CV
- name
- Benjamin Boortz
- location
- Braunschweig, Germany
- mail
- bennib@mailbox.org
- web
- github.com/bboortz · LinkedIn
Profile
Business Partner Manager with over 15 years of experience in IT and software development within the automotive sector. Proven expertise in leading cross-functional teams, delivering large-scale digitalization projects, and integrating AI capabilities to drive business growth. Strong open-source background (GitHub since 2014) with a focus on Linux, security, and embedded systems.
Professional Experience
- 2023–now
- Business Partner Manager IT — Volkswagen AG, Engineering & Q IT
Leading the product cluster "Digitalization & Material" with portfolio management, budget planning, and project ordering. Identifying and initiating new projects with positive business cases. Focus on data-driven IT products leveraging AI capabilities (Machine Learning, Computer Vision). Implemented 7 IT-products with cost savings in 2024, project cost deviation <3%.
- 2021–2023
- Assistance Group BPM Engineering & Quality — Volkswagen AG
Organizing the department, preparing strategic decisions, and steering coordination of the VW Group steering committee KSK4 "R&D configuration management". Position coordination with HR.
- 2020–2021
- Software Development Manager — Volkswagen AG, Digital Production Platform
Led a 12-person software development team for DPP Base Connectivity Solution, improving plant efficiency at 42 plants. Project lead for data ingest of welding robots at Audi Neckarsulm.
- 2016–2020
- Product Owner — Volkswagen AG, Product Delivery Center
Led an internal and external team delivering 3 IT products: CloudIDP, Access Enforcement, IAM Self Service. Established a group-wide authentication solution at VW Group with ~980 customers (now ~4000).
- 2014–2017
- IT Architect — Volkswagen AG, Group IT Cloud (GITC)
Guided teams on technical decisions for a group-wide IaaS and PaaS cloud. Created and aligned hybrid cloud concept covering networking, storage, automation, and authorization.
- 2009–2014
- System Analyst — Volkswagen AG, WAS Competence Center
Responsible for automation of all WebSphere Application Servers (installation, update, configuration). Implemented middleware automation for ~2000 application servers.
- 2008–2009
- Assembly Worker — Volkswagen AG, Assembly Wolfsburg
Built cars on an assembly line in a 3-shift model. Created internal improvement proposals for quality and efficiency. Studied part-time during this period.
- 2005–2008
- Apprentice — Specialized Computer Scientist (Software Development) — Volkswagen AG
Apprenticeship shortened from 3 to 2.5 years due to outstanding performance. Final project: library web application with document verification and approvals for an internal supply chain product.
Personal Projects & Open Source
- 2026–now
- Linux kernel testing — author of
kernel-test: builds -rc, stable,
stable-rc and linux-next kernels under 9+ config profiles for x86_64, i386,
arm64 and riscv; boots them in QEMU/KVM with a Toybox initramfs and runs 50+
in-VM tests (namespaces, seccomp, io_uring, Landlock, eBPF, KUnit);
HTML/text reports for LKML, config bisection, patch verification
(GCC + Clang) and testing on a VisionFive 2 RISC-V board.
- 2023–now
- Embedded & ham radio — LoRa, MicroPython,
Buildroot, a minimal Linux distribution, ham radio tools
(hambuddy,
ham-radio-compass).
- 2021–2024
- Security & cloud — CTF write-ups and crackmes,
Rust, Azure/AWS with Terraform, IPFS-hosted blog.
- 2016–2020
- Backend & identity — Go services
(RSS fetch/cache, REST cache, service broker, HTTP snoop), OIDC/SAML/LDAP and
Keycloak, Docker, Kubernetes, monitoring/status tools.
- 2014–2017
- Configuration management — Ansible, Puppet,
Arch Linux automation, Arduino libraries.
Public Lectures
- Dec 2018
- Future Authorization Frameworks — Chaos Communication Congress, Leipzig
- Sept 2013
- Automation of WebSphere Application Servers — GSE Leipzig
Education
- 2008–2012
- B.Sc. Management Information Systems ("Wirtschaftsinformatik") — Ostfalia University of Applied Sciences
Thesis: Automation of technical comparison of XML files
- 2002–2005
- Abitur (Allgemeine Hochschulreife) — Fachgymnasium Informationstechnik, BBS 2 Braunschweig
Skills
- management
- Portfolio & Product Management, SAFe, Scrum, Design Thinking, Stakeholder Management, Change Management
- kernel
- build/config (Kconfig, cross-compiling, ccache, LLD), QEMU/KVM, KUnit, bisecting, patch review (Tested-by)
- languages
- Bash, C, Go, Rust, Python
- infra
- Linux (Arch/Manjaro, Debian), Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, Azure, AWS, Hetzner, GitHub Actions
- security
- OIDC, SAML, LDAP, Keycloak, seccomp/Landlock, CTF, reverse engineering, NIST Cybersecurity Framework
- hardware
- RISC-V (VisionFive 2), serial consoles, TFTP boot, LoRa, ESP8266/ESP32, Arduino, MicroPython
Languages
- German
- Native
- English
- Full professional proficiency
- Polish
- Elementary
Interests
- sport
- Running, Mountain Biking, American Football
- radio
- Amateur Radio Operator (DA1BB) — see hamradio
- electronics
- ESP8266/ESP32, MicroPython, tinkering
- software
- IT security, OS development