📍 Switzerland (Thurgau / Zurich Area) • Hybrid / Remote

Senior IT System Engineer

Application Operations & Mission-Critical IT Systems

I operate critical systems in a stable, secure, and highly available manner — supported by clear processes across operations, support, development, and customers. Calm, structured, and reliable, even in critical situations.

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Daniel Hekel
Daniel Hekel
Senior IT System Engineer
Switzerland (Thurgau / Zurich Area)
IT
Operations • Stability • Ownership
Application operations, critical systems, incident/problem/change, release & deployment.
Top focus
Production ops & availability
Working style
Structured & pragmatic
Collaboration
Interfaces & stakeholders
Contact
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Profile

Senior IT System Engineer focused on stable, secure, and highly available IT systems. Experience with business- and security-critical applications in healthcare, infrastructure, and customer environments.

Ops
Operations & Application Operations
Stability, availability, performance, and security in production.
PM
Technical Project Leadership
From concept to go-live, coordination and stakeholder communication.
Sec
Security & Availability
Best practices, risk/incident analysis, clean change processes.
UX
Communication Under Pressure
Calm, empathetic, solution-oriented — even in exceptional situations.

Core skills

Focused on what really matters in production operations.

Operations & Availability
  • Production operations of critical systems
  • Availability & stability concepts
  • System monitoring
ITSM & Processes
  • Incident, problem & change management
  • Ticket-based way of working
  • Release & deployment coordination
Platforms & Tools
  • Windows Server, Active Directory
  • PowerShell & automation
  • Databases (e.g., Sybase SQL Anywhere / MariaDB / SQL)
Interfaces & Customers
  • Stakeholder & interface management
  • Technical customer communication
  • De-escalation & crisis communication

Working Approach & Impact

Clear, structured, and proven in the operation of business- and security-critical systems.

I follow a clear, proven working approach designed to ensure stability, transparency, and long-term maintainability in production environments.

AN
Analysis & Assessment
Systematic clarification of requirements, risks, and operational constraints in close collaboration with stakeholders, support, and development teams.
PL
Planning & Design
Structured planning of system architecture, operating concepts, changes, and releases with a strong focus on availability, security, and maintainability.
DO
Implementation & Coordination
Technical implementation combined with active coordination across involved parties. Clear ownership, clean handovers, and controlled go-lives.
OP
Operations & Stabilization
Reliable production operations through monitoring, incident and problem management, and continuous improvement.
DOC
Reflection & Documentation
Traceable documentation, lessons learned, and solid decision bases for future changes.
Methodical Impact
  • Established runbooks, standards, and clear ownership → faster incident triage and fewer escalations
  • Risk- and rollback-based change planning → reduced unplanned outages
  • Targeted monitoring and alert tuning → less noise and improved response times
  • Clean documentation and handovers → stable operations even during team or role changes

Trends & Artificial Intelligence

Used consciously — applied responsibly.

I use artificial intelligence deliberately as a supportive tool in my daily work — not as a replacement for expertise or responsibility. Its use is reflective and purposeful, with a clear evaluation of benefits, risks, and information sensitivity. Especially in environments involving productive, business- and security-critical systems, a responsible approach is essential. Data protection, confidentiality, and traceability always take priority — to protect customers, systems, and organizations. For confidentiality reasons, I do not disclose internal metrics, customer names, or system details. My professional approach, applied processes, and methods are described transparently and deliberately. The goal is to increase quality, reduce errors, and support well-founded decision-making without delegating operational responsibility.

Selected Experience

Kept concise – happy to provide further details during an interview or via LinkedIn.

SVZ Thurgau – Application Engineering
2026 – Present

Responsible for the stable operation and continuous development of the application and server landscape within a cantonal public administration. Focus on operational reliability, deployment of new solutions, maintenance, and ongoing optimization of production systems.

