Sebastian Hefczyk - Overall Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

Go to Website

Bornheim, Germany

Experience

Aug 2024 - Present

1 year

Hamburg, Germany

Overall Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

Statutory Health Insurance

Took over a struggling project from internal leadership and achieved a successful turnaround Phase 1 (cutover of ~1000 servers (VMs)/standard and specialized desktops)
Led Phase 1 transition planning and execution in record time with minimal tickets
Stakeholder management: assumed daily direct communication with the end customer pre-cutover, rebuilding trust and restoring customer satisfaction
Ran a task force to resolve all issues and showstoppers before cutover
Defined scope and planned Phase 2 activities (e.g. silo/admin servers)
Kickstarted Phase 2 and returned project to success line for internal team to complete remaining tasks
Set up, prepared, and ran governance meetings with V-1 management to align guardrails
Moderated various jour fixes and operational workshops
Participated in lessons learned with the client to address pre-engagement dissatisfaction (client very satisfied with my work)
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Jan 2024 - Jul 2024

7 months

Germany

Technical Project Manager; Turnaround Manager & Coach

International Electronics Manufacturer

Project management and leadership
Took over a troubled project (Poland) from internal team on a critical path
Scrum ceremonies: sprint planning, review, retrospective
Supported Product Owner with backlog refinement, prioritization, and product vision alignment
Turnaround management and temporary project leadership
Assessed current state and root causes
Defined, aligned, and implemented corrective measures with IT and business management (e.g. scope freeze, reprioritization, resource issue mitigation, dependency planning)
Aligned migration approach and overall project plan with architects and project leads
Supported test preparation with test management, teams, and architects
Created transparency by identifying cross-project dependencies and aligning fixes with other project leads and agile masters
Provided clear stakeholder reporting
Established active risk and issue management
Status meetings with international business and IT at C-level (including Poland leadership)
Guided the turnaround and handed back to internal leadership
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Jun 2023 - Dec 2023

7 months

Germany

Project Lead/ Initiative Setup & Coaching

German Mobile Operator

Led "Device Compatibility Initiative" for network launch
Defined scope of measures needed for launch
Broke down requirements, aligned sprint goals and priorities at C-1 level, prepared board decisions
Derived and aligned project deliverables
Program organization: established a central steering structure with clear roles
Steering committee: setup, execution, and moderation of meetings with board and C-1 level
Contributed to and supported board meetings
Created transparent stakeholder reporting
Consolidated activities to identify mitigations where improvements weren't immediately feasible
Defined and implemented project management processes for planning, controlling, and reporting
Identified process impacts and supported integration into line organization
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project)

Sep 2022 - Jun 2023

10 months

Germany

Deputy Project Lead/ PMO/ Subproject Lead “Change Management & Communication”

International IT Infrastructure/Engineering Innovator

Defined and established project management processes for planning, controlling, reporting (single point of contact to project & portfolio management)
Deputy project lead
Aligned multiple suppliers and set up structures for "Celonis Process Analysis", "System Analysis", and "Change & Communication" workstreams
Steering committee with CIO and business leads: gatekeeping, moderation, and postprocessing of board decisions
Defined goals, managed scope, and shaped project direction
Set up stable project delivery framework
Developed, aligned, and executed change management and communication plans, managed communications across corporate channels on behalf of CIO
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project); Celonis Process Analysis

Feb 2021 - Sep 2022

1 year 8 months

Germany

Project Management, Concept, Implementation, Consulting, PM Coaching

Leading International Retail Group

Operational project lead
Leadership development, coaching, and training of lead developers into subproject lead roles via on-the-job training
Advised overall project leadership and teams
Set up project structures with clear ownership
Aligned sprint goals, tracked velocity and burndown charts
Optimized Scrum approach in hybrid setup
Sparring partner for internal agile coaches on methods, tools, and mindset
Defined goals and scope management
Ensured delivery capability and project delivery throughout
Defined and rolled out risk management
Shaped project guardrails
Project marketing and communication: created highlight posts and success articles
Detailed planning: roadmaps and workstream plans with dependency management
Ran task forces to enable project progress
Consolidated project closure report including lessons learned for knowledge management
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project); Azure DevOps

