jul 2015

7 years 1 month

Koblenz, Germany

Engineering Manager Base Software Development

ZF

Led the safety-critical software platform for Slip Control Systems and Electronic Parking Brake and its development environment (configuration and change management, continuous build and integration)
Managed ~50 employees
Technical management of large-scale customer projects (BMW, Daimler, VW et al.)

Apr 2008 - Sep 2008

6 months

Saarbrücken, Germany

Lecturer Mechatronic Systems

htw saar, University of Applied Sciences

Taught Mechatronic Systems course during the summer term

Apr 2006 - Jun 2008

2 years 3 months

Regensburg, Germany

Manager Advanced Development - Control Engineering

Continental

Model-based system and software engineering
Brake-by-wire, belt load limiters, electrical motors

Dec 2001 - Mar 2006

4 years 4 months

Saarbrücken, Germany

Research Assistant

Laboratory for Process Automation, Saarland University

Conducted research and teaching in control engineering, robotics, inertial navigation systems, and image processing

Jan 2001 - Dec 2002

2 years

Karlsruhe, Germany

Trainer Internet Search Strategies

Professional Education Center, University of Karlsruhe

Delivered two seminars on Internet Search Strategies

Jan 1999 - Jul 2000

1 year 7 months

Karlsruhe, Germany

Student Researcher

Chair for Theoretical Electrical Engineering, University of Karlsruhe

Worked on sensor fusion and Kalman filters, wave digital filters, and ADA programming

Summary

Experienced engineering leader with a strong background in safety, cybersecurity, and software systems for the automotive industry. Throughout my career I have led highly skilled teams in developing reliable, innovative, and compliant software platforms for embedded systems as well as for cloud-based CI/CD environments and governance platforms.

Expertise in agile processes, technical governance, and digital transformation to support complex projects around the world. I have successfully managed global teams and guided critical projects, ensuring the highest standards across major vehicle platforms.