Overview:
In addition to ongoing development, I led several key initiatives to enhance our SaaS offering and deliver improved efficiency of our development environment.
 
Analytics and Monitoring Innovation:
Building upon the success of our Analytics investment, I led our talented Data Science team in several innovative data driven solutions. These new solutions delivered new functionality to our clients and also improved the operational efficiency of our CloudOps team.
	• Innovated our Portal API's simplifying the integration while allowing quick release of new functionality
	• Delivered
	   • Realtime health and utilization information along with NOC response details to Portal 
	   • Availability analyses for reporting on various monthly SLAs
	   • Automated near real-time software inventory and utilization details for our SaaS and on-net client systems
	   • Correlation logic associated with alert generation of our monitoring platform
	   • Observability of all microservices and applications within Agility
	• Leveraging Machine Learning, developed an alert state machine within the Analytics platform allowing for improved scalability of our Nagios platform
Internal Transformations and Efficiencies:
	• Aggressively performed the migration from IBM RTC & RQM (Rational Team Concert & Quality Manager) to Jira and Zephyr
	• Performed significant updates to network and computing of our 5000 SF Data Center allowing for the central support of all global developments
	• Implemented Sunbird DCIM (Data Center Infra Mgmt.) for all virtual and physical assets
Product Innovation:
	• Release of the new OneView device which is the centerpiece of our new OneView Portfolio
	• Revolutionized our B2B strategy on Agility allowing for acceptance in previously challenging markets in EMEA and APAC
Vendor Management:
	• Successfully negotiated a favorable multi-year MSA with our offshore partner
	• Negotiated rates on multiple contracts facilitating savings of over $400K

IPC Systems, Inc.

Vice President - Head of Product Engineering

Overview:
After a long and rewarding career driving transformation of R&D and advanced Operations teams, I was asked to take a more strategic role leading the combined Network Voice, Network Data and Communications Engineering teams. As the executive leader of the newly formed Product Engineering team, I led a seasoned and talented group of senior leaders and their staff in the next phase of our company’s evolution. This was both an exciting and challenging time at IPC as we embarked on an aggressive transformation of our products and services.
 
Innovation and Product Evolution:
	• Launched 
	   • Connexus Unigy - An award-winning SaaS trading platform
	   • IPC's next generation microservices platform "Agility"
	        • Awarded Best New Product at the 2021 Markets Choice Awards
	   • Connexus Alpha (Industry focused ultra-low latency connectivity)
	   • Our next generation soft client and our first mobile clients for IOS and Android
	• Delivered our industry first monitoring strategy combining advanced analytics and traditional alerting
	• Presented our first phase of Analytics integration on our client portal
	   • Empowered clients with health utilization metrics in advance of trading day
 
Account Focus:
	• Translated customer requirements into new product updates resulting in competitive displacement of two new Tier 1 banks as well as numerous mid-tier banks
 
Department Focus:
	• Led a geographically and technologically diverse team of on-shore, near-shore and offshore resources
	   • Nurtured and grew resilient, high-functioning teams
	• Through subtle influence of interaction, encouraged cross functional understanding between disparate groups, nurturing greater understanding of the company and encouraged support between groups and product verticals
 
Challenges: 
	• Led our global team through the rapidly evolving challenges associated with the Pandemic
	   • Through proactive action kept strategic targets and milestones on track

Overview:
Led a core group of talented engineers responsible for the ongoing development and sustaining of the Enterprise product line. Representing 98% of the company’s communications revenue, this critical team consistently delivered product advancements while delivering high quality software releases to our install base. With continued success of this core team, my role expanded to include Quality Engineering as well as our DevOps focused Shared Engineering teams.
 
Achievements:
   - Led a geographically diverse team of on-shore, near-shore and offshore resources
      - Continued to evolve IPC Development aligning with the principals of SAFe - Scaled Agile Framework
      - Developed a flexible rotation of scrum teams which reduced burnout and fostered innovation
      - Fostered a sense of purpose and achievement throughout the organization
   - Partnering with our Sales and Operations leadership teams, successfully communicated to our clients our commitment to product quality and continued innovation.
   - Leveraging automation, developed a methodology for the quick and concise validation of system integrity after major upgrades and MAC activity.
   - Evolved our platform to support fully remote configuration and updates
   - Developed new API's in support of Speech to text.
   - Developed the next generation of Data Pipelines removing the need for technician remote access by 90%

VP,  R&D -   Unigy Enterprise - Development / Lifecycle

Overview:
In 2016, I provided thought leadership in several areas as our company portfolio and development processes were rapidly changing. This rapid growth and change were fueled by the acquisition of Etrali Trading Solutions, the rapid transformation of our development process from Waterfall to Agile and the launch of our new cloud-based unified communications and voice trading system.

