Albert McGovern

Albert McGovern

Engineering Executive / VP / Director Passionate about New Product Development and Building / Mentoring People

Greater Chicago Area

Past
  • Senior Engineer at Sunbeam Corporation
  • Senior Project Engineer/CAD System Manager at Branson Ultrasonics
  • Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Norden Systems (Now part of Northrop Grumman)
Education
  • University of Bridgeport
  • Columbia University - Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
Connections
390 connections
Industry
Design
Websites

Albert McGovern’s Summary

Results-oriented, process-driven Engineering Executive with demonstrated success in uncovering industry needs, devising strategic and tactical plans, and designing products with a “voice of the customer” focus which move organizations forward and contribute to enhanced revenues. Proven experience in devising and executing internal / external process improvements, forecasting industry trends and financial ROI, and maintaining a balance between company goals and customer requirements. Innate ability to guide companies in gaining a competitive edge in current and exploring markets through creativity and innovation.

Recognized as an expert in new product development, existing product customization and cost reduction, product support, engineering management, rapid / visual prototyping, design for manufacturability and design for assembly (DFM / DFA), and sustaining / value engineering. Extensive experience with plastic part design, custom material formulations and production processes and tooling for injection, blow molding, extrusion, thermoforming, rotational molding and compression molding; knowledgeable in electronics packaging, and metal manufacturing and finishing processes for harsh environments. Reputation as a passionate, honest, integrity-driven, empowering team leader utilizing a holistic approach for building, leading and motivating creative development teams to design innovative products that meet demanding requirements. Held Secret and Top Secret DoD security clearances; worked on Special Access Programs.

I have a passion for working with and developing people, especially gathering and leading them to improve themselves and "to build a better mousetrap".
Naperville, IL ( Chicago Suburb )

Albert McGovern’s Specialties:

•New Product Development
•Research & Development
•Program / Project Management
•Plastic / Composite Part Design and Process
•Rapid / Virtual Prototyping/CAE Simulation Tools
•Production Support / Cost Reduction
•Executive-Level Strategic Planning / Risk Management
•Mentoring Personnel / Developing Leaders
•Financial / Operations / Change Management
•Patent / IP Knowledge
•Telecom & Military Standards Compliance


Albert McGovern’s Experience

  • VP Operations

    Bjorksten | bit 7 (formerly BIT7)

    (Design industry)

    June 2008June 2009 (1 year 1 month)

    Selected to direct and execute strategies to increase billable hour rate, incorporate process improvements, and develop organizational structure to increase technical consulting revenues, standardize procedures, and garner staff buy-in to corporate mission. Provided guidance and mentoring to staff of 30+ engineers, industrial designers, researchers, scientists, and technicians. Actively engaged clients to determine effectiveness of business-building initiatives. Provided ongoing reports to the executive management team on project and process improvement status.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Reduced proposal turnaround time approximately 25%, increased communications between sales and project teams, and garnered insight / buy-in from management by devising and implementing improvements to Proposal and Project Management processes.
    •Improved estimate accuracy 15% and reduced overhead 66% by incorporating a comprehensive project tracking system.
    •Developed written position descriptions and initiated brief, effective one-on-one weekly project reviews to ensure accountability of project managers, track projects against goals and key deliverables, and maintain consistent view of project status.
    •Doubled number of completed client evaluation forms, which produced feedback that drove further process improvements.

    Good company, with talented "cats"!

  • Engineering Director

    Charles Industries

    (Privately Held; Telecommunications industry)

    September 2003April 2008 (4 years 8 months)

    Recruited to rebuild the OSP Engineering team and drive company revenues by formulating effective design and manufacturing processes, identifying technology trends, and forecasting future business and resource needs by analyzing competitive landscape to meet market demands. Estimated costs, development time, tooling investment, and ROI to determine feasibility and profitability of projects. Oversaw design, inventory management, build, and testing of new products. Developed budgets / schedules / product roadmaps, staffed product development projects at appropriate levels to meet technical requirements timelines, and kept project teams on task. Provided field support to sales team at customer sites. Primary contact with Telcordia and RDUP regulatory agencies.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Developed 5 totally new OSP product families over 4 years, which produced almost $45 million in revenue and $22 million in profit.
    •Generated $37 million in revenue and $20 million in profit in first 2.5 years after introduction for the CFDP2 Fiber Optic Pedestal product line by ensuring design team met very aggressive program cost and timing goals. Was most profitable and successful product in 40+ years of company existence (84% profit margin).
    •Saved $350,000, reduced production time 75%, slashed production downtime 50%, and doubled yield for CFDP2 molds by outsourcing mold build to China.
    •Contributed OSP and large plastic part design technical expertise to design of new CP2 Distribution Pedestal product, which ensured first-time compliance to industry specifications and accounted for $6 million in revenue and $2 million in profit.
    •Led Engineering effort for AdrenaLine ADSL Rate and Reach Extender product, coordinating all technical activities, including initial lab testing with EEs, outside compliance testing, obtaining feedback from early adopters, and participating in early field trials, resulting in approval at several IOCS and revenues of $1 million.

