Thorsten Schulz - Project Manager

Q: Where is Thorsten based?

Thorsten is based in Hamburg, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

Q: What languages does Thorsten speak?

Thorsten speaks the following languages: German (Native), French (Elementary) .

Q: How many years of experience does Thorsten have?

Thorsten has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Thorsten has worked in at least 42 different roles and for 41 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 7 months . Note that Thorsten may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Thorsten's latest experience?

Thorsten's most recent position is Project Manager at ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, Wholesale IT .

Q: What companies has Thorsten worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thorsten has worked for ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, Wholesale IT , Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk , Remmers GmbH , Detlev Louis GmbH , and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH .

Q: Which industries is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in industries like Professional Services , Retail , and Education . Thorsten also has some experience in Sport and Recreation , Telecommunication , and Information Technology (IT) .

Q: Which business areas is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in business areas like Project Management , Strategy and Planning , and Information Technology (IT) . Thorsten also has some experience in Marketing , Sales , and Human Resources (HR) .

Q: Which industries has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in industries like Professional Services , Education , and Sport and Recreation .

Q: Which business areas has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in business areas like Project Management , Marketing , and Sales .

Recommended expert

Hamburg, Germany

Experience

Sep 2024 - Present

1 year 6 months

Germany

Project Manager

ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, Wholesale IT

Project management and change management
Blueprint to go-live including cutover
Implementation with a greenfield approach
Management of the integrator
Design, organization and execution of change management
Agile management in Jira and Confluence
Fit-gap analysis, requirement engineering, development, testing, cutover and hypercare
Covering the processes sales-from-stock, procure-to-pay/receipt, invoice-to-pay

Sep 2023 - Sep 2024

1 year 1 month

Potsdam, Germany

Project Manager eProcurement

Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk

Introduction of SAP Ariba as part of the ARD's SAP restructuring project
Management of the integrator
Design of employee qualification
Organizational Change Management (OCM)
Agile coaching of the program management
Creation of a House of Change
Implementation of purchase-to-pay
Execution of the 2NV guided buying scenario

May 2023 - Sep 2023

5 months

Löningen, Germany

Change Manager S4/Europe

Remmers GmbH

Organizational Change Management (OCM) for SAP S/4HANA
Conducting change impact analyses (brownfield)
Developing communication and training concepts
Ensuring go-live

Feb 2023 - Apr 2023

3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Subproject Manager

Detlev Louis GmbH

Emergency deployment in the SAP S/4HANA project
Performing the cutover
Ensuring go-live (modules MM, EWM)
Covering the processes source-to-contract and procure-to-pay
Designing the organizational change management

Aug 2022 - May 2023

10 months

Kiel, Germany

Program Management / Organizational Change

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH

Program OneSAP S/4HANA using a brownfield approach
ECC conversion, EWM conversion and DB conversion
Support of the modules PS, EWM, FI/CO, MM
Planning and execution of 6 roadmap items with cutover
Management of the integrator
Program with over 120 projects in agile and waterfall settings
Strategic planning of change initiatives
Leading the PMO

Mar 2021 - Jul 2022

1 year 5 months

Hanover, Germany

Project Manager

Perfect Drive Sports Group GmbH

Implementation and support of SAP Business One

Nov 2020 - Mar 2021

5 months

Herzogenaurach, Germany

Project Lead Global PRISM Rollout

Puma SE

Global template and rollout within the PRISM program
Use of SAP IS Retail and MM
Agile management in Jira and Confluence
Fit-gap analysis, requirement engineering, development, testing, cutover and hypercare

Aug 2020 - Oct 2020

3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Management / Change Management

Carlisle Construction Materials GmbH

Project management and change management for SAP S/4Hana
Implementation using the 'Bluefield' approach with FI/CO, MM, SD, SCM
Development of a European template and rollout
Development and validation of transition activities within the sequences
Coordination of multiple deep-dive planning activities and workshops
Ensuring alignment with all regions
Setting up and staffing the local project organization
Enabling the local project organization and stakeholders for their roles in the transition process