Aug 2020 - Jan 2021

6 months

Cologne, Germany

Interim Manager

Mid-Sized IT Consulting Firm

Optimized company structure for growth and developed a 3-year roadmap
Strategic realignment: one-on-one and group coaching for executives
Defined USP
Designed and rolled out new product portfolio
Aligned and defined business development action plan
Coached management on business development and sales strategy
Arranged client meetings and supported via remote coaching on conversation techniques (needs analysis, presentation, objection handling, self-presentation) with debriefs
Tools: Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, SharePoint; MS Office (PowerPoint, Excel), HubSpot
Skills: interim management, business development, executive coaching

Apr 2019 - Jul 2020

1 year 4 months

Scrum Master, Multi-project Manager, Supplier Restructuring in Infrastructure

Global Insurance Group

Advised and implemented project approach reengineering / adapted agile methods to a traditional setup with tailored project setup (Scrum/waterfall)
Supported Product Owner in backlog refinement and prioritization
Prepared, ran, and followed up Scrum ceremonies
Managed scope, time, and budget
Multi-project management of suppliers in database server projects
Acted as internal senior project manager
Prepared decision documents for program leadership
Integrated internal and external teams into "One Team"
Participated and moderated operational and steering committee meetings
Skills: Certified Scrum Master, internal/external communication, PRINCE2
Tools: Guidewire, Atlassian Suite (Confluence/JIRA), MIRO, MS Office

Feb 2019 - Apr 2019

3 months

Neckarsulm, Germany

Scrum Master / Agile Coach

Large Retail Chain

Prepared, ran, and followed up Scrum ceremonies
Led Scrum of Scrums with other masters to improve cross-team agility (SAFe)
Identified agility improvement potentials in close coaching with product owners and teams

Jan 2018 - Feb 2019

1 year 2 months

Germany

Overall Project Lead

Mid-Sized Insurance Company

Phase 1 (end Jan–early Jun): LMS implementation with client-selected vendor
Aligned direction with sponsors
Ran agile-iterative approach based on Scrum
Harmonized scope at high-level requirement/story level across learning areas
Mediated and built team with differing goals
Led project and managed risks
Designed and implemented evaluation process for tool vendors
Prepared, conducted, and followed up steering meetings
Phase 2 (Jun 2018): Turnaround after board decision to change LMS vendor
Executed negotiation strategy with sponsors
Evaluated options and prepared decision materials for board
Led final negotiations in English to mutual separation agreement with vendor MD
Guided decision to separate and start vendor evaluation
Phase 3 (Jun 2018–Feb 2019): New vendor evaluation
Overall project lead and central liaison between client and LMS vendors
Designed a 3-stage evaluation to select best vendor
Created and managed quantitative scoring with >200 harmonized high-level requirements
Oversaw data collection and benchmarking
Drove board decisions to narrow vendor pool
Conducted delta analysis before contract signing to identify showstoppers
Facilitated scope definition for final LMS functionality
Handed over to internal lead for implementation
Tools: Atlassian Confluence, Ubuntu, various LMS including open source

Aug 2017 - Dec 2017

5 months

Germany

Quality Subprogram Lead

Logistics Group

Led two strategic projects focused on quality assurance
Planned and controlled subprogram activities for quality
Led supplier workshops
Reported to overall program lead
Ran workshops

Oct 2016 - Jul 2017

10 months

Germany

On-site

Program Management

Insurance

Multi-program management: leading project teams in customer programs (onsite/offshore/nearshore)
Line management for >200 staff
Main client contact and steering committee lead
Developed solutions for delivery programs
Optimized governance processes
Improved global delivery process (offshore/nearshore/onsite)
Converted two >100-staff client programs from waterfall to Scrum
Contributed to strategy development
Coached teams and individuals
Guided delivery transition to new vendors

Aug 2015 - Sep 2016

1 year 2 months

Germany

Deputy PMO Lead (IT Workstream)

Major Banks

Created roadmap for accelerated setup of multiple separation projects in bank’s processes and committees, presented to steering committee, supported setup phase
Conducted cross-bank blind-spot analysis with enterprise architecture to identify entanglement-relevant applications and verify ownership, designed approach, secured management approval, froze app list by board decision
Supported the "Application Development" cluster with urgent projects identified in blind-spot analysis in coordination with enterprise architecture and business
Clarified scope for "Production Organization" cluster in ITSM for services to former parent
Single point of contact for project offices; moderated weekly PMO jour fixes
Represented program leadership in task forces for critical issues (milestones, data separation)
Program marketing: wrote articles on infrastructure separation for internal channels, coordinated content
Single point of contact for program scheduling and release management alignment
Supported weekly IT status meetings organization, prep, follow-up
Assisted financials: coordinated with business and PMO of parent separation program, represented cluster lead in separation IT SteerCo
Acted as deputy internal PMO lead for programs in absence
Tools: Clarity, SAP, MS Office