  • Engineering Director

    Marconi Communications/RELTEC Corp (Now Emerson Network Power)

    (Public Company; MONI; Telecommunications industry)

    19972003 (6 years )

    Selected to serve as a proactive thought leader and engineering expert, tasked with managing numerous large scale product design / development programs and overseeing work efforts of 16 engineers in 1 domestic and 2 international locations (Mexico City / China). Staffed projects effectively to ensure adherence to schedule and cost targets. Forecasted resource and tool capability growth ahead of needs, and prepared organization for next technical onslaught by remaining current on trends and garnering “voice of the customer” input. Developed/administered $4 million annual budget.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Instrumental in producing $100 million in revenue and $35 million in profits over a five-year timeframe.
    •Submitted and achieved 5 issued patents and 4 published US and International patents during employment tenure.
    •Contributed to achieving $40 million in sales revenue and $15 million in profit, saved $1.3 million by outsourcing mold building to Taiwan, and displaced competitor’s product by leading hugely successful ProFORM 2 Distribution Pedestal program ($2.7M mold program), which encompassed coordinating proprietary plastic material formulation and regulatory certification to yield a product with below market pricing.
    •Conceptualized, co-invented, garnered approval, and deployed the MXONU Vented Pedestal product for BellSouth that uniquely satisfied requirement for effective passive cooling of overheating electronic equipment, which generated $14 million in revenues and $5 million in profits on a $100,000 investment, and preserved a key market for the company.
    •Drove completion of robust and unique URLS connector program, which enabled successful domestic and international deployment and produced revenues of $5 million and profits of $2 million.
    •Spearheaded Modular MDF framework, cabling design, and installation effort in support of British Telecom (BT) planned £500M Central Office (CO) consolidation effort in London over a two-year period.

  • Senior Engineer

    Sunbeam Corporation

    (Telecommunications industry)

    19951997 (2 years )

    Enlisted to incorporate visual design tools and rapid prototyping methodologies to increase efficiency of engineers and decrease time to market for products as part of a newly rebuilt team in the McMinnville manufacturing facility. Selected as ProENGINEER Super User and System Administrator.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Designed and delivered first new personal trimmer product line in five years into full commercialization within 13 months, utilizing design for manufacturing and design for assembly principles to enable use of first LEAN manufacturing work cell implementation at facility.
    •Incorporated ergonomic features in unique product styling, which resulted in issuance of a US Design Patent.

    Loved working here, but position was eliminated as part of restructuring by new CEO (Al Dunlap) .

  • Senior Project Engineer/CAD System Manager

    Branson Ultrasonics

    (Public Company; Plastics industry)

    September 1994May 1995 (9 months)

    Conducted and led mechanical design initiatives for new plastic front bezel and touch panel assembly for next generation ultrasonic welding equipment controller / power supply unit. Managed all project phases, including scope, timelines, deliverables, and testing requirements.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Spearheaded first-ever use of 3D customer data for downstream analysis by replacing Cadra 2D CAD with ProENGINEER 3D CAD.

    Great place to work, was recruited away by Sunbeam.

  • Senior Mechanical Design Engineer

    Norden Systems (Now part of Northrop Grumman)

    (Defense & Space industry)

    June 1984August 1994 (10 years 3 months)

    Tasked with directing and executing the mechanical development of electronic systems for utilization in airborne radar and ground-based military equipment for Secret, Top Secret, and Special Access Programs. Handled all mechanical project and program management functions and performed mechanical engineering and design tasks, in addition to managing other engineers, designers, drafters and contractors. Identified and implemented systems to improve development cycles while complying with military standards.

    Selected accomplishments:
    •Pioneered use of ProENGINEER 3D CAD and rapid prototyping, which reduced overall product mechanical design and development cycle by 25% with some parts reaching 50+%.
    •Designed first plastic parts used in Norden electronics systems, resulting in 90% cost reduction versus existing metallic assembly.
    •Researched and proposed novel uses of advanced composite materials for high heat dissipating electronics chassis
    •Researched novel rapid prototype methods, including plating and 3D metal printing (at MIT) to identify best method for creating rapid prototype waveguide shapes with electrical transmission properties similar to aluminum.

