Thomas A. - Interim Manager

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Wernau (Neckar), Germany

Experience

Sep 2024 - Present

1 year 4 months

Interim Manager

Vincorion Power Systems GmbH

Process and project management and technical risk management to optimize products and development processes for energy systems.
Requirements engineering and system architecture.
Performed system FMEA for power generator units and energy storage modules aimed at generic structures.
Claim management according to Section 313 BGB.
Worked in the regulatory environment of military and NATO standards, AQAP, and VG norms.

Aug 2023 - May 2024

10 months

Interim Manager

hailo Digital Hub

Advised on achieving certification for a waste management solution according to ESG.
Lifecycle management and quality management.
Established and ensured compliance.
Worked within the ESG regulatory environment.

Sep 2022 - Present

3 years 4 months

Owner and Managing Director

SEQ.IST UG

Developed the SEQ.IST method for cost, time, and resource estimation, as well as quality management.
Simplified BPMN and developed a fully eEPK-driven system.
Implemented the method in a SaaS solution.

Jul 2022 - Aug 2024

2 years 2 months

Interim Manager

Varta Microbattery

Developed processes for product, process, quality, and project development, including the use of the in-house SEQ.IST method.
Managed task forces for production ramp-up.
Established and refined development processes (design and process) with methodical implementation.
Provided support, coaching, and training throughout the entire development and product lifecycle.
Created, structured, and carried out design and process FMEA (D-FMEA and P-FMEA) for V4 Drive Automotive cells 21700 UHP, 18650 HP, and CoinPower.
Prepared various customer reports and conducted requirements engineering.
Handled lifecycle management, quality management, task force management, risk management, and shopfloor management.
Modeled processes using BPMN.
Worked in the regulatory environment according to VDA 6.3, TISACS, ITAF 16949, and ISO 9001.

Apr 2021 - Jul 2022

1 year 4 months

Interim Quality Management Manager

Bundesdruckerei

Served as quality manager on the "PREVIEW" and "PLAIN" projects for the Foreign Office in a VS-NfD environment.
Established and refined processes with methodical implementation of requirements.
Provided support, coaching, and training throughout the entire development and product lifecycle.
Developed and structured management reporting.
Optimized and automated workflows.
Designed and implemented big data and multi-tenant solutions.
Modeled processes using BPMN and selected and used appropriate methods and tools.
Worked in a regulatory environment under GDPR, ISO 27001, and ISO 20000 (ITIL).

Oct 2020 - Mar 2022

1 year 6 months

Mannheim, Germany

Lecturer

Mannheim University of Applied Sciences

Teaching advanced IT project management.
Delivering the lecture “Software and System Project Management in Practice (SSP)”.
Providing real-world examples from complex IT and system projects.
Promoting interactive online lectures with a strong focus on communication and exercises.
Coaching students on topics such as ISO 27701 and risk management.

Aug 2020 - Jan 2021

6 months

Interim Manager

Roche

Designing project, quality, test, risk and development processes for control units.
Performing requirements engineering.
Applying MBSE (Model-Based Systems Engineering) and developing system architectures.
Implementing the processes and training staff in an ALM tool.
Working in the regulated medical technology environment, especially ISO 13485, ISO 14972, IEC 60601, IEC 62304, and MDR.

May 2020 - Sep 2022

2 years 5 months

Trainer

GRC & Tisax

Planning and implementing ISO 27001 and TISAX for different clients.
Advising on governance, risk, and compliance in information security.
Training and supporting clients in the practical introduction of the standards.

May 2019 - Dec 2020

1 year 8 months

Interim Manager

Marc Cain GmbH

Acting as business analyst, compliance officer, development lead, product owner, and overall project manager for a retail POS system including omnichannel.
Developing processes and providing training on (A)SPICE and ITIL V4.
Managing a POS system project.
Conducting business analyses for GoBD, GDPR, antitrust law, AO, HGB, KassenSichV, and foreign legal requirements.
Implementing and linking legal requirements with internal development artifacts.
Creating process documentation, including internal control systems, and development and risk processes.
Setting up and implementing cut-over management with bidirectional runtime synchronization on both organizational and technical levels.
Deploying and integrating tools such as Kovair, Jira, Azure DevOps, Confluence, and BPMN.
Introducing and training in ITSM (ITIL V4), ISO 20000, and (A)SPICE-compliant processes.
Working in regulated environments like GoBD, AO, HGB, and ISO 27001.
Using tools such as Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Kovair, USU Valuemation, ServiceNow, and Bizagi.
Demonstrating project success according to client references.

