Senior Technical Project Manager

TARA R. NEWCOMB- SR LEAD PROGRAM MANAGER

Colorado - Cell 478-***-**** - *******@*****.***

Inactive TS/SCI clearance. Detail-oriented, dynamic, proactive, and resourceful Program Manager with 15+ years of comprehensive experience in engineering, IT, and program management with State and Federal Government, internal telecommunication enterprise, and service provider level customers in fast-paced environments with a strong focus on vendor risk management. Experienced leader determined to build programs and networks from greenfield 5G network project delivery as well as upgrading existing products and fiber networks. Proficient using methodologies including agile, hybrid, and waterfall in multiple environments. Skilled in establishing a strategy, framework and best practices for PMO. Strong focus including the following skills: Project estimation and sizing, financial forecasting, issues/risks documentation and tracking, KPI creation and reporting, lessons learned documentation, application implementations, status reports, and presentations. Excellent attention to detail, analytical, conceptual thinking, strategic planning and execution skills used to drive business and technical requirements processes. Demonstrated track record of being a highly organized, self-starter, critical and analytical thinker, great problem-solving skills, hands-on, driven, strategic, accountable, collaborative, hard-working, and highly productive leader. Comfortable with and experienced working with and leading distributed teams and proven track record working within teams as well as individually. I deliver!

Certifications

Six Sigma Yellow Belt (in progress) 2025

Six Sigma White Belt 2024

PMI PMP 2021

Axelos ITIL Training Course Completed 2019

CompTIA Project+ Management Certified 2013

Microsoft Security 2013

CIW Web Foundations Associate 2012

CompTIA Security+ Certified 2012

CompTIA A+ Certified 2012

Education

Colorado State University 4/2022

Masters, Project Management

Western Governors University

Bachelor of Science, Business Information Technology Management 3/2019

Professional Experience

Lumen Technologies Colorado

Senior Technical Project Manager (Remote) 9/2024-Present

Technical project management skills utilized to lead a team of 30+ Engineers, Architects, and third-party vendor PM resources to ensure the successful delivery and aggregation of network planning teams for a special network project in support of portfolio valued at over 5B in projects

Lead cross business unit teams -Sales Engineering, Outside Plant (OSP), Inside Plant (ISP), and Sales Architecture teams to ensure successful delivery and implementation of solutions to lead the project forward to completion. This includes direction and control of project planning, programming, financial budgeting, contract evaluation, and technical contract administration of software and hardware project delivery

Generates, maintains, and updates risk management policy and procedures, and ensure vendors remain relevant and effective to move project deliverables forward

Coordinate access to customer and network points of presence for fiber splicing and testing ahead of cutovers and management of OSP resources to expedite the splicing and testing of fiber optic OSP facilities including DWDM and SONET technologies

Utilizing superior communication and interpersonal skills, partners with senior leadership, up to C-level executives, of the business community to identify and prioritize product strategy to achieve the goals of the enterprise- 2 new processes developed due to recommendations derived from lessons learned to drive continuous improvement processes

Develops KPI metrics and reports to brief key leadership on status of program metrics. Utilizes KPIs to provide recommendation to leadership

Serves as a mentor to junior project managers and project coordinators to educate and assist them with implementing project management processes

Drives communication with leadership and other stakeholders on program strategy, direction and changes

Leads scoping and delivery of project financials and change management

Leads multiple Lumen project teams to develop/execute integration testing strategic planning projects from project initiation to closure

Partner with Service Delivery and Product Management to ensure prompt design, build, activation and billing of the OSP ordered voice/data network and transport

Manage customer notification documents utilizing Docusign, AdobeSign technologies

Develop and maintain reports utilizing corporate tools to ensure supplier/vendor risk information is tracked and communicated

BayOne Solutions (Contract for Logitech- short term contract) Colorado

Senior Project Manager (Remote) 6/2024- 9/2024

Utilizes knowledge and experience of software development phases and processes as a key component to drive deliverables

Waterfall and Agile approaches utilized to deliver SaaS, and technical projects to drive New Product Introduction (NPI) for Logitech product delivery

Perform vendor management to ensure RFI, and RFP, are delivered on time and within scope

Work closely with various stakeholder business groups such as Project Management Office, Information Technology, Creative Resourcing, Design, Localization, Packaging, Operations, Sales, Client Success, and Marketing teams to drive program initiatives and address stakeholder needs, challenges, and risk

Lead and support go-to-market strategies and the launch of new product features, lead internal and external training and presentations as needed to ensure business group continuity

Utilize tools such as Figma, Googlesheet, Workfront, Adobe, Lucid, Asana, and many more to manage projects and product delivery

Provide daily, weekly, and monthly reports on project status, roadmap/timeline updates, and KPIs

Manage project backlogs, prioritize feature requests, and maximize product value with input from various stakeholder teams

Collaborate with system administrators, engineering and Design, Project Management Office, and Creative Design teams to define business cases, technical requirements, user stories, and test/acceptance criteria

Align stakeholder perspectives to appropriately manage the program backlog and drive market value by reviewing listening tours, gathering feedback, conducting reviews, working with business teams for reviews, writing and reviewing requirements documents, driving process documentation, conducting lessons learned reviews, and conducting project status review calls as needed

Charter Communications Englewood, CO

Senior Project Manager (Hybrid) 10/2022- 6/2024

Direct manager of 6 contractors spanning multiple international borders- onboarding/offboarding, training, and development activities to ensure company deliverables are met on time from initiation/handoff through implementation

Technical project manager- Leads cross-functional stakeholders including 30+ Engineers, Architects, and vendor resources to ensure the successful integration, delivery, and aggregation of large, enterprise-level program valued at over 40M+ in software, firmware, and hardware projects utilizing demonstrated ability to proactively plan for long range activities and identify and prioritize initiatives

Controls direction of project planning, programming, define requirements, methodology, budgeting, contract evaluation, and technical contract administration. Works cross functionally with a multitude of key stakeholders on new products, feature enhancements, and strategic initiatives. The environment is blended with agile and waterfall methodologies, and projects are both hardware and software based

Enforces project standards to ensure quality and successful on-time, on-budget delivery of their project, including project schedules, budget, and presentations

Communicates the business case to project team to drive decision making and prioritization including escalation processes as needed

Leads by example- Develop strategies to identify risks to implement corrective actions, contractual clauses, and contingency plans as they pertain to supplier Master Service Agreement (MSA)

Perform vendor management to ensure RFI, RFP, and PQRs are delivered on time and within scope

Briefs key leadership on costs, impact, feasibility, alternatives, issues, recommendations and status of project development and implementation based on project management lifecycle (PMLC), and KPI metrics and reports from multiple systems databases

Manages developing program requirements, estimates, and sizing using tools such as Jira, Confluence, MS project, and MS suite tools to ensure on time delivery 99% of the time

Utilizes knowledge and experience of software development phases and processes as a key component to drive deliverables for the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Waterfall and Agile approaches utilized to deliver NaaS, SaaS, Wifi, RF, and other technical programs

Works with operations teams to develop plans for transition to operations to ensure business continuity

Motivates others- Leads collaboration with internal teams, vendors, leadership, and customers to ensure everyone understand current status, financial/budget impact and status, quality metrics, operational resilience, security risks, and regulatory compliance - reducing inefficiency and driving solutions to completion 99% of the time

Aids in definition of project strategy, software requirements, design prototype, testing, project training requirements, operational support processes, and implementation of business guides.

Presents and communicates to all levels of the organization both technical and non-technical audiences to include upper-level Senior Leadership (Executive VPs and above)- Superior Interpersonal communication skills; delivers complex concepts in an easy-to-understand format

Lumen Technologies Denver, CO

Senior Lead Program Manager (Remote) 2/2021-10/2022

Technical project management skills utilized to lead a team of 20+ Engineers, Architects, and contractor vendor resources to ensure the successful delivery and aggregation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1) for the States of New Jersey and South Dakota call delivery from other Originating Service Providers (OSP) in support of Lumen Public Safety/9-1-1 portfolio valued at over 125M+ in projects

2 Awards won for initiative and teamwork-Developed for plans and teamwork assignments, directed work efforts, created integrated plans, escalating and communicating resource needs, quality reviews, and driving the resolution of issues

Lead Sales Engineering, Outside Plant (OSP), Inside Plant (ISP), and Sales Architecture teams to ensure successful delivery and implementation of NG 9-1-1 solution for the State of New Jersey- $105M enterprise solution. This includes direction and control of project planning, programming, financial budgeting, contract evaluation, and technical contract administration of software and hardware project delivery

Generates, maintains, and updates project schedule to keep teams on track and leadership updated on project status

RFP facilitation and submission -4 successful RFP submissions & wins valued at $135M won in 2021 & 2022- and 3 successful NG-911 programs delivered including NG-911 programs and network backend migrations

Coordinate access to customer and network points of presence for fiber splicing and testing ahead of cutovers and management of OSP resources to expedite the splicing and testing of fiber optic OSP facilities including DWDM and SONET technologies

Utilizing superior communication and interpersonal skills, partners with senior leadership to identify and prioritize product strategy to achieve the goals of the enterprise- 3 new processes developed due to recommendations derived from lessons learned to drive continuous improvement processes

Develops KPI metrics and reports to brief key leadership on status of program metrics. Utilizes KPIs to provide recommendation to leadership

Delivers SaaS, Facility management, and NG-911 program estimates, sizing, and requirements to ensure on time delivery of enterprise level solutions

Serves as a mentor to junior project managers and project coordinators to educate and assist them with implementing project management processes

Drives communication with leadership and other stakeholders on program strategy, direction and changes including measurements of vendor risk controls and measurements

Leads scoping and delivery of project financials and change management

Leads multiple Lumen project teams to develop/execute integration testing for NG-9-1-1 projects from project initiation to closure

Partner with Service Delivery to ensure prompt design, build, activation and billing of the OSP ordered voice/data network and transport

Dish Wireless Littleton, CO

5G Staff Engineering Program Manager (Remote during covid) 2/2020-2/2021

Oversees a staff of 10 Engineers, contractors, and architects in a highly cross functional environment to ensure successful delivery of the new 5G wireless services. Network transport slice is valued over $10M. Program delivery includes integration of software, hardware, firmware, upgrades, migrations

Using technical and engineering background as well as an organized, collaborative, and structured approach to managing people, project ambiguity, complexity, and interdependencies across systems/teams; strong written and verbal communication skills

Successfully works with executive sponsors and project teams to arrive at the deliverables and work efforts, determine scheduling, financial forecasting, manage change requests, brainstorming risk mitigations, issue resolution to achieve project success and completion

Negotiates performance requirements with national level stakeholders to obtain agreement, standardize enterprise equipment in support of national strategic acquisition plans

Led cross-functional stakeholder teams to ensure timely delivery of API architectures, aligning technical requirements with business objectives and consistently meeting critical project milestones

Works with market cross-functional departments (Sales Engineering, Outside Plant (OSP), Inside Plant (ISP), Architecture teams, site acquisition, network transport, RF engineering, construction, and accounting) and peers managing development of other markets to identify and share best practices

Develops KPI metrics and market trend reports to brief key leadership on status of program costs, impact, feasibility, issues, and status of project development and implementation. Utilizes KPIs to provide alternatives and recommendation and alternatives to leadership

Enforces security standards for 5G program by ensuring security requirements developed and implemented including fixed and mobile telecom services, RF, Cloud management, NG9-1-1 and legacy 9-1-1 services

Assess and identify program dependencies or blockers/resource issues and review with the key stakeholders- drive change management and drive continuous improvement in procurement governance processes

Cultivates strong cross-functional stakeholder relationships with IT, security teams, other internal business partners, outside vendors, and executive teams

Utilizing Google Smart sheets, Organized content to manage and produce content for executive reporting, to include feedback of overall volume of work and issues

Conducts and reviews site surveys and conducts meetings with field teams to ensure projects meet the commitment dates

Development Life Cycle (SDLC); Waterfall and Agile approaches utilized throughout the 5G program

Delivery of projects including cloud services, API management, and network infrastructure builds including Azure and Amazon Cloud (AWS)

Collabera (Contract for Charter Communications) Englewood, CO

Technical Delivery Manager (Hybrid) 5/2019 2/2020

Program manager- oversees strategic and technical program management and delivery in an advanced engineering lab environment. Focus of the program is concentrated on proof of concept, research & development for software, firmware, and hardware projects

Program delivery for 5G wireless deliverables by prioritizing projects and issues, following corporate prioritization and TDLC methodology

Enforces development and delivery of architecture of security standards for 5G program by ensuring security requirements developed and implemented including network build, Wifi, and RF network testing and implementations. Program valued at 20M.

Successfully delivered 2 projects worth $450,000+ in annual revenue, making an immediate impact within the organization

Uses direct knowledge about technical areas to research, plan, communicate, and achieve objectives through project team

Generates, maintains, and updates project schedule, budgets, and presentations to keep teams on track and leadership updated on project status

Works cross functionally with a multitude of key stakeholders including engineering, outside plant (OSP), lab test teams, and outside vendors, in cross functional environment on new products, feature enhancements, security scans and upgrades, and strategic initiatives. The environment is blended with agile and waterfall methodologies, and projects are both hardware and software based

Stakeholder management to include internal and external stakeholders to ensure forward progression of project deliverables- increasing project success. Customer experience KPIs tracked and reported

Negotiates with department managers in regards to the support of appropriate personnel needed to ensure project continuity through completion

Assess and implement risk management to mitigate schedule impacts- reduced project risk by 75%

Present, participate, and run meetings including executive management and cross functional teams to ensure program estimations, budget, sizing, and requirements are completed. 2 successful medium size programs delivered on time and within budget.

