Technical Management

Reliably delivering technically demanding initiatives

when

leadership is needed · technical programmes are under pressure · industrialisation & ramp-up need to be secured

Interim Management

Temporary technical and business leadership responsibility

When leadership is lacking, technical organisations need stabilising, or business-critical initiatives are under pressure, I take responsibility on an interim basis. As an interim manager, I lead high-tech companies and technical functions, align teams and stakeholders, and move demanding programmes into implementation. From R&D and engineering through industrialisation and production to operations, I combine a business perspective with technical leadership experience.

CTO & Managing Director

Temporary leadership during a vacancy, stabilisation, realignment or build-up.

Leading Technical Organisations

Aligning, stabilising and developing technical functions.

Technical Programmes & Projects

Clarifying at-risk initiatives and leading them through to robust results.

Industrialisation & Ramp-up

Building new production capability and bringing it reliably to maturity.

FIND OUT MORE

Industries

I primarily work with technology-driven B2B companies in the following fields:

Photonics
Laser Technology
Optics
Optomechatronics
Electronics

Measurement Technology
Mechanical Engineering
Production Technology
Vacuum Technology
Medical Technology

What matters less than the industry label is a demanding technical product, production or systems business where leadership and implementation come together.

Project Examples

R&D and Project Mgmt. Realignment (Electronics & Measurement Technology)

Interim Head of R&D Product Division

Leadership and restructuring of an R&D product division for electronic measurement instruments with around 60 employees. Responsibility for development, product maintenance and successor-product projects, as well as restructuring advice for the wider R&D organisation.

Key results: Stabilisation of the division, improved collaboration and higher development efficiency. Binding project plans and clear priorities safeguarded the ageing product portfolio until successor products could be introduced and limited market, revenue and reputational risks.

Greenfield Factory Build and Ramp-up (Optics & Medical Technology)

Interim Ramp-up Manager

Overall responsibility for building and ramping up a highly automated production facility for individually manufactured premium spectacle lenses – from the construction phase through to market launch under MDR requirements. Management of numerous workstreams: production layout, cleanroom, commissioning of more than 40 precision machines, machine connectivity, production processes, software, team build and regulatory documentation.

Key results: Production opened and the business entered the market on schedule; production capacity of 800 individual spectacle lenses per day in a single-shift operation.

Stabilisation and Realignment (Optical Machinery)

Interim Managing Director

Assumption of Managing Director responsibility for a machinery company specialising in coating and cleaning technology following a change in company leadership and major internal and market disruption. Stabilisation of business operations, leadership of around 35 employees and troubleshooting of the most important development project.

Key results: Transparency regarding the company’s actual situation, continuity of operations, and implementation of an integration into the parent company developed jointly with the shareholder to secure the continuation of the machinery business.

Development, Industrialisation and Ramp-up (Optical Technologies)

Interim Programme and Project Manager

Overall leadership of a complex development and production programme for an optical technology used in display manufacturing. Functional leadership of around 50 employees and responsibility for technology development, cleanroom production planning, investment, an international supply chain for ultra-precision optics, and prototypes at the US customer.

Key results: Development completed on schedule and the technical, organisational and supply-side foundations established for a tenfold production ramp-up.

Change and Product Management (Mechatronics & Mobility)

Interim Head of Function and Project Manager

Leadership and structuring of change and product management for complex mechatronic series products. Parallel management of multiple technical change projects and leadership of interdisciplinary teams from mechanical engineering, electronics, software, procurement, quality and product management. Supplier development, troubleshooting and supply-chain stabilisation under difficult market conditions.

Key results: Significantly fewer open change projects and quality issues, lower consequential costs, and a robust organisational structure.

Frank Pfeffer

As an interim manager, I assume technical and business leadership responsibility: as CTO or Managing Director of smaller high-tech organisations, as head of technical functions, and as the person responsible for business-critical programmes and projects. I combine more than 25 years of international leadership experience in technical management, more than 18 years as Managing Director of technology-driven companies, and 9+ interim assignments since 2018. I work across the DACH region and internationally, in German and English.

Request Profile

Would you like to review my experience, assignments and results in greater detail? I would be pleased to send you my current executive profile with selected project examples. You can request the profile using the form below or by email and, if you wish, arrange an initial discussion directly.

Contact

Friedrich-Niethammer-Str. 35
74074 Heilbronn
Germany

Mobile: +49 175 165 1212
E-Mail: kontakt@pfeffer-auxilium.de

Contact Form

Would you like to discuss a potential assignment or do you require further information? Please contact me.