David Gray
Woodway,TX
Summary
Professional experience September 1997 – Current Grande Communications, Inc./Astound Broadband San Marcos, TX Grande Communications is a “Texas-based” provider offering Internet, phone, and cable services to residential and enterprise customers in Texas. With a state-of-the-art Class 5 switching network, Grande also provided wholesale network services to top national and competitive telecommunication companies. Seasoned Telecommunications Manager with experience maintaining well-functioning business systems and customer services. Results-driven and diligent in directing and optimizing operations.
Overview
32
32
years of professional experience
Work History
Manager, Voice Engineering
Grande Communications, Inc./Astound Broadband
San Marcos, TX
08.2014 - Current
- Company Overview: Grande Communications is a “Texas-based” provider offering Internet, phone, and cable services to residential and enterprise customers in Texas
- With a state-of-the-art Class 5 switching network, Grande also provided wholesale network services to top national and competitive telecommunication companies
- Provides Technical and Operational leadership to Translations and peer departments in the organization
- Manages and supports all telephony platforms - Genband, Broadsoft, DMS, Metaswitch SS7, and peripheral systems
- Provides support to other teams in the organization for projects and operations of the telephony products and infrastructure
- Leads product development efforts within organization related to telephony products and services
- Supports and plans ongoing transition to all VoIP services and continue to minimize TDM infrastructure
- Manages trouble and roadmap around critical vendors - Broadsoft, Genband, Acme, Arris, Empirix, Metaswitch
- Supports provisioning and trouble related to customers utilizing Grande's services
- Leads Engineering team towards cross training, VoIP evolution, and efficiency solutions
- Reduced International Fraud and lost long distance revenue by working with IT to develop report to identify fraud as it happens
- Researching the fraud and stopping it as it occurred
- Supported the Telephony aspects of two Billing System migrations for Residential and Business Services customers
- Rolled out and ramped up SIP Trunks and Hosted PBX solutions for Enterprise product offerings
- Deployed SIP-enabled HPBX phones at the corporate and subtending offices for Grande
- Migrated classic SIP products to the Broadsoft to prepare for product evolution
- Analyzed CPE usage to help reduce overstock of Innomedia eSBC/PRI Gateways, Audiocodes FXS equipment and Edgewater eSBC equipment
- Researched the feasibility of SIP Least Cost Routing
- Grande Communications is a “Texas-based” provider offering Internet, phone, and cable services to residential and enterprise customers in Texas
- With a state-of-the-art Class 5 switching network, Grande also provided wholesale network services to top national and competitive telecommunication companies
Senior Translations Engineer
Grande Communications, Inc.
San Marcos, Texas
09.2002 - 08.2014
- Provides the highest level of support for all of Grande on issues relating to the Switching and Signaling platforms that support our Network
- Tests and evaluates new products for seamless integration into our existing infrastructure
- Maintains the integrity of the current database tables and sets guidelines for any new translations
- Engineers any new routing schemes to allow new product development for increased sales opportunities
- Develops an environment to ensure the success of Switch Engineering through education, presentations, detailed documentation and the transfer of knowledge to other departments on any new technologies or switching architecture being evaluated
- Subject matter expert for Switching technologies in the network serving as a technical leader for Grande Communications
- Design and create Customer Group Translations including TCAP, Feature, and Line Translations
- Implement and oversee 911 Translations and coordination
- Create and maintain Equal Access Translations
- Provide Trunk Group Engineering to include special Routing and Translations
- Provide support for all internal departments
- Monitor Operational Measurements and Logs
- Provides top tier support to other departments as needed
- Assisted Marketing in studying and applying new feature sets to help grow feature based revenue
- Setup the translation in the Broadworks and launched digital phone in all Grande markets
- Created cost savings by utilizing Audiocodes M600s for PRI customers
- Developed strategy and created translations to allow Broadworks to be used as a third-party voicemail system
Translations Engineer II / Translations Engineer
Grande Communications, Inc.
San Marcos, Texas
09.2000 - 09.2002
- Responsible for all Translations within Grande's NORTEL DMS-100, DMS-500, Genband, and Broadsoft switches and related equipment
- Design, implement, and manage Customer Group Translations within the DMS, Genband, and Broadsoft
- This includes any and all translations required to build a customer group
- Required to provide an update customer group matrix when any changes are made to the existing setup
- Implement and manage Equal Access Translations within the DMS-100
- This includes loading new CIC’s from ASR’s received by other long distance carriers by rate center
- Provide Trunk Group Engineering, which includes special Routing and Translations on the DMS-100 and DMS-250
- Engineered trunks will support the following types of calls: local, domestic long distance, international long distance, directory assistance, operator, emergency 911, etc
- Provide technical support to all internal departments and any wholesale and retail customers as necessary
- Support will include, but not necessary limited to the following: local and long distance routing, operational measurements, line features, transferring files using FTP, local calling areas, etc
- Monitor any statistics and/or logs to ensure the integrity of the network is at the highest level possible
- This includes monitoring switches, Voicemail systems, and any other systems related to the integrity of call processing
- Implement and oversee all 911 Translations and coordination
- This includes working with Council of Governments (COG’s) for each rate center for periodic testing required under Grande’s interconnection agreement
- Troubleshoot customer reported problems as needed
- This requires troubleshooting problems within the appropriate equipment and updating information within the Remedy trouble ticket in a timely manner
- Monitor the TAOS (Telephone Activation and Ordering System) Translations que daily and make the appropriate adds, changes, and/or deletes to complete orders within a timely manner
- Learned and became proficient in Broadsoft Broadworks platform, through self-training, for install and launchbecoming the authority on it within Grande
- Educated self to speed launch of Digital Phone for Residential customer, assisting the company in deploying a cost effective product to customer’s homes in lieu of traditional GR303
- Worked with IT department to create back office commands for auto-provisioning digital phone in the Broadworks and Genband
NOC/NCC Technician
Thrifty Call/Grande Communications
San Marcos, TX
09.1997 - 09.2000
- Responsible for troubleshooting and resolving customer based complaints and network operational issues in a responsive and timely matter
Field Technician
Cambridge Communications/Lufkin Conroe Telephone/TCA Communications
, USA
02.1993 - 09.1997
- Responsible for installing Long Distance Dialers, Key Systems and mobile car phones
Education
Reserves - USA
01.1996
Active Duty - Plane Captain /Aviation Electrician (F14 Tomcat)
US Navy
01.1993
High School Diploma -
Montgomery High School
Montgomery, TX05-1988
Skills
- Expectation setting
- Verbal and written communication
- Innovation management
- Cost Reduction
- Operations Management
- Performance Management
- Reporting and documenting
References
Available Upon Request
Timeline
Manager, Voice Engineering
Grande Communications, Inc./Astound Broadband
08.2014 - Current
Senior Translations Engineer
Grande Communications, Inc.
09.2002 - 08.2014
Translations Engineer II / Translations Engineer
Grande Communications, Inc.
09.2000 - 09.2002
NOC/NCC Technician
Thrifty Call/Grande Communications
09.1997 - 09.2000
Field Technician
Cambridge Communications/Lufkin Conroe Telephone/TCA Communications
02.1993 - 09.1997
Reserves - USA
Active Duty - Plane Captain /Aviation Electrician (F14 Tomcat)
US Navy
High School Diploma -
Montgomery High School
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