I have extensive experience in Management, Program Management, Project Management, MS Project, Network Engineering, Cisco Routers and Switches, Cisco VoIP infrastructure (ICM, Call Manager, Outbound Dialer, IPIVR), and Windows 2000 and OS2 Servers. I hold an MBA specializing in Technology Management, and also possess a Project Management Professional Certification (PMP). I have exemplary interpersonal skills and am regarded as a natural leader.
Robert L. Halsey
OBJECTIVE
A Director, Manager, Sr. Program Manager, or Sr. Project Manager position providing business and technical solutions, and directing multi-functional personnel in network/system deployment and software development.
QUALIFICATIONS AND BACKGROUND
12 years of leading technical and engineering teams in project and program management and consulting for network/system deployment and software development.
MANAGED the top priority IT program at Qwest Communications. Managed the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) using RUP (Rational Unified Process) for developing and implementing a new wireless phone service using Voice Over IP (VoIP) while connected to a wireless network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) while out of range of a home wireless network as a Program Management Consultant. This service allows a subscriber to utilize one wireless phone as their home line and seamlessly changing to wireless service while outside the home. Managed all SDLC tasks associated with system development for ordering, provisioning, billing, workflow, and repair systems, managed 100 individual development teams, managed 100 corresponding testing teams, managed around 400 people total, managed the $17+ million budget, coordinated work for all teams, communicated status to executive management, facilitated issue resolution, performed risk analysis, developed and maintained project plans across multiple releases, approved all billable time, and provided overall management for the program. Successfully deployed numerous releases, and saved Qwest Communications millions of dollars and man hours by facilitating issue resolution in a timely manner and driving proper requirement definition to minimize rework.
MANAGED the Rhapsody Music Service integration effort with multiple internet enable devices as the Sr. Program Manager. The digital music service offering is the highest priority company project. Managed all development efforts of the internal software developers using RUP and Agile development and external partner software engineers, managed all project schedules for multi-functional engineering, marketing, product management, system operations, and customer service teams, developed client relations with external partners from all over the world, reported progress to Chief Executive Officer and other executives, initiated and mediated business meetings, and provided overall management of all integration and deployment activities. Successfully deployed various music devices integrated with the Rhapsody Music Service, Real Networks’ subscriber base revenue continues to increase by a large percentage every year, and saved millions of dollars by planning and executing correctly the first time.
MANAGED the Voice Over IP (VoIP) nationwide rollouts and migrations for Level 3 Communications as the Program Manager. Managed all aspects of the $40 million software development and network deployment, managed the efforts of the software development, architecture, engineering, and testing organizations, developed business requirements for the project, established and maintained communications between all departments and the Vice Presidents of the Softswitch and Operations departments, coordinated and led meetings between departments, advised on problem resolution, developed and tracked project milestones and budgets using MS Project, developed processes to streamline production, and managed 12 SysTest consulting engineers in various departments onsite at Level 3. Successfully implemented six VoIP nodes and two migrations; saved Level 3 millions by addressing problems early in the process and streamlining procedures for engineering, architecture, development, testing, and implementation.
LED a Thrupoint consulting team at Qwest Communications as a subject matter expert to perform upgrades and implement their ONS 15454 network. Built client relations while onsite, developed business requirements, communicated progress to the Cisco Sales Engineers, advised my team members on technical issues to ensure delivery of our projects in a timely manner, and resolved all technical issues as a subject matter expert. Increased original contract service by 50%; projects were completed ahead of schedule saving our clients thousands of dollars in consulting costs.
