AFKAR RAFIQUE
Morrisville,NC
Summary
Experienced Director of Engineering with 15+ years of expertise in firmware and hardware development, specializing in data acquisition and process control. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, drive innovation, and oversee end-to-end product lifecycle management. Adept at aligning engineering strategies with business objectives to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product reliability.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Engineering, Firmware/Hardware
Sensus Inc. a Xylem brand
04.2024 - Current
- Lead and managed the Xylem's Digital solution hardware portfolio unifying the hardware and firmware engineering teams whose products provide the data for our drinking and wastewater solutions
- Provide technical and engineering support for Xylem's other water segment products
- Lead, mentor, and manage managers and teams of hardware and firmware engineers, providing guidance, support, and mentorship to foster a high-performing and collaborative environment
- Identify potential risks and challenges in hardware and firmware development projects, develop mitigation strategies, and proactively address issues to minimize impact on project timelines and deliverables
- Communicate effectively with executive management, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to provide project updates, status reports, and strategic recommendations
- Manage the end-to-end product lifecycle of our offerings, including new feature ideation, redesign needs, and End-of-Life (EOL) of components
- Work closely with other departments, such as product management, software engineering, and quality assurance, to ensure seamless integration of firmware and hardware solutions into overall product offerings
- CPGs and alignment of team and personal goals
- Ensure the quality and reliability of hardware and firmware products through thorough testing, validation, and compliance with industry standards and regulations
- Develop and manage the team's budget, allocate resources effectively, and optimize resource utilization to meet project deadlines and deliverables
- Work closely with the product management team to plan and execute roadmap development for hardware and firmware for Digital Solutions
- Develop and execute strategic plans for hardware and firmware development, aligning with the company's overall objectives and growth targets
- Ensure all necessary domain knowledge resides within the team
- Develop a hiring plan, execute hiring and firing decisions
- Provides product and solution training to both internal and external stakeholders
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives in hardware and firmware development processes, methodologies, and workflows to enhance productivity, efficiency, and quality outcomes
Director of Engineering, Firmware/Hardware
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
04.2022 - 04.2024
- Lead, mentor, and manage managers and teams of hardware and firmware engineers, providing guidance, support, and mentorship to foster a high-performing and collaborative environment
- Identify potential risks and challenges in hardware and firmware development projects, develop mitigation strategies, and proactively address issues to minimize impact on project timelines and deliverables
- Communicate effectively with executive management, stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to provide project updates, status reports, and strategic recommendations
- Manage the end-to-end product lifecycle of our offerings, including new feature ideation, redesign needs, and End-of-Life (EOL) of components
- Work closely with other departments, such as product management, software engineering, and quality assurance, to ensure seamless integration of firmware and hardware solutions into overall product offerings
- CPGs and alignment of team and personal goals
- Ensure the quality and reliability of hardware and firmware products through thorough testing, validation, and compliance with industry standards and regulations
- Develop and manage the team's budget, allocate resources effectively, and optimize resource utilization to meet project deadlines and deliverables
- Work closely with the product management team to plan and execute roadmap development for hardware and firmware for Digital Solutions
- Develop and execute strategic plans for hardware and firmware development, aligning with the company's overall objectives and growth targets
- Ensure all necessary domain knowledge resides within the team
- Develop a hiring plan, execute hiring and firing decisions
- Provides product and solution training to both internal and external stakeholders
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives in hardware and firmware development processes, methodologies, and workflows to enhance productivity, efficiency, and quality outcomes
Engineering Manager, Firmware/Hardware (Interim)
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
12.2021 - 03.2022