Feb 2014 - Aug 2015

1 year 7 months

Germany

Deputy Project Lead Elsterlohn II; Management Consultant

Data Center of Tax Administration

Operational project management
Prepared, attended, and followed up steering committees across agencies
Introduced rolling planning and agile methods
Set up communication structures with internal/external stakeholders (agencies, other states)
Optimized planning, controlling, and reporting
Established communication and escalation paths with agencies
Prepared, attended, and followed up status jour fixes
Skills: agile project management, Scrum, large-scale projects, KONSENS, risk management, ELStAM
Rolled out risk management
Coached subproject leads
Tools: Atlassian Confluence, JIRA, SharePoint, MS Office

Oct 2013 - Feb 2014

5 months

Germany

Epic Owner Wholesale Rollout/ Scrum

Leading South German Automaker

Coordinated IT requirement implementation in global country rollout
Scrum-based requirements engineering
Liaison between business and development firms for CMS and supply chain components
Tools: MS Office, Confluence, JIRA

Mar 2013 - Sep 2013

7 months

Program Lead “Quality”

Leading Telecom Company

Led group-wide program to optimize customer processes in DSL and mobile, covering quality assurance, customer communication, and change management
Multi-project management of subprojects and their sub-subprojects
Defined scope and structured program from concept to delivery
Monitored progress, resolved conflicts, escalated when needed
Established closed planning-controlling-reporting cycle
Prepared and moderated overall project lead meetings
Drafted decision papers for division heads and board
Coached and supported client subproject leads in PM methods and next steps
Ran steering committees at board and division levels
Defined change management actions and planned mindset shift implementation
Tools: MS Office

Nov 2012 - Dec 2012

2 months

Project Setup Consultant / Business Analyst

Leading Insurance Company

Focused on project setup, supported planning during initiation, defined goals and detailed plan within PIP
Advised lead PM on goal formulation and PM methods
Supported project structure setup including WBS and subproject boundaries
Assessed test approach and scope
Verified subproject goals and dependencies to ensure clarity
Delivered phase-relevant PIP artifacts: project charter, capacity plan (resource gap analysis), timeline, budget (capex and opex) in OPX2, gathered IT security and compliance statements
Led steering committees (board and exec levels): prepared decision papers, post-meeting follow-up and tracking
Guided project through approval process, attended risk assessments, project board, and PMR
Set up PMO: provided templates and integrated processes for closed planning-controlling-reporting cycle
Handover to lead PM for ongoing execution
Business Analyst

Apr 2011 - Oct 2012

1 year 7 months

PMO, Deputy Project Lead, Internal/External Communication, Master Data Push Lead, Business

Leading Insurance Group / International Branch

Stand-in for IT program lead during absences
Designed and ran workshop chain for full program planning
Supported subprojects operationally, reviewed key documents (designs, concepts)
Assisted IT PM in prepping steering decisions (board, international management)
Advised on program-level planning
Led "Master Data Push" task force: reconciled data differences between local mapping and central solution, managed defect and CR follow-ups via status calls and push days
Budget, risk, and project plan controlling, prep for steering committees, managed booking structures in SAP-PS and OPX2
Reporting tailored to different stakeholders from top to middle management
Gatekeeping status rounds: prepared, moderated, and followed up program status meetings with IT PMs
Managed internal/external program communication (intranet, IT newsletter, events)
Test and defect management: joined daily international calls to identify and prioritize issues
Business Analyst
Tools: OPX2, SharePoint, ClearQuest, HPQC, SAP CO, SAP FI, SAP-PS, MS Office

Dec 2008 - Mar 2011

2 years 4 months

PMO, Project Lead Coaching, Internal/External Communication

Leading Mobile Operator

Interim lead for "Rollout & Retirement"
Concept and project setup
Gatekeeping steering boards: prep, moderation, follow-up with top and middle management
Agenda setting: refining topics and decision needs
Held alignment talks with business and IT management
Operational program management: intensive support of various projects, escalation support (budget, timeline)
Developed PM tools
Ran workshops, e.g., lessons learned
Single point of contact for reporting needs across top and middle management
Identified and drove significant change requests after rolling out strategic PM tool "TOP-S", led migration planning
Risk monitoring: set up risk reporting for program
Gatekeeping status rounds: ran program status meetings with IT PMs
Managed internal/external program communication (intranet, IT newsletter, events)
Advised on communication strategy with top management staff (group CIO, IT execs)
Program marketing: edited and wrote articles (intranet, year-end reports) in German and English
Oversaw test approach as sparring partner
Tools: TOP-S, iQ-Rep, MS Office