IMPLEMENTED the AB Core project for the Central Office Internet Network at Pacific Bell. Managed 80 projects at any one time, developed a plan of action to complete each project, built business relationships with contracting companies, configured and tested Cisco routers, switches, and CSU/DSU units, coordinated installation of T1 and T3 circuits for connection to the Pacific Bell network, and troubleshot any problems that came up in the course of my projects. The network was up and operational an average of 2 weeks ahead of schedule also saving 30% in billable man-hours.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Cricket Communications Inc., Sr. Project Manager – Contract, 2009 – Present
Aricent Inc., Project Manager – Short Contract, 2009
Touchbase Inc., Sr. Project Manager/Consultant, 2008 – 2009
Aricent Inc., IT Program Manager/Consultant – Short Contract, 2007 – 2008
Real Networks Inc., Sr. Program Manager, 2007
SysTest Labs, Program/Project Manager, Consultant, 2004 - 2007
Bank of America, Network Analyst II – Short Contract, 2003 - 2004
Netversant Inc., Project Manager/ILEC Engineer, 2002 - 2003
Pacific Bell, SBC, Project Manager/Implementer, 2001 - 2002
Thrupoint Inc., Internetwork Solutions Engineer Lead, 2000 - 2001
Rhythms Net Connections, Installs Technician III Lead, 1999 – 2000
EDUCATION
M.B.A. in Technology Management, University of Phoenix, February 2005
B.A., University of Colorado at Boulder, May 1998
PMP, Project Management Professional Certification, December 2007
CCNA, Cisco Certified Network Associate, February 2001
Managed numerous SDLC projects utilizing RUP (Rational Unified Process) and Agile development methodologies with budgets in the $100k to $2 million range. Managed the development effort of the Store Locator project from cradle to grave. Managed a team of 20 developers, systems architects, QA, and UAT personnel across 5 functional teams in the areas of web design, data management, data warehousing, and database administration, developed and managed the timeline, budgets, and dependencies, performed risk analysis, drove defect analysis and resolution, and provided overall leadership for the project. Successfully implemented the Store Locator project on time and under budget, and helped enhance the customer’s experience and ability to find the direct and indirect Cricket dealers that offered the services and payment locations the customer required, which has enabled further subscriber growth across all markets and added benefits for current Cricket customers. Managed the development effort for the National Network Coverage project that enabled a larger national wireless footprint in Cricket. Managed a team of 24 developers, system architects, QA, and UAT personnel across 4 functional teams in the area of billing, rate plan development, data management, and IVR, developed and managed the iterative development timeline and budgets, performed risk analysis, drove defect analysis and resolution, and provided overall leadership for the project. Successfully implemented the National Network Coverage project that enabled the launch and drastic expansion into new markets and customer bases, which will ensure continued subscriber number growth across the country.
Managed the OS/2 to UNIX recompile and OS/2 to Java refactor project at Verizon Business. Managed 24 engineers in Colorado Springs, CO and Bangalore, India to migrate the circuit provisioning system for Verizon Business, developed timelines, managed budgets, managed resources internally to the Aricent team and with Field Glass, performed client management, developed and managed client communications, and directed all engineers on daily activities. Successfully delivered stable UNIX and Java platforms, and successfully implemented existing and new functionality for the system.
Managed numerous simultaneous Cisco VoIP implementations and deployments for contact/call centers and corporate dial users including 3845 Peripheral and Voice Gateways, Call Manager, ICM, IVR, and outbound dialing solutions, and was the Sr. Project Manager for the Denver Client Team. Provided pre-sales support, planning, and scoping for my projects and those of other Project Managers within Touchbase, managed all client engagements and communications, managed Touchbase engineering resources across the US, India, Singapore, Sydney, and London, managed all vendor relationships for Touchbase and the multi-national clients, developed detailed processes for deployments, managed all projects from cradle to grave, single point of escalation for all issues, managed budgets for all projects ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000, managed the change control process to ensure all approved changes were implemented correctly and thoroughly, developed detailed documentation on every project, and provided quality assurance and approvals for all engineer documentation for the clients. Successfully deployed new Cisco VoIP solutions for three large clients across numerous sites in the US and around the world, delivered all projects on time and under budget, and secured additional project work in excess of $200,000 across several projects.
Aricent Inc., IT Program Manager/Consultant/Short Contract, 2007 - 2008
Managed the top priority IT program at Qwest Communications. Managed the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) for developing and implementing a new wireless phone service using Voice Over IP (VoIP) while connected to a wireless network and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) while out of range of a home wireless network as a Program Management Consultant with Datalinx. This service allows a subscriber to utilize one wireless phone as their home line and seamlessly changing to wireless service while outside the home. Managed all SDLC tasks associated with system development for ordering, provisioning, billing, workflow, and repair systems, managed 100 individual development teams, managed 100 corresponding testing teams, managed around 400 people total, managed the $17+ million budget, coordinated work for all teams, communicated status to executive management, facilitated issue resolution, performed risk analysis, developed and maintained project plans across multiple releases, approved all time billed against the program, and provided overall management for the program. Successfully deployed numerous releases, and saved Qwest Communications millions of dollars and man hours by facilitating issue resolution in a timely manner and driving proper requirement definition to minimize rework.