  • Ensuring the reliable operation of business-critical applications and their supporting IT infrastructure
  • Provisioning, installing, and configuring new applications and system components for production use
  • Planning and executing maintenance activities, updates, patches, and regular deployments
  • Monitoring and ensuring the availability and stability of managed systems
  • Analyzing and resolving technical issues within the application environment
  • Coordinating changes and technical modifications to ensure smooth operations
  • Collaborating with internal departments and external service providers on technical implementations and support
  • Continuously optimizing operational processes and supporting the introduction of new solutions
Stack & Umgebung
Application Operations
  • Provisioning and operation of business applications
  • Application lifecycle management
  • Deployment and release management
  • Application maintenance and operational ownership
Systems & Infrastructure
  • Windows Server
  • Server and infrastructure administration
  • System maintenance and patch management
  • Availability and operations management
Operations & Support
  • Incident and problem management
  • Technical troubleshooting
  • Ensuring production system stability
  • Coordination of technical changes
Deployment & Maintenance
  • Software rollouts
  • Updates and patches
  • Release management
  • Scheduled maintenance windows
Collaboration
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Coordination with external service providers
  • Technical consulting
  • Supporting the implementation of new solutions
Root Service AG – Application Operations (Spitex Environment)
2022 – 2026

Responsible for the operation, stability, and availability of a business- and data-critical core application within a production healthcare (Spitex) environment.

  • Ensured the daily operation of a central application managing customer, scheduling, and patient data
  • Maintained high availability of business-critical data continuously used by healthcare professionals in daily operations
  • Reduced escalations through structured incident, problem, and change management processes
  • Maintained stable operations through clear ownership and close coordination between support, QA, development, and customers
Stack & Umgebung
Platforms
  • Windows Server
  • Active Directory / Group Policy
  • Terminal Server environments
  • RDP and remote access concepts
  • Server and SaaS migrations
Automation
  • PowerShell (deployment, maintenance, reporting)
  • Batch scripting
  • Automation of recurring operational and maintenance tasks
ITSM & Processes
  • Incident, problem, and change management
  • Third-level support
  • Structured knowledge base management
  • ISMS-oriented working methods
  • Technical incident analysis and follow-up
Monitoring & Data
  • PRTG monitoring
  • Sybase SQL Anywhere
  • VEEAM backups and restore testing
  • Data integrity and database rebuilds
  • Regular system and functional checks
Interfaces & Responsibilities
  • Technical contact for complex support cases
  • Coordination between support, QA, system engineering, and development
  • Maintenance of technical interfaces within the industry software
  • Technical coordination with external IT service providers
  • Responsibility for emergency and special solutions (e.g. emergency laptops)
New Voice – Technical Project Management (Alarm Servers)
2021 – 2022

Led technical projects and implemented mission-critical alarm server systems in production customer environments with a focus on reliable alerting, access control, and high availability.

  • Designed, deployed, and commissioned robust alarm server systems for safety-critical communication and alerting processes
  • Integrated VoIP telephony, SMS gateways (via Moxa COM interfaces), and email notifications
  • Connected and controlled external components such as WAGO controllers for event and alarm processing
  • Implemented role-based user and permission management using server-side directory structures
  • Utilized text-to-speech technology for automated voice alerting of defined user groups
  • Performed testing, validation, and customer acceptance procedures in dedicated test environments
  • Managed structured go-live processes, handovers, and sustainable system operations
  • Closely coordinated with customers, stakeholders, and internal teams throughout planning, implementation, and transition phases
Stack & Umgebung
Server & Platform
  • Windows-based alarm server systems
  • Integrated user and permission management (AD-like structures)
  • Production and test environments
Communication & Alerting
  • VoIP telephony
  • SMS modules (COM interface via Moxa)
  • Email notifications
  • Text-to-speech (automated voice alerts)
Interfaces & Hardware
  • WAGO controllers for event and alarm processing
  • Serial interfaces (COM ports)
  • External alarm and communication components
Project & Quality
  • Technical project management
  • Testing and acceptance in controlled environments
  • Go-live planning and structured handovers
  • Stakeholder and customer coordination
Security & Operations
  • Safety-critical alerting processes
  • High availability and reliability requirements
  • Long-term production operation of delivered systems
SBB / Thurbo – Customer Service & Crisis Communication
2013 – 2020

Operational role within the safety-critical railway sector requiring structured processes, high responsibility, and daily decision-making under time pressure and customer expectations.

