Rafael Mestre - Cisco Network Administrator and Consultant

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Cologne, Germany

Experience

Jan 1999 - Dec 2003

5 years

Remote

Cisco Network Administrator and Consultant

For several VPN, remote work and migration projects in telecommunications, insurance and aviation.
Main tasks and achievements:
Configuring network components
Coding
Troubleshooting support

Jan 1995 - Present

30 years 7 months

Trade Fair Planner

Isabel de Mestre

Started in 1995 as a temp at bridal fashion shows for Isabel de Mestre.
Later took over fair planning and coordination/logistics for the booth, collections and staff.
Then involved in budget control and managing fair execution (booth setup, quality checks, checklists).
Main tasks and achievements:
Evolving the fairs and supporting the brand's international success.
Identifying resources, interviewing and selecting team members.
Managing logistics.
Developing and introducing an automated IT order processing system at the booth.
Reduced staff through optimized processes.

Jan 1993 - Dec 1998

6 years

Software Developer

For various projects implementing hidden-line algorithm, parallel processing, skeleton algorithm, …

Agile Project Manager

Developing e-mobility products focused on charging solutions for electric cars, strategic consulting, training various charging infrastructure rollout teams (e.g. Duisburg charging park), coordinating stakeholders, leading meetings, product presentations, process design, rollout progress reporting, BCM, coordinating with charging station development team.
Main tasks and achievements:
Standardizing products/services and installation processes.
Training the sales team.

Business Consultant

Supporting project management, UI design, testing and implementing a charging station backbone and a frontend app for electric cars.
Leading the team to ensure quality in multiple languages and functions.
Usability and IT security consulting and acquiring hubs to connect to the system.
Central communication hub for all international project matters.
Technical advisor to the company's CIO.
Main tasks and achievements:
International system testing (electric car world tour).
First world tour in an electric car in 80 days.
International electric car logistics and leading 10 international teams.

Prince2 Consultant

Assisting in creating the Prince2-based project plan for the group's lighthouse project.
Training staff, covering leave and handing over to project management.
Main tasks:
Project plan training/implementation.
Teaching how to run a project by Prince2 principles.

Project Manager

Project scope ~1000 active components, 400 servers, management systems and more.
Team responsibility for 25 people.
Budget responsibility of 20 million euros.
Started by reviewing network design and level 3 troubleshooting.
Planning VoIP rollout, test setup, rollout planning.
Promoted to network team lead after 3 months.
Identified missing processes, defined process and project interfaces.
Scheduled tech team deployment, rollout planning, coordination, direct reporting to program manager and steering committee.
Mediated between different mentalities in the multicultural project.
Promoted to head of IT infrastructure after 9 months (PABX/VoIP, IT, network, NMS).
Participated in system engineering jour fixe, highlighting risks for other project interfaces.
Removed blockers, defined missing milestones, sped up rollout.
Improved project processes.
Coordinated parallel projects.
Successfully finished the project within the self-calculated reported schedule, reviewed technical docs, handed over to operations team, defined operational processes (incident/config management), aligned processes with client and trained/supported operations team (monitoring/troubleshooting) until smooth operations.
Designed security/penetration tests for IT equipment and oversaw acceptance until sign-off.
Main tasks and achievements:
IT infrastructure project manager.
Completed project at 10% of the budget estimated by program management.
Managed 18 internal and 7 external resources.
Full project responsibility.

Event Manager

80edays

Initiating, organizing, coordinating and leading 2 electric car world tours.
Creating travel plans, defining event and charging sites, installing chargers, drafting marketing concept, writing press releases.
Coordination:
Event logistics
Vehicle logistics (ocean/permits)
Charging infrastructure (worldwide – US, CN, KZ, RU, EU)
Customs clearance
Travel/flight/hotel planning
Briefings
Press conferences
TV interviews
Main tasks:
Designing the event structure
Point of contact for international teams
Social media marketing

Program Manager

80edays

Initiator and organizer of the first electric car world tour in a production electric car.
Concept, idea, plan, PMO setup, project control, filming and driving the famous Tesla Roadster around the world, later displayed at the Deutsches Museum in Munich.
Race against a French team with the same idea.
Planning and coordinating international charging stop events, TV and media interviews.
Giving speeches in different languages.
Main tasks and achievements:
Project idea, design and execution.
First world tour in a fully electric production car.
Awarded the Energy Globe Award Romania.
Several world records that still stand.

Patch Manager

ALDI Nord

Leading Windows and Linux server patch management for the entire international group across Europe.
Optimizing communication between application owners and technical staff, planning and managing migration projects, introducing automation and risk management.
Defining documentation processes around patch management.
Supporting integration/migration team.
Advising on script creation.
Leading Linux and Windows technicians (daily/weekly status meetings).
Managing, planning and coordinating patch management tasks for Windows and Linux servers.
Holding meetings with affected departments (in German and English).
Managing roles involved in processes.
Continuous process optimization.
Technical (SUMA/WSUS) and process documentation support/training.
Onboarding support, training and knowledge transfer to the new outsourcing partner.
Defining bring-in service process for servers and supporting implementation in ServiceNow.
Supporting migration of bring-out-of-service process from Jira to ServiceNow.
Supporting migration to AVS/AZURE.
Main tasks and achievements:
Managing multiple parallel projects.
Driving, stabilizing and standardizing operations – handing over to outsourcing partner.
Introducing "keep it simple" management reporting.