Real Networks Inc., Sr. Program Manager, 2007
Senior Program Manager for the Rhapsody Music Service integration with multiple MP3 player platforms from various companies around the world. Coordinated all business and engineering efforts for the projects, developed detailed project plans and schedules for every partner, developed business processes to ensure clear and concise procedures for managing development efforts, revised numerous existing processes to streamline development and integration activities, managed all client relations activities with the multi-functional business and engineering teams within the highly diverse partner organizations that were located all over the world, managed all communication flows within the project, reported status to all company executives in formal business meetings and presentations, directed all engineering and business teams in deployment activities, and managed the overall integration and engineering efforts. The MP3 player integration and Rhapsody Music Service project is the highest priority project for Real Networks, and is driving the customer subscriptions to the highest ever for Real Networks. Saved Real Networks a large number of man hours and generated large revenues for Real Networks in building the MP3 player integrated with Rhapsody Music Service business, which will ensure that Real Networks reaches its financial goals.
Project Manager for numerous projects ranging from one to three months normally. Projects were on a variety of different hardware and software, including networking hardware, electronic voting systems, web-based applications, firmware, and various other applications to be tested for quality assurance testing, hardware and software ITA certifications (voting systems), and independent verification and validation (IV&V). Managed the project and developed the standards and procedures for an IV&V effort for the government. Provided verification that their network was secure, that all standards were met, and conducted interviews with key personnel in the Department of Labor. Discovered critical issues before going live with the system, and ensured proprietary information remained secure. Managed a firmware test planning effort for a new electronic voting system. Wrote technical test plan that encompassed all aspects of the firmware including boundary conditions, loads of the system, error conditions, environmental constraints, and system functionality, and developed business and technical requirements for the system. Saved the company $10,000 in consulting costs by completing the project ahead of schedule and under budget. Program Manager for the VoIP deployment, software development, and migration project at Level 3 Communications. Utilized MS Project daily to track progress of all projects.
Managed the Social Security Administration Interstate Connection Network certification projects for Michigan, Iowa, California, and North Carolina. SysTest Labs was contracted to certify that the Unemployment Insurance Agencies of each of these states meet the SSA security requirements for cross matching social security numbers of claimants filing for unemployment insurance with the SSA database. Developed requirements from information provided by the SSA, provided client management for the project, reviewed system documentation for adherence to SSA requirements, interviewed all employees who have access to secured data, performed a physical security audit of all server rooms and secure work areas, verified system security adhered to SSA requirements, examined system functionality for adherence to the documentation, analyzed audit logs for required aspects, and developed an initial and final certification reports that were supplied to the U.S. Department of Labor.
Managed the Colorado Statewide Internet Portal Authority project, including the Project Management Office and independent verification and validation functions. The State of Colorado is building an eGovernment web portal to provide online services for citizens and businesses, such as driver’s license renewals, professional licensing, business tax filing, vehicle registration, etc. Developed business and technical requirements for individual projects to build new services for the Colorado State Portal, provided client management for the project, managed schedule and budgets, conducted IV&V reviews of the integrator’s project deliverables, examined and provided improvement suggestions for the software development methodology utilized by the integrator, developed reports for all findings and IV&V reviews, analyzed technical, financial, and business plans for comprehensiveness, managed the PMO/IV&V personnel, including marketing, business analytics, technical, and auditing functions, presented findings and status to the SIPA Board during their open monthly meetings, and built relationships with government personnel at the state, county, and local city government level, including the Secretary of State, State Senators, State Representatives, the State CIO, Executive Directors from the Department of Revenue, Department of Regulatory Agencies, and the Department of Personnel and Administration, and several private sector CEOs.
