TECHNICALLY SAVVY PROGRAM MANAGER

About bob

Robert Seiler
I’m a technically savvy, collaborative program management professional leading multi-functional teams across products, organizations, and countries to bring innovative and diverse technologies to market. Expert at discerning both the business imperative of a program and the technical work needed to make it a reality.  Skilled in establishing stakeholder and team buy-in and promoting a team culture of transparency and trust

  • Software Development Lifecycle Management (SDLC)
  • Live-Network, Multi-Product Testing and Debugging
  • Customer-Centered End-to-End Product Quality
  • Data Mining Supporting Data-Driven Management
  • Programs with a Mix Waterfall and Agile projects
  • Team Building and Conflict Management
  • Product Technical Compliance, UC APL, FIPS 140-2

Timeline

  1. -
    Senior Program Manager, POLYCOM, INC. (FORMERLY PICTURETEL CORP.), ANDOVER, MA

    I led programs with extended teams of up to 100 people that enabled new server product sales model, improved operational efficiency , opened key markets, and delivered innovative products across a variety of products and technologies. My accomplishments include:

    • Transforming product/IT back-end capabilities to enable solution software subscriptions (now 75%+ of sales), reduce skus by 70% for equivalent functionality, and provide operational efficiencies that added $2.5M to the bottom line.
    • Restoring service-provider partner confidence, moving relationship out of crisis mode, and enabling additional service provider partnerships by improving quality of solution delivered to them through creative in-house testing and improved collaboration between multiple product teams located around the world.
    • Enabling sales to US Department of Defense (DoD) networks and establishing security credibility with non-DoD customers by obtaining security certifications for products and solutions.
  2. -
    Consulting / Distinguished SW Engineer, iPower, POLYCOM, INC. (FORMERLY PICTURETEL CORP.), ANDOVER, MA

    Provided technical leadership for PC-based videoconferencing endpoints – defining/tracking scope, ensuring alignment across development teams, identifying and resolving organizational disconnects, and developing metrics to assess product maturity and quality.


    I worked on small team that developed use models, technical requirements, and protocol specifications for People+Content. This was awarded US patent 6,704,769 (media role management in video conferencing network) and included in international standard H.239

  3. U.S. Patent 6,704,769

    Media role management in a video conferencing network

    Provides a system, apparatus, and method for managing media in a multimedia conferencing system according to media roles

    I was co-inventor with Betsy Comstock and 5 other people

     

  4. IMTC Innovator of the Year

    Awarded the the International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium in recognition of my leadership of an IMTC working group that developed recommendations for increasing H.320 videoconferencing call reliability

  5. -
    Principal Software Engineer, POLYCOM, INC. (FORMERLY PICTURETEL CORP.), ANDOVER, MA

    I designed and developed communication software for multiple generations of videoconferencing endpoints, including the company's first ISDN interface, leveraging third-party protocol stack.


    I led international, industry-wide working group at International Multimedia Telecommunications Consortium (IMTC) that developed recommendations for increasing H.320 videoconferencing call reliability. In May 2000, the IMTC recognized this effort by awarding me as “Innovator of the Year” award.

Education Highlights

  • WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, Middletown, CT
    Bachelor of Arts (BA), Physics: Phi Beta kappa; Departmental Honors (Physics)

Skills

  • Project Management
  • TELECOMMUNICATIONS
  • Video conferencing
  • UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS

Questions & Answers

Are you currently seeking employment?
Yes, I'd like to apply the program management skills I developed at Polycom to a dynamic high-tech company in the greater Boston area.
What are your current professional development activities?
I'm studying to take the Program Management Professional Certification exam. I believe this formal education will round out what I've learned on the job.

I'm also expanding my technical background by attending events such as Mass Innovation Nights and ACM webinars.
Where did you work before Polycom/PictureTel?
I worked at BBN Communications and Network Switching Systems designing, developing SW and leading small teams for packet and circuit switches.

Before that I worked at Interactive Data Corporation where I developed protocol stacks and device drivers for a private packet-switched network used to connect IDC's customers from modem pools in their city to IDC's mainframes in Waltham
What do you do for fun?
I sing bass in the Somerville Community Chorus. This past May, we performed Brahm’s Requiem with a full orchestra!
What are you reading now?
Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder's narrative non-fiction about Dr. Paul Farmer and his work to cure infectious disease in Haiti and other impoverished partsof the world.
Where was the background photo taken?
I took it outside Castillonnès France, September 2013

SomervilLe, Massachusetts

United States

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