Sep 2008 - Oct 2008

2 months

PMO Setup, Process Analysis

Leading Insurance Company

Reviewed test process for optimization and quick wins
Supported internal management in building project office (e.g. risk management template)
Prepared and moderated project meetings
Contributed to various test jour fixes and subproject lead rounds
Technologies: OPX2, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio

Mar 2008 - Aug 2008

6 months

United States

Project Manager Support/ Concept Consulting/ International Multi-project Management/ Process Analysis/ Business Analyst

International Bank / Premium Segment

Assisted internal management in setting up multinational process rollout project
Co-led projects across Europe and USA: organization and conceptual support for process requirements per location
Collaborated with IT architects on standard processes (current vs. target), aligned cross-border with compliance
Prepared and drove board decisions
Advised/coached on internal/external communication across divisions
Reporting: created various regular reports from team presentations to executive status updates
Attended steering committees
Advised on rollout of core banking applications over Citrix
Advised PM on trends, risks, and measures; acted as backup during absences
Business Analyst
Technologies: Augeo Central, Citrix, PowerPoint, Excel, MS Project, Visio, JIRA

May 2005 - Apr 2008

3 years

Division Reorganization, International Multi-project Management

Leading Mobile Operator

Supported internal management in building and running a multinational benchmarking project (end-to-end performance) for mobile broadband (EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA)
Managed and coordinated project progress across European countries
Ran project office: prepared, conducted, and moderated project meetings; jour fixes with marketing and operations
Supported and coordinated test automation tool rollout in national subprojects with quality assurance focus
Analyzed test results for data quality and strategic insights for executive decisions
Advised on internal/external communication: single point of contact for marketing, operations, and project team inquiries
Created various regular reports from team presentations to status updates for exec boards and CTO reporting
Advised department head on trends, risks, and measures; represented head in meetings, e.g., steering boards
Technologies: HP IT Governance Center, HP Quality Center, PowerPoint, Excel, Visio, MS Project

Nov 2004 - Mar 2005

5 months

Quality Assurance; Test Management

Automaker’s Bank

Test management, planning, and design
Functional, application, system, integration, and acceptance testing
Set up Quality Center (Test Director) for monitoring test progress and defect tracking
Defined and executed test cases, provided support
Coordinated test activities across European locations
Conducted gap analysis in specifications
Project management support
Technologies: SQL Navigator, XML Spy, MQ-Series, HP Quality Center, MS Project, MS Office

Summary

Over 23 years of hands-on, cross-industry project experience confirmed by numerous written client references (provided on request) - roles include Project Manager, High-Level PMO, Test Manager, Interim Manager, Agile Coach, Epic Owner, and Scrum Master in complex, heterogeneous, mostly international and multicultural environments (English C1). Focus on new developments, greenfield, innovation, digitalization, change, and transformation projects.
Key assets: End-to-end consulting, design, coaching/training, and implementation of effective (agile and/or traditional – Scrum/Kanban/SAFe/Prince2) project management. Expert operational manager in strategic programs, flagship projects, vendor management, and setting up and leading PMOs. Core competencies highlights:
TURNAROUND MANAGEMENT: Identify project/program issues: assess health status, define and initiate corrective actions, implement measures, track to success
SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Respectful orchestration
HOLISTIC EXECUTION: Getting things done! Focus on achieving project goals within scope without tunnel vision
ONE TEAM: Integrate and align project players into a functional, motivated team (program/project), including vendor control and distributed teams (offshore/nearshore/onsite)
STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT: Effective expectation management. Align stakeholders to create stable guardrails and communicate appropriately at eye level
CHANGE MANAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION: Translate changes into employees’ language and gain acceptance
STRUCTURING: Create optimally sized, needs-based project framework for effective execution
COACHING & TRAINING: Share cross-industry best practices from nearly 25 years. Shadow management and on-the-job training for leadership development
PROGRESS TRACKING & RISK MANAGEMENT: Establish lean project structures and processes for transparency and control (planning-controlling-reporting cycle)
COMPOSURE: Professionalism, integrity, loyalty in extremely challenging project and team situations
AGILE EVANGELIST: Introduce or convert organizations to agile mindset, guide the mindset shift, tools, and practices for pragmatic effectiveness