Jun 2020 - Jul 2020

2 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Management Lecturer

Baumann Bildung & Qualifizierung

Training participants in project management

Sep 2017 - Present

8 years 6 months

Germany

Lecturer for Change Management and Business Administration

FOM University of Economics & Management

Teaching in the areas of change management and business administration

Jul 2017 - Apr 2020

2 years 10 months

Heilbronn, Germany

Program Manager

Intersport Deutschland eG

Program management for the "OPIS8" project to organizationally and systemically merge the country organizations of Austria and Germany
Comprehensive change management
Portfolio management
Building an efficient project structure
Effective coordination of project managers
Project planning and task tracking with Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Project Pro
Scrum Master for maturity assessment (planning, testing, implementation)
Use of SAP ERP, SAP CRM and Informatica 360 MDM/PIM
Resource management: managing 6 sub-project managers and over 40 project team members
Developing a communication concept and tracking measures with web analytics
Project communication with the national organization, organizational committees and stakeholders
Facilitating meetings and handling escalations
Ensuring operational retail and sales processes, as well as events and trade shows
Ensuring SEM/SEO compatibility

Apr 2017 - Present

8 years 11 months

Germany

Lecturer for project management and IT

ifb – Institut zur Fortbildung von Betriebsräten

Conducting seminars on project management and IT topics

Feb 2017 - Jun 2017

5 months

Nairobi, Kenya

Project Support / PMO

Vivo Energy Kenya

Creating the business blueprint for a greenfield SAP S/4Hana and IS-Oil implementation, MM module
Facilitating and organizing project meetings
Transparent result documentation
Organizing the SAP S/4Hana rollout in seven African countries

Nov 2016 - Present

9 years 4 months

Hamburg, Germany

Associate Partner

Faktor 3 Consulting GmbH

Implementing change
Implementing lean
Delivery in market and sales areas, classic and agile
Project management, agile and SAFe

Jun 2016 - Sep 2016

4 months

Lippstadt, Germany

Project Manager / Program Manager

Hella KGaA Hueck & Co.

'PACE' project for global lean optimization of processes and organization in sales excellence
Cross-departmental stakeholder management
Developing and communicating optimization measures
Lean process design and portfolio management
Presenting results

Mar 2016 - May 2016

3 months

Berlin, Germany

Transition Project Manager

Toll Collect GmbH

Project leadership for the introduction of toll on 40,000 km of federal roads (MaB40K)
Creation of the operational launch concept
Transitioning the project into regular operations
Creation of content marketing
Ensuring documentation and record-keeping for the public client

Jan 2016 - Jun 2016

6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Team Lead for Dynamics CRM Implementation

Cassini GmbH

Implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM
Product Owner and Scrum Master
Tracking requirements with Jira Scrumboards
Creation of the business blueprint and documentation
Responsibility for requirement management

Jan 2016 - Jun 2016

6 months

Kiel, Germany

Project Manager / Agile Coach

Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems

Development of an international CRM web application
Preparing the project description and decision proposal
Project planning and developing an agile approach model
Agile coaching of project managers
Scrum Master
Sprint planning with Jira
Communicating with stakeholders and the steering committee
Presenting results

Oct 2015 - Feb 2016

5 months

Pforzheim, Germany

Project Manager

Klingel Mail Order

Optimizing the webshop's data supply
Developing and prioritizing end-to-end optimizations for data supply
Significant reduction in end-to-end update times despite increasing data volumes
Developing measures in search indexing, data loading, job control, and architecture
Developing SEO and SEM measures
Managing external service providers
Planning the concept, proof of concept, and rollout

Aug 2015 - Oct 2016

1 year 3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Team Manager | Management Consultant

Cassini Consulting GmbH

Disciplinary and professional leadership of consultants
Team organization and team development
Strategic alignment of the team

