Ronald A. Kirchoff, PMP

**** **** ******* **

832-***-****

El Lago, Texas 77586

acxunw@r.postjobfree.com

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Accomplished Program Manager with 20+ years experience in guiding technical and engineering initiatives with the U.S. Department of Defense, NASA, aerospace corporations and volunteer organizations. Proven history of identifying stakeholder needs and crafting innovative solutions to surpass client expectations while improving project or program profitability. Adept at streamlining operations, addressing scope creep, and realigning team resources to reduce operating costs. Proficient at capturing new business and contract expansion opportunities.

BACKGROUND SUMMARY

Program Management

Requirements Management

Project Planning

Team Building & Leadership

Recruiting & Development

Change Management

Strategic Planning

Process & Quality Improvement

Customer Relations

Variance Analysis

Employee Communications

Risk Management

P & L Responsibility

Performance Appraisal

Budget Administration

Policies & Procedures

Employee Training & Coaching

Bids & Proposals

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Self-Employed

2011-2016

Consultant

Houston, TX

Provide guidance and expertise in program management and software development to various groups. Mentor junior program managers. Currently leading the development of a client management information management system.

Cimarron Software Services, Inc

2000-2011

Program Manager

Houston, TX

Led a team of 16 direct reports with more than 150 technical and engineering staff in all aspects of program management for 5 high-profile contracts with a combined annual contract value of $20M.

Transformed program supporting Orion capsule sub-systems and ground test facilities engineering. Reviewed all assigned task orders; found that several had experienced significant requirements creep. Renegotiated some task orders; added additional tasks and restructured staff to reduce operating costs. Result: Increased profit margins on $2.2M annual program from 8% to 19%.

Supervised teams in the development of avionics software for the International Space Station Program. Supported all phases of the software development life cycle from requirements analysis, through design, development, system verification and validation, and software installation. Ensured compliance with CMMI processes. Result: On time delivery of software increments and high customer satisfaction.

Revised company-wide employee performance appraisal process. Surveyed managers and employees for their input on the new system; formed committee to develop more objective grading criteria; moved from MS Word format to a web based system (Halogen e-Appraisal); developed training presentations for managers and employees. Result: Improved employee acceptance of the process, motivated and retained key personnel, and increased the on time completion metric from 70% to 90%.

Standardized alternative benefits compensation plan. Coordinated with human resources and compensation officer to determine which benefits would be included; calculated the cost of those benefits to the company and converted costs to an hourly rate. Developed a formula to calculate benefit value for any given salary. Built a table that expressed salary amounts in $2 dollar per hour increments and calculated a cash-in-lieu amount for each increment. Result: Plan was easier to explain to employees and aided recruiting and retention of highly paid individuals.

Automated manual steps in invoicing process to reduce errors. Reviewed all steps in the invoicing process; identified manual steps that were prone to errors. Created standard templates for reports and developed macros to populate templates. Instructed invoicing clerk in proper use of the automated system. Result: Significantly reduced number of errors, increased timeliness of invoicing, and smoothed cash flow.

Honeywell Space Systems, Houston Engineering Center

1995-2000

Project Chief

Houston, TX

Directed up to 30 field service engineers supporting Honeywell equipment used on the International Space Station Program.

Eliminated need for Flight Equivalent Units in the Space Station trainer. Supported development of an emulator of the Honeywell computer system used on the Station. Each single board computer emulator replaced a Flight Equivalent Unit at a fraction of the cost; 50 systems were required by the training facility. Result: Captured a multi-million dollar savings for the Space Station program.

Standardized the process and format for developing proposals. Developed standard templates that contained wording and calculations common to most proposals. Result: Increased bid accuracy and reduced by 15% the amount of time required to turn around a proposal.

Identified need for Honeywell product expertise. Surveyed supplier base to determine needs for additional personnel resources as more Honeywell equipment was fielded in the Space Station program. Worked with customers to develop business case for additional support. Recruited and coordinated training of necessary personnel. Result: Significant increase in customer satisfaction and a 15% jump in revenue.

Honeywell Air Transport Systems

1993-1995

Resource Manager

Phoenix, AZ

Oversaw team of 100+ engineers and technical personnel directing performance and professional development.

Established the resource management function within the Air Transport Systems Division. Handpicked to initial staff to design Air Transport System Division resource management infrastructure and record keeping process. Oversaw team of 100+ engineers, directing performance management and professional development programs. Collaborated with technical managers to develop staffing strategies across all engineering operations. Result: Improved employee satisfaction with training and development programs; provided better overall career planning and strengthened engineering teams.

Developed solution to identify excess or underutilized personnel and expedite their reassignment. Created program to place individuals identified as excess or underutilized into a “talent pool” which was advertised to department managers across the engineering organization. The personnel were then loaned or transferred to the department that could use their talents. Result: More efficient use of resources within engineering.

Honeywell Air Transport Systems

1990-1993

Engineering Section Head

Phoenix, AZ

Coordinated hardware/software engineers and support professionals across 5 teams in the development and maintenance of aircraft simulators used for commercial airliner avionics system validation.

Converted MD-80 validation facility to support MD-90 aircraft. Identified required changes, scheduled tasks to be accomplished, and developed budget. Coordinated support from outside department resources. Led team of five engineers in making changes. Certified simulation against actual aircraft data. Result: Project was completed on time and on budget; ready to support avionics testing.

Established the practice of reviewing all open problem reports for each validation facility on a weekly basis. Met with representative of the customer organization to review and prioritize problem reports. Scheduled time in facility necessary for maintenance. Result: Achieved a 10% reduction in open problem reports and an increase customer satisfaction.

Served as an Officer in the United States Air Force, attaining the rank of Major/O-4.

EDUCATION / AFFILIATIONS / CERTIFICATIONS

Master of Science in Operations Research, Air Force Institute of Technology, Dayton, Ohio

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, United States Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Contact this candidate