Rudi Winterhalter
Interim R&D Project Manager for Electronic Devices and Systems
Experience
R&D Project Management Support and Consulting
- Relieving, advising, and representing the project manager in scheduling, quality, and risk management (development of an electronics platform)
- Tools used: MS Teams, Azure DevOps
R&D Project Manager
- Led an R&D project with hardware, software, and mechanics
- Scheduling and tracking, risk response, regular reporting, budget responsibility, stakeholder management
- Tools used: Confluence, MS Project, Webex
R&D Project Management: Task Force Management
- Supported, coached, and represented the internal project manager in team leadership, risk management, results documentation, and stakeholder management
- Led root cause analyses and feasibility studies
R&D Project Management (SW, Agile): Embedded Platform
- Mandate for two projects:
- Post-merger: interface coordinator between the parent company and newly integrated startup in a joint development project
- Task force support: taking on product owner tasks, release management, stakeholder communication
- Tools used: Jira, Confluence
R&D Project Management: 8D Task Force Support
- Relieved, supported, and represented the head of a task force (8D root cause analysis)
- Moderated project meetings internally and with suppliers
- Communicated with internal and external stakeholders
- Co-developed and facilitated the 8D process with the client's development engineers
R&D Project Management (HW, SW, Mechanics): Vehicle Sensor
- Clarifying questions about product requirements with the end customer
- Responsible for meeting quality, deadlines, budget, and processes in the development of a safety-critical vehicle sensor
- Project planning, cross-site project coordination, risk management
- Point of contact for process audits (VDA)
- Coordination between the parent company's quality assurance and the development team of the subsidiary
- Tools used: Confluence
R&D Process Consulting for the Development Manager
- Advising the R&D manager on production launch and conducting internal audits
R&D Project Manager Coaching
- Coaching and supporting the project manager in scheduling and team leadership
Context: Product development at an international sensor manufacturer
R&D Project Management: Medical Device (FDA, MDR)
- Leading a development team of internal and external resources
- Responsible for meeting the set deadlines for specific work packages within a large international project
R&D Management Consulting during Change
- Advising the second management level of a fast-growing technology company on ongoing change processes
- Designing and leading workshops to redesign the product development process with project manager coaching
R&D Project Management: Multi-project Coordination
- Coordinating multiple projects and coaching project managers at a medium-sized technology company
R&D Project Management: Safety Component
- Project leadership at a medium-sized sensor technology company
- On-time implementation of safety requirements according to EU directives and ISO standards
- Collaboration with the approval authority
Trusted Advisor and Pre-Seed Investor for Technology Start-ups
- Support, advice, and mentoring in project and risk management during product development, especially for hardware startups
- Topics: CE, electrical safety, EMC, project planning, structuring, and tracking
Head of Development (acting)
SCHNIER Elektrostatik GmbH
Responsibility for product development including certifications (CE, UL)
Production ramp-up, implementation of quality gates, and end-of-line testing
Selection and qualification of EMS service providers
Patents, execution of funded projects, coordination of external development and manufacturing service providers
Global customer support (USA, Asia, DACH, Eastern Europe)
Participation in DKE standardization committees
Controlling and preparation of monthly reports for shareholders
Contract drafting and negotiations with customers, suppliers, and house banks
Results:
Renewal of the entire product range, strong growth and increased profits
Implementation of necessary processes and skills in development and production
Awards:
1st place in the Baden-Württemberg State Innovation Award 2015
Listed among FOCUS 'Growth Champions 2016'
Head of Development
bebro electronic
Responsibility for revenues and earnings of the development profit center with 30 engineers and technicians in Germany and the Czech Republic
Departments: product development, CAD/design, and from 2006, test systems
Results:
Reshaping development into a profit center for custom electronics and mechatronics solutions
Significant improvement in revenue and profit
Implementation of a development process with project controlling to achieve quality assurance targets
Certification according to ISO 9001 and ISO 13485
Establishment and integration of a development team in the Czech subsidiary
Development Engineer and Project Manager
Acterna (formerly Wandel & Goltermann)
- Development engineer and ASIC designer: digital and analog measurement hardware, embedded software, ASIC chip design, VHDL and FPGA logic synthesis
- From 1996, project manager for US-specific products, developing measuring instruments for the US market
- Carried out joint projects with US customers and provided sales support in the US
Industries Experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.
Experienced in Manufacturing (22.5 years), Telecommunication (15 years), Information Technology (9 years), Automotive (1.5 years), and Healthcare (0.5 years).
Business Areas Experience
The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.
Experienced in Product Development (37.5 years), Project Management (29 years), Quality Assurance (22.5 years), Sales (15 years), Supply Chain Management (8 years), and Research and Development (3 years).
Summary
I help companies implement even critical development projects as accurately and reliably as possible. As an experienced professional with a hands-on mindset, I deliver quick relief in staffing bottlenecks, difficult project situations, and as a parental leave cover.
For 7 years, I have worked as an interim project manager and mentor in industrial research and development. The mandates come from the semiconductor industry, power electronics, measurement technology, and medical technology. Before starting my own business, I spent many years as an employed project and department manager, both in large companies under American leadership and in mid-sized and family-owned businesses. I have brought many products into production myself.
I support teams not only technically but also on a personal level. Project managers value me as a sparring partner and advisor. I have solid knowledge in project and crisis management. Technically, I have experience in electronics and hardware development, e.g., with CE and UL approvals.
Father of two adult children. Radio amateur, diver. Mentor and seed investor for hardware startups.
In bottleneck situations, I take responsibility for entire projects for my clients or immediately relieve internal project managers or product owners by taking on tasks. Often, it is enough to take over orphaned tasks to avoid frustration and significantly relieve the whole team. My goal is sustainability. After my mandate ends, there should be no vacuum. Therefore, I support project managers as a co-pilot, sparring partner, or personal trainer to strengthen them in their decisions and to foster their development. I know the challenges of developers from my own experience. That creates trust and effective collaboration at eye level. My strength lies especially in critical development projects with high demands on technology, quality, and time.
- Is your project manager or product owner team under full load? I take responsibility, relieve your team, and bring structure to your project.
- Do you need short-term support in a critical project situation? I dive right in and provide quick relief.
- Do you want to strengthen your project managers in the long term? As a sparring partner and coach, I support your team to make decisions confidently and tackle challenges with self-assurance.
- Are you looking for an experienced cover for parental leave or sabbatical? Thanks to my experience, onboarding is fast and efficient.
Languages
Education
Diploma Engineer (FH) · Communications Engineering
Certifications & licenses
Business Facilitator
European Coaching Association ECA
Transactional Analysis
Profile
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