Project Manager IT Infrastructure

IBM

Project for client Media Saturn.
Subcontractor controlling, project management, GSNI design review and client infrastructure, supporting process optimization, coordinating client meetings, managing various jour fixes, supporting top management (Germany/UK/Europe).
Project planning, reporting and quality assurance of country migrations.
Planning and managing the move of a multi-vendor infrastructure for a strategic IBM client to the central data center.
Main tasks and achievements:
Tracking project plan.
Organizing meetings.
Coordinating on-site technical staff.
Hands-on support in IBM data center.

Network Expert

Lufthansa Systems

Configuring and testing an O2 PDA dial-up as a mobile recording unit for VPN communication with the internal network.
Configuring internal components (AAA server, router), firewall rules for needed ports.
Planning, development, test evaluation and presentation.
Project responsibility for a major client (bank).
Cost estimation, design, coordinating vendors and internal departments.
Defining and implementing processes.
Advising internal sales and boosting revenue and margin through process optimizations.
Migrating MS Access -> SQL replacing a central Access database. Gentle migration.
Database design, planning, coordinating and guiding a mixed programming team (trainees/internal/external/offshore).
Expanding product portfolio with additional services, optimizing existing products, improving order, production and billing processes.
Implementing VPN links between Cisco and various firewalls.
Reviewing rules, troubleshooting.
Project planning with fallback, resource scheduling, change planning, coordination, scripting, monitoring and QA for migrating ~100 VPN home office routers with fixed IP to certificate-based DMVPN with dynamic IP.
Main tasks and achievements:
Designing technical products and services.
Hands-on device configuration and troubleshooting.
Client account responsibility.

Technical Consultant

Lufthansa Systems

Technical support, acting as a Level 3 technician.
No training needed as environment and team were familiar.
Took on tasks on day one.
Process design, ordering VPN products, setting up VPN and firewall rules.
Handling individual tasks autonomously.
WAN sanity check for a Lufthansa Systems client in Emirates.
Live capture of network, component configs and Wireshark sniffing.
Data analysis, documentation and improvement suggestions with the client.
Main tasks and achievements:
Configuring and setting up a VPN network for the client.
Troubleshooting for Lufthansa Systems clients.

Project Manager & PMO

Telefonica

Supporting project management across various IT domains of the RAITT initiative.
Vendor tracking, scheduling, reporting, SQL queries, onboarding support, Excel support in the FUEL project (new software rollout).
Using Telefonica tools Mobius, Jenkins, BMC Remedy, IDM and interacting with MM, DM, CCM departments.
Working over VDI client 100% remote.
Tracking defects.
Coordinating meetings.
Compiling risk tables for go-live approval.
Researching and identifying ~4000 test cases from existing templates.
Main tasks and achievements:
Managing multiple parallel software change projects.
Driving projects to operational handover.
Project planning and quality assurance.
Covering for absences.

Network Specialist

Vodafone

WLAN rollout, connecting around 360 hotels to the core network.
Cisco routers (2651/1710), switches (3550) and access points (1231g) used in hotels.
Supporting on-site colleagues with commissioning and acceptance, liaising with telecom teams responsible for network tunnels.
Extending system features (AZR features), IOS upgrade on rolled-out routers, remote config changes.
Main tasks and achievements:
Technical support.
Device configuration.
WLAN rollout hotline.

Event Manager

eco Grand Prix

Organizing, coordinating and leading 27 international fairs/exhibitions for e-mobility including side events in electric motorsport.
Creating fair plans, charging infrastructure plans, leading sponsor acquisition team, drafting marketing concept, approving press releases.
Coordination:
Travel/hotel planning
Fair layout
Booth construction/logistics
Hostesses
Power supply
Security staff
Meetings
Press conferences
Main tasks:
Budget planning and tracking
Quality assurance
Daily review of project and schedule
Status reporting

Summary

Agile project manager with a strong understanding of automation. Solid project management knowledge and over 20 years of corporate experience, especially in process optimization and intercultural communication.

Working style: speeding up projects, minimizing risks, always keeping the big picture in mind when coordinating with energy providers, landowners, cities and towns, and charging station manufacturers. Orchestrating operations, optimizing business-critical processes and projects including resource optimization and balanced use of available resources.

Strengthening and developing teams, involving stakeholders, building strong cooperation and trusting relationships. Learning and adapting, generating insights and leveraging innovations.

Highly motivated, responsible self-starter with drive and a strong passion for e-mobility, resilience and enthusiasm, who acts with a strong sense of risk and urgency and delivers coordinated solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Languages

German

Native

Spanish

Native

English

Advanced

Education

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