    I learned from some of the best mentors, engineers and operations people in the business. I left to challenge myself outside of the large comfort zone Norden represented at that time in my life.


Albert McGovern’s Education

  • University of Bridgeport

    MS , Management Engineering , 19741986

  • Columbia University - Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science

    BS , Mechanical Engineering

    Learned from some of the world-recognized leaders in Mechanical Engineering in the classroom, and also learned many life lessons from life-long friends outside the classroom in The Big Apple. Was a member of the best Freshman Football team in over 15 years, and the best since then. Go Lions!

    Activities and Societies:
    Activities and Societies: Freshman Football, Varsity Football (sophomore and junior years), Track Team (junior and senior year)

Additional Information

Albert McGovern’s Websites:

Albert McGovern’s Interests:

Playing the drums Leadership seminars and books Public speaking, Master of Ceremony duties Digital photography, still and video, and video editing for DVD Giving back to the community, the church and those in need as a way to say thanks for the gifts I've been given.

Albert McGovern’s Groups:

Six Sigma Green Belt Trained • Chicago Deming Association – Six Sigma Masters Program, Naperville, IL
SPE Product Design & Development Division, Board of Directors, Newsletter Editor
ASME, Member
PDMA, Member
Past President,Concerned Parents Association (non-profit, non-stock corporation and PAC in CT
Past volunteer Emergency Medical Technician (14 years)--helped deliver a baby girl!

  •    CareerLink Network
  •    Executive Suite
  •    Helping Friends Career Network (LI2HF)
  •    Linked n Chicago
  •    Telecom Professionals
  •    The Convergence Technology Council
  •    Personal Branding Network
  •    Indeed.com
  •    Community of Plastics Professionals
  •    ChicagoLand ExecuNet
  •    Chicago Technology Network
  •    Columbia University Alumni Network
  •    MyCredentials - Career Presentation
  •    University of Bridgeport Alumni Association
  •    Defense & Aerospace
  •    DEFENSE AND AEROSPACE CONNECTIONS
  •    The Talent Buzz
  •    Pro/E , Pro/ Engineer Users of America
  •    Bridgestar: an initiative of the Bridgespan Group
  •    CAE professionals
  •    Plastics, Elastomers and Rubber
  •    United Technologies Alumni & Employees (UTC-UTX)
  •    RELTEC Alumni
  •    Society of Plastics Engineers, Inc.
  •    Lean Factory
  •    Career Rocketeer | Career Launch Network
  •    SPE Chicago
  •    Job Search Help
  •    A Job Needed - A Job Posted
  •    IMPACT Hiring Solutions Job Search Network
  •    JobAngels
  •    Community Career Center
  •    Career Change Central
  •    Project: Get Hired!!
  •    Looking for a job?
  •    JobsDirectUSA
  •    Jobs Alert
  •    Engineering Management & Leadership Association (Chicago/Illinois)
  •    Star:Candidate for Hire
  •    The Job Hunter Group
  •    Linked Local West Suburban CHICAGO
  •    IVY GROUPS - The Professional Network for Ivy League Alumni
  •    IVY GROUPS: Architecture, Engineering & Construction
  •    IVY GROUPS: Computer, Internet & Telecommunications
  •    IVY GROUPS: Design
  •    IVY GROUPS: Management Consulting & Professional Services
  •    Columbia University Alumni Subgroup - Chicago
  •    Just Engineering Jobs
  •    Star:Candidate - $100K+ Executives for Hire
  •    White House
  •    Norden Systems

Albert McGovern’s Honors:

US Patents: 6 Issued, 4 Published
Author - "Using Rigid-Flex PC Boards in an Airborne Radar System" (two-part article), Connection Technology (TM) magazine, August and October, 1991
Co-author, "Rapid Prototyping Pilot for an Electronics Chassis", included in the Proceedings for the 1993 American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International Electronics Packaging Conference
Author / Presenter, "Using Pro/ENGINEER Software in the Design and Documentation of Injection Molded Plastic Parts” at 1998 Society for the Plastics Industry (SPI) Applied Plastic Technology & Design Conference. Presentation is included in the Proceedings for this conference.
Held DoD Secret and Top Secret Clearances; worked on Special Access Programs.
Presented with the key to Town of Prospect, CT for service to the community.


Albert McGovern’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

  • career opportunities
  • consulting offers
  • new ventures
  • job inquiries
  • expertise requests
  • business deals
  • reference requests
  • getting back in touch

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