- Lead, mentor, and manage a team of hardware and firmware engineers
- CPGs and alignment of team and personal goals
- Ensure all necessary domain knowledge resides within the team
- Develop a hiring plan, execute hiring and firing decisions
- Define quarterly OKRs for hardware & firmware
- Work closely with DIS software engineering team & support them whenever required
- Develop and execute against team's budget
- Ensure alignment among DIS Engineering internal clients (Product Management, Delivery, Sales, etc.) on current and ongoing priorities and clearly communicate them internally and externally
- Support manufacturing and product needs
- Support the Practice and Partnerships team in enhancing the impact of DIS
- Support Business Development in technical review of proposals
- Support the VP of Engineering with other initiatives as needed
- Manages end of life process for legacy technologies
- Delivers presentations to executive management
Lead Firmware Engineer
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
04.2017 - 11.2021
- Develop, mentor, and manage the firmware team
- Responsible for the timely development, testing and successful delivery of the firmware roadmap
- Lead a team of firmware engineers, GUI designer and system test engineer
- To maintain and document the software programs and resolutions given for the technical issues
- Coordinate with the Software team and product manager and provide design input to help inform roadmap decisions where required
- The firmware team is geographically diverse, so I must keep the software development processes and collaboration tools up to date to ensure efficient operation of the firmware team
- Remote support of field teams during deployment and maintenance activities
R&D Engineer
Aztech Technologies Pte Ltd, Singapore
06.2015 - 03.2017
- Design, develop and troubleshoot embedded firmware for routers and other networking products
- Responsible for design and execution of wireless lighting control system for Housing & Development Board, Singapore
- Provide support to hardware team and factory on firmware issues
- Worked directly with customers, sales, and support organizations to ensure products meet business demands
- Integrate new functionalities to existing firmware code based
- Review code and design
Software Engineer
Toshiba Software India Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore
04.2014 - 05.2015
- Designing and writing the embedded software code according to desired specifications
- Firmware development for embedded platforms and peripheral devices
- Worked in Embedded, wireless Communication
- Software development and Validation
- NFC Middle-ware stack development with LibNFC and Libnfc-NCI
- Analyze, monitor, and improve efficiency and stability of the system
Technical Specialist Embedded Software
3i-Corporation, Bangalore
10.2011 - 03.2014
- Design of firmware/validation for Security domain, gateway, data concentrator and IP/GSM/Wi-Fi Gateway
- Analyze the project and participate in multi-way discussions with hardware designers and server-side
- Interface with hardware design and development
- Board brings up
- Improve system efficiency and stability after development
- Designed & developed the Test JIG tool to evaluate different products after production
Education
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
V.T.U
BangaloreSkills
- Engineering leadership
- Embedded Systems Design
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Resource allocation optimization
- Regulatory compliance
- Team structure management
- Strategic planning
- Roadmap design
- Budgeting support
- Technical leadership
Personal Information
- Father's Name: Late Md. Rafique Islahi
- Date of Birth: 03/01/89
- Gender: Male
- Nationality: Indian
- Marital Status: Married
Awards
- Xylem Silver Spot Award, Received the Xylem Silver Spot Award for contributing to the successful completion of product regulatory certification, which ensured compliance and bolstered market readiness for new products.
- Employee Recognition Award, Received the 3i Corporation Employee Recognition Award for consistently delivering high-quality projects, which underscored dedication and positively impacted team success and the company's reputation.
Timeline
Director of Engineering, Firmware/Hardware
Sensus Inc. a Xylem brand
04.2024 - Current
Director of Engineering, Firmware/Hardware
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
04.2022 - 04.2024
Engineering Manager, Firmware/Hardware (Interim)
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
12.2021 - 03.2022
Lead Firmware Engineer
Xylem Water Solutions Singapore Pte Ltd
04.2017 - 11.2021
R&D Engineer
Aztech Technologies Pte Ltd, Singapore
06.2015 - 03.2017
Software Engineer
Toshiba Software India Pvt. Ltd, Bangalore
04.2014 - 05.2015
Technical Specialist Embedded Software
3i-Corporation, Bangalore
10.2011 - 03.2014
Bachelor of Engineering - Electronics & Communication
V.T.U
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