Professional Summary

Accomplished Sr. Project Manager with a proven track record, expertly leading R&D projects and programs in a variety of industries. Skilled in PM methodologies and advanced data analysis, adept at fostering stakeholder trust through relationships and driving innovation. Excelled in cross-cultural team leadership and complex problem-solving, achieving critical certifications and expediting product development life cycles. 

Experience

UTILITY METERS                                                                                                         

     Hired as a Senior Project Manager to lead multiple new R&D Comms product development projects in the utility meter industry.  PMO team included: contract manufacturing in Asia, mechanical, electrical, firmware, and quality engineers. Deliverables included producing prototype hardware for engineering teams for early proof-of-concept and ALT testing. Accelerated the production of mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, manufacturing processes and tooling availability.  Major challenges encompassed; materials sourcing, meeting PSC requirements, UL and FCC certifications, managing international manufacturing processes and multi-cultural communication. 

    Overhauled schedules to clean up broken critical paths and guided the teams back on track. Introduced a cloud Kanban system for online tracking and sharing of task status and target dates for all stakeholders. Coordinated APQP documentation to ensure phase-gate deliverables.  Utilized Planview, Microsoft Project, SAP (ERP/PLM) and Power BI tools for planning, execution, control and monitoring of the projects. 

IoT DEVICES                                                                                                                                    

    Retained as a Senior Project Manager to support VP Sales/Director -North American Business Development Unit for IoT devices. Manufacturing headquarters is in China so strained communications had broken relations with US customers.  Built up project management rapport during calls and visits with customers (Amazon, Comcast, Honeywell, Notion, ADT, SimpliSafe, and The Home Depot). Managed the daily activities of bringing IoT devices through development cycles to mass production through active scheduling, creative problem solving and risk management. Interfaced with overseas manufacturing teams and domestic clients to successfully satisfy customer requirements while negotiating advantages for stakeholders. Worked with engineering teams in China to maintain schedule and provide early delivery of prototypes, alpha, beta and production units. Supported coworkers by leading corporate training to improve processes, knowledge and skills.

INSTRUMENT DEVICES                                                                                                                                             

    Employed to spearhead development of several new products. Engaged the attention of internal and external engineering teams in the development of scientific instruments used in the characterization of materials. Organized the R&D team and reestablished team cohesiveness through proactive management and team building efforts. Created Workfront automated reporting for team awareness of all NPI milestones. Utilized Workfront, Microsoft Project, Insight ERP tools for planning, execution, control and monitoring of the projects.

    Contracted to lead NPI development projects for cryogenic and biological devices. Team included software, firmware and mechanical design engineers. Led team in resolving PCBA changes to fulfill design requirements.  Project produced device to enhance the thawing process for cryogenically frozen vaccines.

AUTOMOTIVE COMPONENTS                                                                            

    Aligned strategy and project planning for automotive customers (Ford and Chrysler) as well as, industrial clients (John Deere, Caterpillar, Freightliner and Peterbilt). Instrumental in defining schedules and negotiating product solutions for on-off-road vehicle applications. Answering RFPs and setting pricing to meet business requirements.  Presented training to customer engineering teams for how to best design and install flex hoses. Documented and maintained all project procedures in APQP templates, developed pricing strategies and managed customer prototype requests through EDI system integrations, resulting in a 25% decreased time to market. Launched and completed dozens of new global programs from RFP responses through mass production utilizing PM tools and best practices, resulting in a 20% increase in client satisfaction scores. Supported sales teams by attending international trade shows and interfacing with customers.

POINT-OF-SALE EQUIPMENT                                                                                            

    Managed a team of 13 Systems Engineers supporting numerous networks and Point-of-Sale systems throughout North America. Organized the setup processes to reduce delivery times and hired talent to execute the deployment of hardware and software to major grocery store chains (Wegmans, Harris Teeter, A&P., Ingles, Ahold, Kroger). Interfaced directly with OEMs to support tailored customer API and network configurations as well as operating system bug resolutions.

    Orchestrated the installation of POS and credit card network systems into fast food customers (Chick-fil-a, KFC). Level II support team lead for customers.

Education

Master of Science (M.S.): Management, (May 2010)

Liberty University - Lynchburg, VA, US

Bachelor of Science (B.S.): Engineering Technology, (December 1985)

Clemson University - Clemson, SC, US

Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB)

Georgia Institute of Technology

Microsoft Azure AZ-900

Microsoft