Managed the Innerwall Secure Enclave baseline functionality-testing project. Secure Enclave is an intrusion and virus detection system that monitors and protects computer and server hardware. Developed technical requirements based on the functionality of the system, provided client management for the project, managed schedule and budgets, managed all test engineers assigned to the project, performed functional testing on the Secure Enclave security software and hardware product, managed performance and functional testing, developed test cases and test data, managed the regression testing effort, and tracked and reported discrepancies to the client.
Managed numerous Cognos Business Intelligence Partner Certification Projects. Any new or current partner of Cognos Inc. is required to pass a certification review of all integration points between the Cognos’ and partner’s software suites. Provided client management for the project, managed schedule and budgets, managed all test engineers assigned to the project, developed detailed requirements and test procedures for each partner’s individual solution, performed functional testing of integration points between Cognos software suite and the partner’s software platform, managed test development and execution team, reported daily and weekly status to Cognos and partner contacts, and developed reports that specified findings of the testing.
Bank of America, Network Analyst II – Short Term Contract, 2003 – 2004
Support for Windows 2000 and OS2 servers for all Bank of America branches across the country. Building client relations and a subject matter expert for all new migrations to the Windows 2000 platform. Performed IT architecture planning functions to help design telecom and LAN infrastructures for banking topology, which included developing business and technical requirements. Troubleshooting of any network issues having to do with the servers, Cisco 3640 routers, and 1924 and 2924 Cisco Catalyst switches. Configure and maintain the Active Directory database.
Ethernet upgrade for all Washington Mutual banks across the country. Subject matter expert for all issues pertaining to the project. Project managed multiple branches in coordinating business partners to complete the projects in the specified time frame. Ordered material, coordinated installation schedules with Washington Mutual branch managers and contracted business partners, troubleshot any technical, access, or material issues, developed technical requirements for the onsite technicians to utilize, and followed up to verify the project was completed per my specifications. Single point of contact for ILEC technicians with any issues involved in bringing new POTS, ISDN, and T1 lines to the branches. Researched each problem to determine a course of action to resolve their issue, advised the technicians on extending circuits or access issues, communicated all findings to the technicians, and verified that they were clear as to the extent of my instructions. As sites were being completed, the technicians send digital photos for quality assurance purposes. After which, I examined all photos for any discrepancies between the scope of work and actual work done. On my approval, all jobs were sent for billing.
Implemented the Central Office Internet bays in all Bay Area Central Offices that are used for backdoor access to optical networking equipment and digital subscriber lines. Coordinated the efforts of 5 groups to implement the Central Office Internet project. Developed timelines for each of the projects, arranged meets to solve problems that developed during the project, directed the workload for all the groups, monitored progress of all teams, worked with IT architecture planning for the COI network, developed technical requirements for capacity and network planning, and followed up to verify the projects were completed per my instruction. Experienced in using Visio to change and update network designs. Checked for circuit completion with testing group, coordinated efforts with the network information center, and configured, troubleshot, and tested all COI equipment. Troubleshot and tested T1 and T3 circuits. Configured, tested, and troubleshot 2501, 2601, 4000, and 7500 Cisco routers. Configured, tested, and troubleshot Cisco 2511 and 2611 terminal servers and Cisco 1924 and 2924 catalyst switch/hubs. Configured, tested, and troubleshot Cabletron Micro MMAC, MMAC-8, and MMAC-36 hubs. Configured and troubleshot General Datacomm modems that performed a CSU/DSU function. Troubleshot Westell network interface units for circuit terminations. Configured and troubleshot Gigaman Alarm Bays used to terminate alarm circuits for customer access to optical networking equipment.