Achievements:
Transformation from Waterfall to Agile:
   - Created the DevOps function to generate operational requirements for all new product developments
      - This team also provided valuable operational expertise to the development scrum teams during backlog and PI planning activities
 
Infrastructure Architecture:
   - Created the analytics strategy used in our Software-As-A-Service and on-premise Enterprise Systems.
   - Conceived an elegant machine data collector used in all deployments that supported:
      - Data obfuscation
      - Ad-hoc collection
      - Multitenancy
   - Advised on monitoring, QA and automation for the newly formed SaaS offering
 
Quality Engineering:
   - Provisionally assumed responsibility for the organization after an exodus of several key team members
   - Successfully stabilized the team by retaining and promoting previously undervalued team members as well as onboarding new leadership

VP,  R&D -   Product Lifecycle Engineering | Quality Engineering

Overview:
In 2015 I rejoined R&D adding the IPC University team to my organization. Along with this new opportunity, I was also given the honor to join the transition team who planned the logistics around the incorporation of Etrali Trading Solutions which was later acquired in February of 2016.

Achievements:
Tier III / Tier IV Engineering 
   - Building on these two great organizations, refined their integration and efficiency resulting is a highly effective triage and tools development organization
   - Implemented Phase III of our Analytics strategy allowing a further shift left of triage empowering both the Central Support and Branch Operations teams

IPC University
   - Adapted team to partner with Product Engineering to curate course content on new products and services
   - Laid the groundwork to transition team from 75% in person learning to distance learning
       - Leveraging tools and process such as virtualization, as well as SAS based learning management platforms
   - Provided thought leadership in the merger of IPC with Etrali and the empowerment through education of some 400 staff members

VP,  R&D -   Tier III Eng. - (eTAC)  | Product Lifecycle Engineering | IPC University

Overview:
With the success of my teams, the Level 4 team "Product Lifecycle Engineering" was added to my organization in 2014.
	
Achievements:
   - My teams combined efforts helped support a 34% increase in EBITDA for FY14 ($117M  157M) through continued automation of install & service tasks, resulting in significant reduction of cost to serve
   - Expanded the remit of the Central Support organization to include a growing product line of Voice Recording Compliance allowing expansion of parallel markets
   - Transitioned the build of new systems from Central Support to IPC Manufacturing
       - This resulted in both a significant savings in the cost of turn up as well as a substantial improvement in consistency of delivery

VP,  Global Services -   Tier III Eng. - (eTAC)  | CSG -NA | Product Lifecycle Engineering

Overview:
As part of our company wide evolutionary change from TDM to a modern software-based communications and applications platform, I was given the opportunity in 2012 to lead the advanced North American Central Support Team. This opportunity provided me with a key role in the overall transformation of IPC both within the global Central Support organization as well as Service Delivery and Pre-Sales.
	
Achievements:
  - Influenced significant change in the global Central Support organization and greater Service Delivery organization
  - Implemented standards for consistency in response to high severity issues experienced by clients
  - Utilizing the Tier III team, developed and implemented a series of advanced training programs to raise the level of technical understanding of the software components of the Unigy Trading system
  - Introduced a new Test Management system, globally adopted by Service Delivery and Global Services for the validation of client systems

VP,  Global Services -   Tier III Engineering - (eTAC)  | Central Support Group NA - (CSG)

Based on a proven track record of success, I expanded my responsibility to also include Customer Engineering and Operations Product Management in 2009. 

Achievements:
Customer Engineering 
   • Worked with Executive team, Sales and team members, to define a new charter with the goal of delivering a consistent level of support for all Tier 1 clients
   • Identified efficiencies within our team leading to the doubling of the number of clients supported
   • Implemented several process initiatives and through mentorship, promoted within the team a new department Manager

Tier III Engineering 
   • Implemented a ground up rebuild of the Tier III Engineering Data Center including a new VM farm as well as full featured networking environment
   • The new Data Center allowed the team to quickly reproduce complex faults reported in the field resulting in significant labor saving for the Operations Team
   • Partnered with R&D leadership to standardize on our Severity Level Matrix associated with client faults
   • Revamped the Sustaining process resulting in improved accountability and transparency of product issues

Partnership with Service Delivery
   • Partnered with SME's and IT to launch a new knowledge management system with integrations into client portal and workflow systems
   • Worked as an active partner with the three regional TAC groups to implement standards for
       • Documentation
       • Troubleshooting process
       • Rules of engagement
       • Escalation
   • Launched improved KPI Dashboard
       • Helped provide clarity on metrics which monitor workload and performance of Regional and Global TAC teams

Doug Costa