Eric R. Roberts

• Led internal instrument development for ultraviolet/visible spectrograph, ensuring cost, schedule, for potential Enceladus mission.
• Oversaw procurement and supply chain management for satellite assemblies, including solar arrays and drive mechanisms.
• Consulted on ground-based satellite and fueling system projects to minimize technology risk while maintaining schedule and budget.
• Managed hydrostatic test pressure chambers for government and industrial partners to ensure compliance with standards.

Supported mass production, processing, and integration of LEO satellites.

• Evaluate proposals for new suppliers, processes, and hardware development.

On-site (Vostochny Cosmodrome, Russia) support for the integration and launch of satellites with Soyuz.

• Developed expanded team protocols and test processes to enable multiple launch crews.

• Evaluated launch profiles to reduce satellite fuel ullage.

Resolved Hall effect thruster anomalies in real time with the supplier. Troubleshoot and resolve electrical and telemetry anomalies in real time at launch. site.

• Served as the primary point of contact for the supply chain across structural, thermal, avionics, and power systems for the LEO satellite constellation.
• Orchestrated contract execution, amendments, and changes while managing costs, EAC, EVM, schedule, and technical inputs.
• Negotiated contracts and agreements with vendors and suppliers to reduce costs.
• Developed supplier production to consistently meet delivery and quality standards for high-volume satellite production.
• Managed baseline project strategies and recovery plans at both strategic and tactical levels.
• Created and maintained dashboards for tracking KPIs, WIP, EVM, and sub-tier supply chain performance.
• Replaced critical path with parallel operations/ suppliers, enhancing supply chain redundancy.
• Created monthly reports for senior management summarizing operational performance metrics.
• Managed vendor relationships by negotiating contracts and ensuring timely delivery of goods and services.

• Organized and developed processes and staff to sustain and improve the quality of satellite components, such as solar arrays, propulsion systems, RF, control, and power systems, from suppliers throughout North America and Asia.
• Lead cross-functional teams and engineering review boards for MRB/Root Cause Analysis on satellite hardware, ranging from power systems, control and guidance, sensors, comm systems, deployable mechanisms, propulsion systems, thermal, and structural components.
• Developed a cost savings matrix to identify and eliminate non-value-added activity.
• Developed and implemented a new rating and incentive system for exemplary suppliers.
• Implemented a commodity approval system for long-term purchase agreements.
• Coordinated project timelines and resources to ensure effective execution of plans.
• Facilitated communication between engineering, production, and client teams for alignment.
• Implemented process improvements to increase efficiency in satellite manufacturing workflows.
• Monitored staff performance and addressed issues.
• Coached, mentored and trained team members in order to improve their job performance.
• Provided leadership during times of organizational change or crisis situations.
• Recruited and hired qualified candidates to fill open positions.
• Created monthly reports for senior management summarizing operational performance metrics.
• Managed vendor relationships by negotiating contracts and ensuring timely delivery of goods and services.
• Monitored budgets and expenditures to ensure cost-effectiveness while maintaining quality standards.
• Ensured compliance with industry regulations and company policies.
• Conducted performance evaluations, providing feedback and coaching for team development.
• Implemented process improvements, resultingin an increase in operational efficiency.
• Reviewed completed work to verify consistency, quality, and conformance.
• Delegated work to staff (15 direct reports), setting priorities, and goals.

• Tiger team lead for problematic programs, with cross-functional teams on-site. Resolved hardware, system integration, and test anomalies for GEO satellite systems.
• Monitored the fabrication process with challenging vendors, including on-site integration and testing of thermal, structural, propulsion, and RF components for several GEO communication satellite programs.
• Represented SSL at HAR, CRD, MMR, and TRR for satellite components.
• Resolved scheduling conflicts and fabrication issues, in conjunction with design, interface, and functional discrepancies, generating customer satisfaction and future contracts valued at over $500 million.
• Assessed, established, and verified project priorities, milestones, projections, progress, as well as manpower utilization to verify performance for compliance, delivery, and launch schedule.
• Generated progress reports and projections for suppliers, identifying asset allocation, and schedule performance for executive management and customers.
• Developed and implemented a closed-loop system of customer oversight for hardware acceptance and integration.
• Communicated directly with executives and customers to convey progress and provide independent performance perspective.

• Ensured EELV vehicle and payload compliance with NASA and USAF launch requirements.
• Coordinated with the launch vehicle, payload providers, and vendors to reduce NASA and DOD risk regarding operation, design, and integration challenges.
• Monitored fairing and payload separation systems during launch operations.
• Developed a schedule recovery plan and approved a procedural modification for the Atlas V 551 launch vehicle, enabling flight during tight launch window constraints for NASA's $550 million Pluto New Horizons Probe.
• Served a key role in the inaugural launch of NASA’s first mission on an Atlas V 401 vehicle, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which encouraged larger follow-on programs such as Pluto, New Horizons, and the current Mars Curiosity rover.
• Mechanical integration on Delta II and Atlas V missions delivering payloads for continued weather prediction (NOAA N Prime), asteroid exploration (DAWN), and the discovery of potentially habitable planets (KEPLER).
• Evaluated a low-shock separation system for NASA science payloads.
• Provided technical support for end-users by troubleshooting hardware and software issues remotely or onsite.
• Conducted thorough testing and troubleshooting to identify system issues promptly.

• Collaborated with astronomers, spacecraft, and instrument operations, enabling extended science studies.
• Worked with the Goddard Space Flight Center to resolve performance anomalies and safe mode recovery of science instruments, such as STIS, WFPC, and NICMOS.
• Liaised with Space Shuttle mission planners, and executed successful Hubble servicing missions, resulting in renewed and upgraded HST capabilities.

• Performed design, structural, dynamic, and thermal finite element analysis.

• Designed and analyzed biomimetic structural applications for DARPA, medical, and aerospace programs.
• Researched and implemented additive manufacturing techniques such as stereolithography, laser sintering, 3D printing, and self-assembly.
• Developed a meshing algorithm to automatically create structures that match and support surface contours with reinforced structure at high load areas.

• Performed structural, dynamic, and thermal finite element modeling and analysis.
• Conceptualized a new design that improved the steel rod production rate by approximately 30%.
• Designed a rapid change system to reduce the maintenance cycle by 50%.

• Performed structural finite element analysis for reactor servicing hardware.
• Designed a safety feature mechanism to reduce radiation exposure to personnel.
• I wrote and updated technical manuals for reactor refueling on Nimitz-class carriers and 688-class submarines.