Aug 2015 - Oct 2015

3 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Manager

Creatrade

Implementation of strategic IT initiatives
Business analysis of planning tools
Clarification of the third-market strategy for a webshop application
SEM/SEO analysis
Design of IT organization, IT architecture and processes
Know-how transfer and facilitation with the business side
Project volume > €5.0M
Management of 10 project managers and about 80 project team members as well as external service providers

Jan 2015 - Jun 2015

6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Manager

Sopra Steria Consulting GmbH

Jun 2014 - Jun 2015

1 year 1 month

Düsseldorf, Germany

Project Manager

Vodafone

Leadership of various projects
Transfer of marketing projects into operations and fulfillment
Development and alignment of processes
Post-merger integration of Kabel Deutschland

Nov 2013 - Mar 2014

5 months

Team Lead / Engagement Manager Advisory

Deutsche Universalbank

Management of project teams and task tracking
Definition and alignment of compliance processes
Knowledge transfer for the launch of new anti-money laundering software
Reduction of the backlog

Apr 2013 - Oct 2013

7 months

Project Support Compliance

Deutsche Universalbank

Processing of suspected money laundering cases according to the Money Laundering Act
Reduction of the backlog

Jan 2013 - Mar 2013

3 months

Stuttgart, Germany

Project Manager, Core Technical Processes

Unity Media Kabel BW

Built an efficient project management system including PMO
Defined project management processes
Reorganized the organizational structure and workflows in the CTO area
Conducted workshops

Jan 2012 - Mar 2013

1 year 3 months

Bonn, Germany

Project Manager / Program Manager Migration & Rollout BFS/IPCom

Telekom

Migrated and rolled out the BFS and IPCom inventory systems into the new R&SI (Comarch) / OSS layer system
Introduced and coached an agile methodology
Facilitated effective decision-making
Scrum Master: ensured adherence to agreed agile processes and artifacts
Operational planning and management of the overall project
Responsible for scope, schedule, and cost targets
Defined project objectives and resource requirements
PRINCE2 Best Practice Award 2012

Jul 2011 - Dec 2014

3 years 6 months

Hamburg, Germany

Principal Consultant

Steria Mummert Consulting AG

Advised on complex projects in telecommunications, change management, and project management
Winner of the PRINCE2 Best Practice Award 2012

Jul 2011 - Oct 2011

4 months

Stuttgart, Germany

Reporting in the Data Management Workstream

Alcatel-Lucent

Set up a managed service for a new shared network performance management system (IBM Tivoli Netcool Performance Management) / BSS
Organized efficient project management including PMO
Created and maintained the master plan
Ensured timely delivery of all required data and information
Documented and coordinated activities across different workstreams

Aug 2010 - Jun 2011

11 months

Geneva, Switzerland

Independent Project Manager

Tamoil S.A.

Implemented SAP ERP and IS-Oil, including rollout
Used MS Office, MindManager Pro, ProjectPlace, and SAP Solution Manager
Managed a project budget of over €4.2 million
Led 6 project managers and around 50 project team members
Scrum Master: established project structures based on standard methodologies
Defined and managed project goals, schedules, and resources
Directed and coordinated all project stakeholders
Monitored compliance with mutual collaboration obligations
Moderated change requests
Reported to the steering committee and CEOs

Mar 2010 - Aug 2010

6 months

Project Manager / Consultant Boxed Entertainment Fulfilment

Leading European retail company (Consumer Electronics)

Project management and consulting for the specification of a boxed entertainment fulfilment solution
Leading 3 project managers and around 18 project members
Conducting and moderating cross-functional workshops
Designing and gathering functional and non-functional requirements for an eCommerce fulfilment solution
Creating the Business Requirement Document
Establishing a unified and aligned information base

Mar 2009 - Mar 2010

1 year 1 month

Project Manager / Consultant Product Information Management System (PIM)

Leading European retail company (Consumer Electronics)