Mar 2019 - Apr 2021

2 years 2 months

Owner

Kovair Germany

Setting up the German branch for Kovair.
Selling and applying regulatory requirements in the Kovair ALM/PLM tool structure.
Working in life-cycle management (ALM & PLM).
Building the sales channel and winning initial customers.
Performing data transformations between different tools, including for Marc Cain.

Nov 2018 - May 2019

7 months

Interim Manager Configuration Management

Robert Bosch GmbH

Implementation of configuration management in an ASIL B project targeting ASIL D for a Vehicle Motion and Position Sensor (VMPS) with satellite alignment and cloud architecture.
Revision and adjustment of processes in configuration management.
Mapping of the normatively required configuration artifacts to Bosch-specific terms.
Process modeling with BPMN and implementation of the modeled processes in the project.

Jul 2018 - Oct 2022

4 years 4 months

Method Developer and Technical Architect

PRTCE SEQ.IST

Method development of the PRTCE methodology as an eEPK-based process, cost, time, and resource estimation and management system.
Technical architecture of the solution.
Development of an approach for fast and precise effort estimation.
Testing with pilot customers with very positive feedback (including comments on the high logic, simplicity, and accuracy of the method).

Jun 2018 - Dec 2020

2 years 7 months

Quality Management Consultant

Thericon

Worked as a quality management consultant.
Supported quality management processes and regulatory requirements in a medical environment.

Jan 2018 - Apr 2019

1 year 4 months

Interim Manager Development and Series Project Management

SMR Automotive

Development and series project management for software and hardware of a mirror replacement system.
Project management in the ASPICE and ISO 26262 context.
Led camera calibration, obstruction detection, and development of a generic camera for an ASIL B to D product.
Requirements engineering for the mentioned products.
Successfully delivered tested and released software for intrinsic, extrinsic, Cam2Cam, and dynamic calibration functions.
Responsible for the complete development and release of the camera.

Dec 2017 - Dec 2018

1 year 1 month

Management Consultant

Viettel

Consulting for an international aviation and mobile communications group.
Support in implementing ISO 9001, 9004, 9100, and 33071 in the context of DO-178C and DO-254.
Planning and implementation of mobile communication technologies.
Documentation of the rollouts and operation of the mobile communication solutions.

Oct 2017 - Dec 2017

3 months

Interim Trainer

Viettel

Training for an international aerospace and mobile communications group.
Conducting comprehensive training on implementing DO 178C and DO 254 in the codeBeamer tool.
Basic training on Logical Scaled Business.
Training participants from developers to vice presidents with very positive feedback and follow-up requests.

Apr 2017 - Sep 2022

5 years 6 months

Interim Management, COO Chief Operation Officer

SIO GmbH Automotive

Served as COO with responsibility for operational processes.
Mapped and implemented ASPICE and ISO 26262 in TFS Team Foundation Server (Azure).
Conducted tests and process modeling with BPMN and Bizagi.
Managed products such as a flash bootloader for steering, and a flash bootloader and base software for a battery control unit replacing Autosar.
Reached ASPICE Capability Level 1 within 8 weeks, then Capability Level 2.
Developed an in-house assessment tool in Kovair.

Sep 2016 - Apr 2019

2 years 8 months

Interim Management, Chief Process Officer

Intland GmbH

Implemented regulatory requirements into the structure of the codeBeamer ALM tool, considering different development methods.
Rolled out, trained, and implemented for customers in AGILE, SAFe, SCRUM, V-Model, and Waterfall.
Supported customers in industries such as automotive, banking, medical and pharmaceutical, industrial and avionics, insurance, and rail.
Modeled processes based on regulatory requirements using BPMN.
Created and rolled out templates for ASPICE, ISO 26262, ISO 15288, ISO 10007, DO 178C, and SAFe, and introduced them to customers.
Received very positive customer feedback on experience and expertise.

