Rob Knowles

 

6902-403 Cameron Crest Circle Raleigh, North Carolina  27613

(919) 782-4090 rob@robknowles.net

 

OBJECTIVE

 

Network Engineering Manager or Senior Network Engineer position where proven leadership ability, strong project management experience, and problem solving expertise will create customer satisfaction, strong customer relationships, and increased sales.

 

SUMMARY

 

Over 15 years experience in the telecommunications field, with a concentration on network design.  Considerable experience in team leader or manager roles.  Extensive experience dealing with RBOC, IXC, IOC, national, and emerging markets.  Excellent managerial, communication, project management, proposal response, and training skills. Very experienced at working with customers directly and building customer relationships.

 

TECHNICAL SKILLS

 

Network Design Experience:	SONET, DWDM, ADSL, NGDLC, cross-connect systems, channel banks, CSU, IAD
Additional Training:	Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, TCP/IP, ATM, RF/Microwave, CDMA, xDSL, LAN/WAN, VoIP, ISDN (Basic and Primary) and Frame Relay technologies.
Licenses/Certifications	General Class Amateur Radio License

 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

 

MILLENNIUM NETWORKS, Raleigh, North Carolina and Perris, California               2002 - Present 

 

Independent Sales Agent

Initiate customer sales contacts, and plan and design their telecommunications networks.

 

ALCATEL USA, Raleigh, North Carolina and Plano, Texas                                               1991 – 2002

 

Manager, Optical Network Engineering Team  (1999 – 2002)

Led the engineering team responsible for network design, post-sales engineering support, and all proposals, RFP’s, RFQ’s, and RFI’s for all of Alcatel’s accounts.

·          Led the engineering team responsible for customer network design and engineering support for networks and equipment valued at over $200 million annually.

·          Excelled at establishing lasting professional relationships with customer engineers, resulting in strong customer preference and extremely high customer retention.

·          Successfully merged the engineering support of a new product into group and cross-trained engineers after company acquisition of a start-up.

·          Managed transition of engineering team from Raleigh, North Carolina to Plano, Texas, running the former Raleigh operations for four months in transition while maintaining excellent customer service.

·          Developed and delivered classroom and on-the-job training programs to cross-train engineering team on products from both Raleigh and Plano.

·          Led the team that automated key parts of the proposal process, significantly increasing useful proposal content while sharply decreasing process time.

·          Built and maintained strong and lasting relationships with other departments and teams, ensuring the team received the information necessary in a timely manner.

 

Team Leader, Network Engineering Team  (1998 – 1999)

Led the engineering team responsible for optical and local loop network design and for all proposals, RFP’s, RFQ’s, and RFI’s for all customer accounts.

·          Led the engineering team responsible for customer network design and engineering support for networks and equipment totaling over $100 million annually

·          Instituted the SONET and ADSL training programs credited for promoting four new college graduates from the entry-level engineering positions to the next level in less than six months, half the usual time.

·          Successfully led the team that both proposed Bell Atlantic’s extensive ADSL network and supported the resulting project, meeting or exceeding the customer’s demanding in-service schedules.  

·          Promoted to manager within one year after demonstrating outstanding engineering, project management, and managerial skills.

 

 

 

Senior Engineer, Optical Network Engineering Team  (1991 – 1998)

Worked on engineering team responsible for optical and local loop network design and for all proposals, RFP’s, RFQ’s, and RFI’s for all customer accounts.

·          Designed customer networks and provided engineering support for networks and equipment totaling over $50 million annually.

·          Promoted once, then promoted again to Team Leader after demonstrating outstanding engineering, project management, and customer relationship skills.

 

 

VERIZON (formally GTE), Durham, North Carolina                                                           1986 – 1991

 

Senior Engineer, Optical Network Engineering Team

Worked on engineering team responsible for the network design for all Verizon’s network in the South.

·          Responsible for network design and engineering support for networks and equipment totaling over $50 million annually.

·          Promoted once, then promoted again to Lead Engineer for North Carolina.

·          Co-led team that was in charge of designing the optical network backbone for all of Verizon’s central offices in North Carolina, including Research Triangle Park.

·          Provided engineering design and support for large business customers such as IBM, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cree Research.

 

EDUCATION

 

Bachelor of Science, Computer Engineering with emphasis on Telecommunications

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina