ENGINEER AT HEART
At a first glance, my resume looks somewhat non-linear. Here is what keeps it all together:
- I am an engineer at heart, and I love to ‘make things work’
- I am curious, I love to learn and embrace change
- I have a passion for great products and solutions
Software Development
I have broad experience in the development of software, firmware and FPGAs. This is what I started my career with, and I have never stopped tinkering with software, be it part of the job or as a hobby. My recent career moves are an expression of my re-ignited passion for hands-on software development.
Hardware Development
I have delivered dozens of hardware products in mostly managerial roles. I have made significant contributions to product concepts and system architecture, developed excellent skills for estimating costs in early stages, and I have gained deep knowledge of far-east manufacturing and quality control. The skills I have acquired here have broadened my horizon in many ways, and I would never want to miss that.
Leadership Roles
My career has progressed from individual contributor roles via team lead roles to top management. Here I have learned valuable lessons about the economic requirements of a company, and working with people. But ultimately this is not where my passion is, which sparked my decision to return to performing tangible work.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Bertram Solutions |
Kirkland, Washington, 2011 – Present |
CEO, Investment Adviser Representative
Progressed from experimental software development to starting a Registered Investment Adviser firm, offering sophisticated automated investment solutions to retail clients.
- Registered Investment Adviser
- Manage all aspects of a registered investment adviser firm
- Development of automated investment strategies
- Software development in EasyLanguage, C#, C++, and Perl using MultiCharts, NinjaTrader, LEAN, and other platforms.
Bertram Enterprises |
Kirkland, Washington, 02/2016 – 03/2017 |
CTO, owner
Part-time contract development of software for industrial applications.
- Application development
- Development in C/ C++ and JavaScript, using Visual Studio, Xcode and Qt Creator, targeting Windows and Mac OS X
- Technologies include multi-threading, real-time, and network sockets
- Design and implementation of build environment
- Based on Jenkins, the build server launches virtual machines for various build environments.
- Design and implementation of regression environment
- Based on Jenkins, the test server launches virtual machines for various test platforms and communicates with a dedicated hardware environment
Native Instruments |
Berlin, Germany, 11/2013 – 02/2016 |
Vice President Engineering
Lead global hardware and software development team to deliver world-class premium products. Instrumental in reaching a new level of professionalism from planning via execution to delivery of deeply integrated hardware and software systems.
- Established hardware processes
- Formalized process to improve tracking to schedule and risk management
- Release processes including ECOs, deviation waivers and CARs
- Cost-estimation methods to allow early cost vs. feature trade-offs
- Established OEM development processes
- Developed guidelines to clearly assign roles and responsibilities, and empower 3rd parties without losing control
- Adopted agile software methods
- Improve task-orientation, prioritization and awareness of all team activities
- Define roles of disciplinary and technical leaderships
- Managed cross-functional R&D team
- Total team size about 100 in engineering and QA
Audyssey Laboratories |
Los Angeles, California, 08/2010 – 11/2012 |
Vice President, Hardware Engineering and Global Operations
Instrumental in expanding the company’s scope from a pure licensing business into a consumer-electronics product company. Delivered highly regarded premium products. Established processes and infrastructure from ground-up and implemented innovative QA methodologies for global manufacturing operations.
- Established processes
- Formalized NPI process to improve tracking to schedule and risk management
- Release processes including ECOs, deviation waivers and CARs
- Introduced infrastructure
- Global logistics including 3PLs, freight-forwarders and international RMAs
- Engineering database to manage components and BOMs, to improve cost consciousness and accuracy of early estimates, to improve leverage when negotiating cost with suppliers
- Re-defined inter-departmental touch points
- Tight interaction between Operations and Sales to reduce inventory and improve lead times
- Tight interaction between Engineering and Product Management for the benefit of more successful products
- Managed cross-functional team
- Introduced agile methods to improve task-orientation, prioritization and awareness of all team activities
- Focused team on core competencies, outsourced non value-add activities to 3rd parties
- Total team size 15, including 6 in Engineering, 6 in Operations and 3 in QA
Avid Technology
|
Irwindale, California, 06/2007 – 08/2010 |
Director, Hardware Development
Served as multi-disciplined engineering manager for M-Audio and Digidesign-branded product development. Delivered aggressively-priced quality products on fast-paced schedules and drove continuous improvement of program execution and cost reductions. Advanced products for prosumer customers.
- Managed delivery of several dozen products
- Active involvement to solve complex technical or operational problems
- Made countless tangible improvements to processes, work-flows, productivity and quality
- Re-use of solutions, platform development and sharing of results
- Cost consciousness, cost control and accuracy of early engineering estimates
- Document control and traceability
- Development and release processes
- Product definition and interaction between Product Management and Engineering
- Risk management and delivery to schedule
- Production-line QA procedures
- Integrated M-Audio HW Engineering team into Avid
- Re-defined touch-points to purchasing, manufacturing engineering, Operations and QA
- Managed cross-functional team
- Total team size up to 29, including 11 EEs, 8 firmware developers, 4 PCB designers, lab technicians, mechanical engineers and industrial designers
- Team distributed across multiple sites in California, Florida, Germany and home offices
- Mentoring staff on technical issues
- Focused team on core competencies, outsourced non-value add activities to partners in Asia
Apple Computer
|
Rellingen, Germany, 07/2002 – 07/2006 |
Chief Hardware Architect, shareholder
Innovation to the max with new-to-the-world products and features that set the standard for the industry. Progressed from technical to leadership roles as Emagic tripled in size. Company was acquired by Apple in 2002.
- Contributed significantly to company’s success
- Joined the company when it had 35 employees and US$ 6 million in sales
- Convinced the founders of the feasibility to enter the hardware business
- Championed the company’s first activities in hardware development
- Accepted offer to become shareholder in 1997
- Further contributed to the company’s growth to 120 employees and US$ 18 million in sales
- Key developer of peripherals for professional music production, most importantly Audiowerk8 and EMI 2|6
- Designed system architecture, including hardware, firmware and drivers
- Implemented audio data processing in FPGAs
- Owned definition of all processes relevant to development, manufacturing and QA
- Evaluated and contracted manufacturers in Europe
- Continuously improved cost structure
- Brought products to market, with up to 45,000 units sold
- Key developer of Logic Audio, a software suite for professional music production
- Led the development of the Windows-version of the software
- Developed software architecture for real-time audio processing
Trenz Electronic |
Bünde, Germany, 10/1999 – 06/2002 |
Intellectual Property Manager, shareholder
Drove expansion into ready-to-use intellectual property products for FPGA and ASIC implementation, in order to augment and accelerate contract development services. Tight, collaborative team. High-tech industry customers.
- Created complex Intellectual Property
- USB function controller
- 8051 processor
- Support material, application notes, sample designs
- Defined business model for IP
- Created and managed customer relationships
- Acquired customers based in Europe and Far East
- Liaised with and supported customers through design-in phases
- Completed numerous projects to develop custom solutions for high-tech industry customers
Philips Semiconductors |
Hamburg, Germany, 07/1993 – 07/1995 |
Project Lead Driver and Verification Software
I learned invaluable lessons here about development cycles, stakeholder satisfaction and participation, and defining roles and responsibilities. This is also where I learned about the need for thorough validation and the cost of oversights, mistakes or failures.
- Developed software platform for ASIC validation
- Enabled first-silicon validation of ASICs for desktop video applications
- Used by FAEs to demonstrate chip capabilities to customers
EDUCATION
MBA |
Hamburg, Germany, 2005 – 2008 |
Graduated from Europäische Fernhochschule, Hamburg.
MSEE |
Hamburg, Germany, 1990 – 1993 |
Graduated from Technische Universität Braunschweig (BSEE) and Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg (MSEE) with strong emphasis on computer science, signal processing and image processing.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Authorized to work for any employer in the US and Europe
- Able to do business in both English and German, and travel internationally
- References and compensation history upon request