Conducting business analysis
Creating the business design
Validating the functional and technical design
Aligning with enterprise architecture, process integration, and documentation
Coordinating interfaces with parallel projects during the rollout of an eCommerce platform (IBM WebSphere Commerce Suite)
Managing service integrators SA2 Worldsync and Novomind
Sourcing and managing content providers (X-Place, C-Net)
Ensuring on-time rollout
Coaching and developing the project team towards agile working

Feb 2009 - May 2009

4 months

Bautzen, Germany

Interim Manager

Sphairon Access Systems GmbH

Interim management as part of a turnaround
Analyzing the value chain
Identifying and documenting optimization opportunities
Validating an Iraqi government contract
Facilitating discussions with investors

Oct 2008 - Nov 2008

2 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Project Manager Information and Communication Platform Operations

Vodafone D2 GmbH

Implementing an information and communication platform for operations
Selecting a suitable content management system
Ensuring compliance with Vodafone Group standards
Selecting and managing service providers
Designing the ongoing operations and the editorial conference

Oct 2008 - Oct 2008

1 month

Facilitator and Consultant

Software Partner Obermain GmbH

Conducting a strategy workshop
Identifying options based on ITIL
Integrating benchmarks

May 2008 - Jul 2008

3 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Project Lead / Consultant Outsourcing Hotline

Vodafone D2 GmbH

Outsourcing the hotline for specialist retailers and branches
Outsourcing calls to dedicated teams
Analyzing current call volume and content
Conducting a gap analysis
Gradual outsourcing of calls to the external service provider Arvato
Facilitating the transition with service levels, service descriptions, and training
Designing the operations

Mar 2006 - Jun 2008

2 years 4 months

Düsseldorf, Germany

Project Lead "Zero Defects to Customer (NFzK)"

Vodafone D2 GmbH

Leading the "Zero Defects to Customer" program
Developing a business case of around €15 million
Securing project sponsorship at the C-level
Optimizing support processes in the consumer and business segments
Centralizing the inside sales services for consumer and business
Establishing an effective service management
Performing business analyses
Designing and implementing measures
Tracking all measures
Change management for these measures
Coordinating with the General Works Council
Process analysis, defining services, and gap analysis of existing services (ARIS, ITIL)
Preparing business cases for the executive committee
Negotiating an interest agreement with the works council

Mar 2006 - Mar 2006

1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Due Diligence Consultant

BPE Private Equity

Conducting an integrated financial and commercial due diligence for a mid-sized machinery manufacturer
Assessing a transaction volume of around €60 million

Oct 2005 - Jun 2011

5 years 9 months

Hamburg, Germany

Partner

Putz & Partner Unternehmensberatung AG

Responsible for consulting projects with a focus on change management, lean, and project management

Oct 2004 - Mar 2005

6 months

Richmond, United States

Project Lead for an overseas project

Jungheinrich Lift Trucks & MIC Corp.

Improving the first-pick rate from around 60% to over 80%
Optimizing the warehouse according to lean principles
Integrating the warehouse software into the ERP system

Feb 2004 - Oct 2004

9 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Manager Product Line Launch

Jungheinrich

Conducting market and business analysis
Developing the market entry strategy including pricing and positioning
Executing the product launch

Dec 2003 - Aug 2004

9 months

Hamburg, Germany

Project Associate SAP R/3 Implementation

Jungheinrich

Creating the company-wide business blueprint
Requirement management
Rollout in 26 countries

Mar 2003 - Mar 2004

1 year 1 month

Hamburg, Germany

Project Manager ISO 9001 Certification

Jungheinrich

Implementing company-wide best practices and process harmonization required for ISO 9001 certification
Implementing Lean

Sep 2002 - Jul 2005

2 years 11 months

Hamburg, Germany

International Product Marketing Manager

Jungheinrich AG

Responsible for international product marketing
Supporting business units in 25 country subsidiaries (sales volume > €100M)

