Blog post -
From military officer to solutions architect
Ralf Rüther worked as an officer in The Bundeswehr for many years before joining Systematic as a Domain Advisor. Now he is a Solutions Architect working at our office in Cologne, Germany, and because of his professional background, he can make better solutions for our customers.
17 years of experience in the Bundeswehr
Just half a year ago I worked as an officer in the German military, the Bundeswehr. Being a part of the Armed Forces for seventeen years, I have worked within several different fields such as: Communications, Electronic Warfare, and Cyber Command. During my time in the military, I have had the opportunity to work with Systematic’s C4I Systems as a customer and in this way already collected a lot of experience and knowledge about those systems and their usage within NATO together with other nations.
Today I am working as a Solution Architect in Systematic, a market-leading software company, where I help the defence sector to find and create solutions to support their daily work and projects.
The importance of domain knowledge
It is amazing having the opportunity to use my previous experience in the military as an essential part of my new role here at Systematic - my professional background in the military helps me create better solutions for my customers. Therefore, having all this domain knowledge, makes it so much easier for me to work within the defence business, and combined with my technical background, this was a big enabler for me to get into the job and get up to speed very fast.
Of course, there have been several other things that I have had to learn, but it actually only took me six weeks to be back within my old company and start teaching them how to use Systematic’s systems and products.
Still in close contact with the military
It is incredible to see that I am still in close contact with the military and that I actually quite often collaborate with a lot of my old colleagues on the same projects or supporting them in their daily work, although I have a different role outside the military now.
“I think one of my biggest learnings has been that this step was actually a really small one and that this was the first step into a new challenge where I was able to make a great difference for our customers”
- Ralf Rüther is 37 years old
- Since 2019 Ralf has been working as a Solutions Architect within Defence at Systematic’s office in Cologne.
- Ralf has 17 years’ experience in the Bundeswehr.
- He has a master’s degree in Computer Science and a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering
Close before leaving the forces I have heard a lot of concerns about switching careers from the military to civil industry, and that it might be difficult taking such a big step in my career. But it was actually quite the opposite, as my experience and domain, knowledge made me a really great fit for Systematic and this position.
Are you ready to take the next step in your career?
Our Cologne office is looking for talented domain experts, like Ralf, who can fulfil challenging roles within our Defence IT domain. We offer the opportunity to work with highly qualified and dedicated colleagues in an exciting and dynamic environment. Our mission is to develop IT products that assist users in their tactical decision-making in critical situations. Read more about our vacant position in our Defence department in Germany here.