Jun 2016 - Sep 2016

4 months

Task Force Manager

Northrop Grumman Litef

Managed a task force around DO 178C and DO 254 for type certification (embedded software).
Introduced an ALM tool and designed the related processes.
Implemented the new processes within the project.
Successful collaboration, confirmed by references from Northrop Grumman and Airbus.

Jul 2015 - May 2016

11 months

Interim Manager

Deutsche ACCUMOTIVE

Introduced ASPICE in the area of battery management systems for embedded software.
Advised and implemented, including the introduction of an ALM tool.
Created and modeled processes in Bizagi.
Built an ASPICE process framework tailored to customer needs and established it in the company.
Configured the ALM tool according to the defined processes.

Nov 2014 - Jul 2015

9 months

Bad Urach, Germany

Interim Manager, Project Coordinator China

Eissmann Group Automotive

Project coordination for the upholstery of vehicle components.
Ensuring integration of materials management, engineering, quality assurance, production equipment and workplace safety.
Implementation of procurement, quality and production topics including shopfloor management in the joint venture in China.
Business process management between Germany and China and optimization of interfaces.
Optimization of material flow, especially for capital goods.
Reporting to the steering committee and executive management.
Work performed under a time-limited mandate.

Jun 2014 - Oct 2014

5 months

Lindau, Germany

Interim Manager, Team Leader Failure Analysis

Continental AG ADAS

Team leader for failure analysis in ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems).
Responsible for building and leading a failure analysis (QM/QS) team for a stereo camera system.
Overall structuring of errors by modules, submodules and functions.
Expansion and development of system FMEA (S-FMEA).
Review of requirements.
Training employees in the analysis process.
Very positive reference from the team leader at the customer.

May 2014 - Sep 2016

2 years 5 months

Developer ASPICE process house

Own development ASPICE process house

Completion of the generic process house for ASPICE.
Implementation of the process house in an ALM tool.
Design of the solution so that it can be used in any ReqIF-capable tool.

Aug 2013 - Jun 2014

11 months

Sankt Georgen im Schwarzwald, Germany

Interim Technical Project Lead, Project Manager & System Owner

ebmpapst

Technical project leadership and system responsibility in a medium-sized German company focusing on industrial fans, automotive fans, fluid pumps and drives.
Project management for the development of an orbital pump (diaphragm pump for pumping small amounts of urea/AdBlue).
Responsibility as test manager and design manager.
Management of prototype construction, scheduling and testing.
Successful project work, confirmed by references.

Jun 2013 - Jun 2016

3 years 1 month

Developer generic process house

Own development ASPICE and ISO 26262

Development of a generic process house in Bizagi (BPMN) for ASPICE, ISO 15504, 16362, 26262 and 61508, including automation.
Modeling of generic processes that are standards-compliant and can be implemented with tool support.
Very positive feedback from SPICE auditors on standards compliance and the generic implementation of the processes.

Oct 2012 - Apr 2023

10 years 7 months

Shanghai, China

Chief Advisory Board, Project Management & Training

DAKS

Work in a German-Chinese joint venture focused on technology development, educational exchange and industrial park development.
Project management for the "Biological Waste Recycling in Shanghai" project (20 tons of biowaste daily).
Technical sales of non-contact (ultrasonic) measurement methods to steel companies.
Technical sales to Chinese OEMs and mediation ("translation") of German technology to Chinese engineers.
Training engineers on the technologies used.
Development and implementation of development processes.
Supplier qualification and development.
Proven project successes, confirmed by references.

May 2011 - Jan 2013

1 year 9 months

Director of Customer & Central Project Management, Development and Series Production

ixetic GmbH

Worked at a global supplier of mechanical and electric vacuum and oil pumps for the automotive industry.
Responsible for industrialization and coordination of technical pump development from first customer contact to implementation and series production in different jurisdictions.
Developed effective technical solutions and advised customers.
Coordinated activities of the German R&D team with Chinese colleagues, suppliers and customers until localizing and establishing new projects in China.
Led the local Chinese team and ensured compliance with European standards in quality, purchasing, industrial engineering and production.
Plant and production planning, including shopfloor management.
Launch management for customers like VW and Ford.
Achieved a revenue increase of over 200%, start of series production, setup of local process chain and assembly as well as test field and local R&D activities.
Demonstrated excellent performance in multiple tasks at the same time.