Verizon Wireless Alpharetta, GA/Westlake, TX

Engineer & Project Manager Network Operations 6/2009 12/2018

Managed and delivered over 200 projects in varying size at Southlake/Westlake (TX) Lab, closely replicating the Production Network to test new software, patches, network analysis and testing (Wi-Fi and fixed), RF testing and implementation, router and switch implementations and upgrades, 9-1-1 service programs, and fiber outage scenarios for further root cause analysis

Created and maintained project schedules, budgets, and presentations of programs valued at over 100M

Conducts on-site surveys and attends required field meetings to ensure projects meet the delivery/ commitment dates identified

Small cell and spider web emergency services programs were completed for B2B clients such as MLB and NFL

B2B project delivery included compiling client requirements RFI & RFP submissions, negotiations, contracts, conducting reviews, meeting with external stakeholder teams for status and next steps, site surveys, gathering required permits, construction tracking, risk assessment and mitigation, customer satisfaction tracking and KPI analysis and many additional project objective tasks as required

Managed approximately 1500 security configuration implementations as an engineer and project manager during the years working for Verizon requirements determinations and reviews, working with cross functional teams, configuration management, change management, and deployment across the entire Verizon network was completed

Secured key stakeholder s commitment for the initiative, implementation and gained commitment from multiple cross functional teams to ensure successful outcome for project deliverables on time, within scope and budget

Coordinate access to customer and network points of presence for fiber splicing and testing ahead of cutovers and management of OSP resources to expedite the splicing and testing of fiber optic OSP facilities including DWDM and SONET

Manage ongoing relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure forward progression of project deliverables- increasing project success

Customer experience KPIs and market trend analysis tracked and reported weekly, monthly, and quarterly

Meet with leadership to communicate vendor risk reporting to ensure supplier risk management program elements meet program requirements and expectations so company deliverables can be met

Negotiated with department managers in regards to the support of appropriate personnel needed to ensure project continuity through completion

Partnered with internal stakeholders to ensure development of the most cost-efficient project plan and to meet/exceed customer expectations and KPIs

Confluence site admin. Created, maintained, and used site for team to monitor network events and resolutions.

Maintained $250M in network assets daily with zero service outages. Supervised daily operations serving ~4 million people daily across the nation, with a focus on the GA/AL region using Site Tracker

Forward thinking- training completed in design thinking to continue education and better enable program delivery concepts to ensure customer approval

Lead project resource on numerous installations, testing and troubleshooting of service provider-level transmission facilities valued at over $100 Million

Military Service

United States Air Force Honolulu, HI

Network/System Admin/Project Lead 4/2003-1/2007

Project lead for the Global Command and Control (GCCS) and Theatre Battle Management Systems (TBMCS) classified test lab builds valued at 2M ensuring mission success

Equipment procurement, resource allocation, site survey, budget management, fiber management, managing the schedules of DoD contractors, vendors, and military resources including project schedules, budgets, and site builds

Utilized analysis of alternatives (AoA) process to compare cost, risk, options, and effectiveness to identify and address gaps in operational capabilities for projects

Lab environment was set up successfully and was used to test services across the globe for communications in battle management systems as well as conduct classified training operations

Security configurations were completed and tested daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually as ongoing system maintenance and testing requirements by DOD specified

Project lead for server upgrades and network builds completed annually. Budget, scheduling, and tracking of equipment procurement as well as deployment completion. Progress status reports weekly to senior leadership and monthly to additional stakeholders

Automated Data Processing Equipment Custodian (ADPE)- reduced equipment losses by 60%. Equipment valuation of 15M

President of Airmen Against Drunk Driving (AADD)- managed scheduling of 200+ volunteer resources across 4 branches of service to ensure availability of services during operating hours. Grew the program to include support of additional services provided and procured secure location for volunteers during operating hours as well as gained volunteers from 3 additional branches of service

Lead volunteer resource for the USO and Junior Achievement programs. Coordinated various fund-raising activities, support services, and program schedules

Technical and Professional Skills

KPI

Resource Management

SOW

Change management

Slack

Confluence

Analytics

Strategy

Strategic Partnerships

Asana

Risk management

Agile/waterfall

Jira

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Visio

Smartsheets

Negotiation Skills

Figma

Vendor Management

Mentoring and Training

System Deployment

Site Tracker

Scope management

SOW creation

WBS

Budget/purchase orders

Server migrations/systems integrations

APIs

Adaptability and flexibility

User empathy

B2B

CHALK

Google Suite

SaaS

PowerPoint

IP Core

Microsoft Suite/ MS Outlook

Root cause analysis

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