  • Provided customer service and guided passengers during normal operations as well as disruption and emergency scenarios
  • Prepared and dispatched trains, including duties requiring a certified railway operations qualification
  • Performed ticket inspections, public announcements, and proactive passenger communication during delays and operational disruptions
  • Handled complaints, conflicts, and emotionally challenging situations through direct customer interaction
  • Ensured compliance with defined operational procedures, safety regulations, and responsibilities
  • Collaborated with control centers and operational units to maintain safe and orderly railway operations
  • Demonstrated calm, structured decision-making even under significant time pressure
Stack & Umgebung
Operations & Safety
  • Safety-critical operational procedures
  • Responsibility in passenger transportation
  • Working according to strict regulations and responsibilities
Processes & Communication
  • Standard operating procedures (SOPs)
  • Crisis and disruption management
  • Direct customer and stakeholder communication
Roles & Responsibilities
  • Railway operations duties with certified authorizations
  • Collaboration with control centers and operational units
  • Independent decision-making under time pressure

Projects

Alongside application operations: technical and creative projects with professional standards.

Design and implementation of custom websites using HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript — as a performant alternative to traditional CMS-based approaches.

Why it matters: End-to-end responsibility from planning and implementation to operation fosters a holistic system understanding and realistic assessments of maintainability, risks, and operational effort.

  • End-to-end project handling: pitch, project management, implementation, documentation, and basic legal considerations
  • Sustainable web solutions: content, design, technical planning (e.g., Gantt-oriented), marketing basics, and budget control
  • Full lifecycle responsibility: domain management, hosting, deployment, and operational aspects
  • Goal: stable, performant, and long-term maintainable web presences

Technically demanding low-level programming in C/C++ with a focus on classic gaming platforms (Nintendo Game Boy, Sega Mega Drive). These projects require precise control over build processes, memory, timing, and toolchains — comparable to highly constrained production system environments.

Why it matters: Working under extreme technical constraints sharpens the focus on reproducible builds, clean toolchains, deterministic behavior, and controlled changes — core principles in operating business- and safety-critical systems.

  • High standards for clean builds, reproducible results, and maintainable codebases
  • Strict adherence to compiler and platform constraints despite historical hardware limits
  • Design and technical optimization of custom graphic assets (sprites, tilesets) for memory and rendering constraints
  • Development of lightweight game engines within fixed CPU, RAM, and rendering budgets
  • Structured toolchains, internal documentation (wiki), reproducible build processes, and redundant development environments

Technically sound digitization and archiving of historical media for personal use, with a strong focus on data integrity, long-term availability, and sustainable media preservation — comparable to operating long-lived, data-driven systems.

Why it matters: The consistent focus on data integrity, checksums, metadata management, and redundant storage mirrors the requirements of audit-proof, long-term maintainable data assets in professional IT operations.

  • Verified dumps of cartridges, CDs, and DVDs including checksum validation (CRC, MD5, SHA) to ensure bit-accurate and unchanged copies
  • Structured archiving of historical magazines: high-resolution scans, image post-processing, and OCR for searchability and metadata management
  • Digitization of analog media (VHS) including video and audio restoration for loss-minimized conversion into modern formats
  • Long-term storage via private server infrastructure with redundant backups, consistent directory structures, and media management (e.g., Plex)
  • Strong focus on traceability, retrievability, and long-term maintainability of archived data sets

Professional music production across the entire creative and technical process — from composition and recording to mixdown, mastering, and release. The focus is on clean workflows, clear approvals, and reliable releases under time pressure.

Why it matters: This work requires structured release management, high quality standards (QA), reliable processes under tight deadlines, and clear customer and stakeholder communication — skills that translate directly to operating productive IT systems.

  • Over 15 years of experience with a fully equipped home studio and work in professional large studios (including Orisono)
  • Release management for albums, compilations, and singles across labels such as Mental Madness, AATW, Munix Music, Orisono, and Sony Music
  • Quality assurance (QA), approvals, and customer communication through to final release
  • Setup: Steinberg Cubase (primary), FL Studio (ReWire), extensive VST/VSTi stack for sound design, mixing, and mastering

Contact

Send a short message — I’ll get back to you reliably.

Alternatively: daniel@hekel.ch
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