Implemented a software upgrade to Qwest Communications’ Cisco ONS 15454 network. Upgraded 350 nodes with a new software package, led the team to complete the upgrade ahead of schedule, and verified no data was lost in the upgrade, advised the engineers in the technical specifications involved. No outages occurred saving Qwest millions in downtime, Thrupoint gained $32,000 in revenue as my team’s contract was extended for a month, and saved $55,000 in man-hour expenses for Qwest by implementing the correct software the first time. Designed and planned optical networking architecture for Qwest’s optical backbone, including designing SONET rings, capacity planning, requirements definition, and implementation of those network plans. Implemented a SONET ring in Qwest Communications’ lab for training and testing purposes. Installed and tested 5 ONS 15454 nodes in Qwest’s central office lab including power and fiber optics, configured numerous circuits of all sizes to show its capabilities, and tested all circuits for reliability. Outages were avoided by allowing new engineers to experiment on non-customer traffic affecting nodes before working in a live environment saving Qwest millions in downtime; testing software packages before purchasing and implementing them saved over $70,000 in revenue. Responsible for the system configuration, product installation, integration, software migration, testing and full life cycle operations of the systems implementation for Qwest’s ONS 15454 nodes. Provided troubleshooting and on site support for Qwest’s ONS 15454 network. Conducted Bit Error Rate tests on DS3, OC3, OC12, and OC48 circuits using T-Berd Test sets and tested fiber optics cables with Lightwave meters. Trained QWEST on the Cisco Transport Management (CTM) network management server. Installed, support, and troubleshooting for the Perelli 15800 DWDM system for optical networking. Trained to support, install, and troubleshoot the Monterrey 15900 optical wave router but it was never put into production. Configured parameters for SONET and troubleshot timing, UPSR, and BLSR alarms. Configured Cisco 4000 and 7500 series routers.
Developed a sales presentation for the executives at Qwest Communications to highlight the benefits of the Cisco Transport Manager server. Researched all benefits of the server, coordinated with the Cisco Systems Sales Engineers to incorporate all they wanted in the presentation, scheduled a convenient time for the executives to come down, and presented the benefits and how it fit into their business plan. Solidified $20,000 network management server for Cisco Systems; enabled Qwest to cut their network management time by 50%.
Rhythms Net Connections , Installs Technician III Lead, 1999 – 2000
Analyzed problems in all the Central Office cages in Rhythms Net Connections’ network. Single handedly troubleshot all problems with their 2500 cages across the country, scheduled technicians to go to each site, analyzed test results to determine the root cause of the problem, and instructed them on what steps need to be taken. Customer downtime decreased by 40%. Trained new provisioners on testing results for DSL circuits. Formulated an easier way to understand the test results, communicated this knowledge to each new provisioner with as little technical speech as possible, and guided them individually to explain to me what they were seeing to verify they understood completely. These provisioners were up to speed sooner saving 4 hours of training time per person; production increased raising revenue by $10,000 per month per training class. Provided troubleshooting and support for failed DSL installations. Configured DSL routers, DSLAMs, and PC’s for the end users. Used HP Openview to configure and monitor ATM and Frame Relay circuits. Final escalation point for Field Technicians to remotely test and troubleshoot all Central Office equipment for the U.S. Performed DSL router configurations, DSLAM configuration, circuit testing, logical troubleshooting, and customer support. Utilized Turnstone and Harris testing units to test DSL circuits. Pre and post installation troubleshooting for DSL networks.
Nextel Communications, Technical Customer Care Representative, 1998 – 1999
Oversaw a frustrated customer’s account for Nextel Communications. Researched his billing statements to ascertain the correct course of action for him, provided technical expertise for his wireless phones, enabled him to call me directly so he would not be frustrated anymore, and followed up with him to ensure he was satisfied with his service. Revenue continued as the customer did not cancel their service bringing an average of $2000 per month into Nextel. Provided customer service and technical assistance to the customers in a fast-paced call center environment. Fielded inbound calls and worked with the customers to bring their cellular service back up and answered rate plan and billing questions. Technical support for NexNote software used for the paging system of the telecom network.
NukeJobs is a nuclear jobs board that provides nuclear job seekers access to international directories of Nuclear Employers, Nuclear Resumes and Nuclear Jobs such as Nuclear Engineer Jobs, Nuclear Construction Jobs, Nuclear Power Plant Jobs, Nuclear Medicine Jobs, Nuclear Pharmacy Jobs, Nuclear Security Jobs, Nuclear Physics Jobs, Nuclear Reactor Jobs, Nuclear Material Jobs, Nuclear Safety Jobs, and Nuclear Waste Jobs.