Apr 2006 - Apr 2011

5 years 1 month

Frankfurt, Germany

Interim Deputy Project Manager

Continental

Deputy project manager in the electric vacuum pump project (EVP5, 5.01, 5.1, 5.2, 3.0) in the hydraulic brake systems division.
Shared responsibility for development and introduction of the electric vacuum pump into series production.
Project development and completion according to Ford, VW, Mercedes and BMW quality standards within time and budget limits.
Monitoring and coordination of activities including design, testing, industrial engineering, requirements management, FMEA, customer and supplier coordination.
Introduced a requirements management tool linked with risk management, which led to a reduction in development time.
Long-term assignment as the only external project manager (not temp agency) at Continental worldwide for over five years.

Jan 2004 - Dec 2008

5 years

Project Manager & Consultant

Led various large projects as project manager and consultant.
"Dynamic Balancing of Rotating Shafts" project in cooperation with the University of Cottbus.
Invented a mechanical system for balancing rotating shafts in operation, including prototype construction and testing.
Successfully handed over the project to the university for further development.
IMAS (Impulse Magnet System) project with Rupprecht & Partner GbR in Glashütten.
Invented and developed an electric motor using the EMF for propulsion.
Responsible for prototype development and testing.
Handed over the project to an investor for further development and marketing.

Jan 2002 - Dec 2006

5 years

Friedberg, Germany

Project Manager

R. Schneid GbR

Project manager in an IT system development company for small and medium-sized businesses.
Led external development teams for ERP, CMS and online shop systems.
Implemented multiple websites and shops integrated with ERP systems.

Jan 1993 - Dec 2011

19 years

Owner

Own companies (including DV Profis GmbH)

Owner and Managing Director of several own companies, including DV Profis GmbH.
Strategic consulting for clients.
Provision of various services in the IT environment.
Planning and implementation of IT solutions.
Human resource consulting.
Development and deployment of call center and service automation solutions with IVR, text-to-speech (TTS), and speech-to-text (STT).
Support for clients in the banking, insurance, IT, and telecommunications industries.

Jan 1987 - Dec 1993

7 years

Hamburg, Germany

Technical Director, Software

Executive Software Germany GmbH

Technical Director at a company that developed software for VMS operating systems to improve performance.
Responsible for the technical development of the products.
Sales and implementation of technical software changes at customer sites.
Achieved revenue growth of over 200%.

Jan 1985 - Dec 1987

3 years

Neuwied, Germany

Head of Technical Documentation (Software)

Paul Lippke GmbH & Co. KG

Managed the technical documentation for a central software system.
Created the complete documentation for the main system, database-based internal manuals, and customer guides.
Worked as a training manager for PDP-11.
Programming in assembler.
Worked with Macintosh systems.

Summary

I am a passionate leader, interim manager, and quality and project manager with a unique mix of theoretical, practical, technical, and business know-how. With over 35 years of experience in the automotive, banking, defense, services, IT, mechanical engineering, and medical sectors, I bring not only expertise in automation, digitization, and IT but also cross-domain understanding, the ability to inspire teams, and to drive sustainable change processes that I lead by example.

What sets me apart is my skill in successfully driving complex projects across industries and continents. From Varta Microbattery to the Bundesdruckerei, Northrop Grumman Litef, Baidu, PTC (formerly Intland), and Vincorion – I have led pioneering projects for top companies, motivating multinational teams to create innovative solutions. Whether in the automotive industry, aerospace, or medical fields, I know the regulatory and methodological requirements and apply them accurately, precisely, and efficiently.

In my role as an interim manager, I am not just a problem solver but also someone who brings energy to the team, creates structures, and ensures every member can reach their full potential. I am not afraid to 'get my hands dirty' and work hands-on with various tools. My expertise ranges from project management and process management (ALM & PLM) to quality management, as well as implementing requirements management tools and MBSE (Model-Based Systems Engineering).

With my broad experience and deep knowledge in quality and project management, I support companies not only in achieving their goals but also in leading their teams to success with enthusiasm and commitment.