Apr 1999 - Feb 2001

1 year 11 months

Hanover, Germany

Sales Department Manager

Sport-Scheck GmbH

Feb 1997 - Mar 1999

2 years 2 months

Dortmund, Germany

Sales Department Manager

Decathlon GmbH & Co. KG

Feb 1997 - Mar 1999

2 years 2 months

Lille, France

Sales Department Manager

Decathlon GmbH & Co. KG

Jun 1989 - Aug 1990

1 year 3 months

Wentorf bei Hamburg, Germany

Senior Corporal

1st Panzergrenadier Battalion 163, Maintenance Unit

Served in the maintenance unit with technical and logistical duties

Managing Director

Golfversand Hannover GmbH

Managed the company

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 Professional Services (20 years), Retail (9 years), Education (9 years), Sport (6.5 years), Telecommunication (6.5 years), and Information Technology (4.5 years).

Professional Services

Retail

Education

Sport

Telecommunication

Information Technology

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 Project Management (22 years), Strategy (16.5 years), Information Technology (14.5 years), Marketing (14 years), Sales (13.5 years), and Human Resources (9.5 years).

Project Management

Strategy

Information Technology

Marketing

Sales

Human Resources

Summary

Thorsten has been working since 1997 in various roles and line functions in retail and mechanical engineering, as a project manager, lean manager, and coach.
He has successfully taken on end-to-end overall responsibility for complex, international (ERP) projects and programs (including SAP S/4HANA) and implemented agile mindsets.
He specializes in project management, change management, agile transformations and agile coaching, as well as effective PMO.
He is a lecturer in project management, IT and change management at FOM and ifb.

Skills

Project Management
Change Management
Moderation & Presentation
Erp: Sap S/4hana
Retail / Wholesale
Telecommunications
Automotive / Mechanical Engineering

Languages

German

Native

French

Elementary

Education

Feb 2001 - Jun 2002

Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town

MBA · Business Administration · Cape Town, South Africa

Sep 1992 - Feb 1993

Ecole Supérieure de Commerce Brest

Brest, France

Nov 1990 - Dec 1996

Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel

Diploma in Business Administration · Kiel, Germany

Certifications & licenses

Prince2-Best-Practice-Award

SAFe Agilist

Scrum Master

Profile

Created

January 2025

Last Update

February 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Thorsten based?

Thorsten is based in Hamburg, Germany and prefers 100% remote projects.

What languages does Thorsten speak?

Thorsten speaks the following languages: German (Native), French (Elementary).

How many years of experience does Thorsten have?

Thorsten has at least 28 years of experience. During this time, Thorsten has worked in at least 42 different roles and for 41 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 7 months. Note that Thorsten may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Thorsten be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Thorsten would be well-suited for roles such as: Project Manager, Project Manager eProcurement, Change Manager S4/Europe.

What is Thorsten's latest experience?

Thorsten's most recent position is Project Manager at ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, Wholesale IT.

What companies has Thorsten worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Thorsten has worked for ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, Wholesale IT, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, Remmers GmbH, Detlev Louis GmbH, and Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH.

Which industries is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in industries like Professional Services, Retail, and Education. Thorsten also has some experience in Sport and Recreation, Telecommunication, and Information Technology (IT).

Which business areas is Thorsten most experienced in?

Thorsten is most experienced in business areas like Project Management, Strategy and Planning, and Information Technology (IT). Thorsten also has some experience in Marketing, Sales, and Human Resources (HR).

Which industries has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in industries like Professional Services, Education, and Sport and Recreation.

Which business areas has Thorsten worked in recently?

Thorsten has recently worked in business areas like Project Management, Marketing, and Sales.

What is Thorsten's education?

Thorsten holds a Master in Business Administration from Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town and a Master from Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel.

Does Thorsten have any certificates?

Thorsten has 3 certificates. These include: Prince2-Best-Practice-Award, SAFe Agilist, and Scrum Master.

What is the availability of Thorsten?

Thorsten is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.

What is the rate of Thorsten?

Thorsten's rate depends on the specific project requirements. Please use the Meet button on the profile to schedule a meeting and discuss the details.