Evan Klassen
Skiatook
Summary
Highly accomplished, results-oriented Global Telecommunications Leader with over 20 years of management experience and a proven track record in driving multi-million dollar business and technical transformations. Deep expertise spanning Project Management, Engineering, Field Operations, Quality Assurance, Vendor Management, Equipment Lifecycle Management and Global Network Operations. Instrumental in developing and administering $10M annual budgets and establishing a large-scale optimization plan that yielded over $130 million in cost savings within 18 months.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Director Global Maintenance Engineering
Verizon
03.2021 - Current
- Manage day-to-day operations of the Core Transport and IP Certification lab
- Spearheaded process improvements and automation development to achieve a 23% increase in laboratory efficiency
- Collaborated with third-party vendors to develop and deploy an Agile-based lab automation framework and repository
- Implemented new lab test entrance criterion that resulted in a 25% reduction in revision requests and shortened overall test cycle time by 18%.
- Negotiated and secured discounts exceeding 50% on laboratory test equipment, resulting in $500K in cost avoidance over 24 months
- Executed a lab renovation project, equipping the facility with state-of-the-art technology supporting 400G+ client ports and Channels that increased total bandwidth testing capabilities by 40%.
- Drove a 60% reduction in lab-found defects, holding vendors accountable for code quality.
- Implemented a new security baseline process to ensure devices certified by our lab meet the stringent guidelines recommended by Network Security.
Sr. Manager Network Implementation Program Management
Verizon
08.2017 - 03.2021
- Provided Program Management, encompassing IT/Vendor/Engineering/Planning and Operations support.
- Created the SPARC project to accelerate network growth by reducing Space, Power, and Cooling dependencies, avoiding over $130M in infrastructure and support costs in 18 months
- Co-created Migration Management Office to facilitate moving 1M+ legacy TDM/VoIP/Voice/Data circuits off three independent networks onto new consolidated infrastructure.
- Stood up Program Management office to align cross-functional teams to accelerate deployment capabilities.
- Established Dashboard and governance meetings to align reporting, resources and resolution of risks up and down the management chain.
- Managed resource allocation, multi-million dollar budgets, and project timelines while proactively mitigating risks to ensure successful program delivery.
- Utilize a blended approach of Agile and Waterfall as appropriate to the specific project needs.
Sr. Manager Global Maintenance Engineering
Verizon
03.2013 - 08.2017
- Provided Program Management, Vendor and Life Cycle Management in a multidisciplinary environment.
- Directed hardware and software deliverables, aligning priorities across Vendor, Network Planning, Engineering, and Operations teams.
- Drive tactical and strategic decisions with the vendors in a manner that benefits Verizon and our customers.
- Conduct failure mode analysis and root cause action, driving vendor quality and retrofit actions.
- Partnered with Supply Chain to introduce new Lifecycle Management and Performance Compensation contract language with Vendors to drive quality, supportability, and reliability objectives.
- Participate on cross-functional teams with Global Network Planning, Global Network Management, and Sourcing to advance network reliability initiatives (Upgrades, Retrofits, and Product Change Notices).
- Research and evaluate new technologies and translate business objectives and strategies into actionable plans.
Manager 2nd Level Global Transport Support
Verizon
02.2001 - 03.2013
- Managed a team of Engineers providing technical support on over 150,000 global transport and data elements.
- Evaluate new equipment and services for global network to safeguard performance objectives.
- Supervise resolution of real-time outage events on SONET, DWDM, ROADM, and Ethernet equipment.
- Partner with Engineering, Planning, and the Vendors to ensure the integrity of the network.
- Established vendor quality audits, analyzed fault trends, recommended design changes, and feature requests.
- Work with account teams to prepare and deliver operations service reviews for customers.
Manager Ericsson 2nd Level Switch Support
WorldCom
04.1999 - 02.2001
- Managed a team of Engineers, maintaining and providing advanced technical support to the Domestic Ericsson end-office Tandem Switches.
- Supervised resolution of hardware and software issues on switch equipment.
- Ensured call data records and billing are being properly collected and reported.
- Implemented proactive log analysis on voice switches to prevent outages and increase quality of service.
- Worked with Engineering, Translations, and Vendors to ensure the integrity of the Ericsson Switch network.
Manager Quality Assurance and Technical Services
WorldCom
10.1997 - 04.1999
- Managed a team of Engineers and programmers responsible for creating automation tools and performing quality audits.
- Developed reporting metrics and maintenance procedures for the SONET and Switching networks.
- Supervised collection and next-day statistical analysis on SONET, Switch, and Digital Access Cross-connect System (DACS) alarms, identifying trends to prevent service interruptions.
- Performed audits of field locations to ensure compliance with company guidelines and standards.
- Investigated major service interruptions to determine root cause and publish preventative measures.
Manager Salt Lake City Area Operations
WilTel
08.1994 - 10.1997
- Oversaw day-to-day operations of Fiber Optic and Microwave sites covering four states.
- Developed and administered approximately $10 M operating budget.
- Supervised installation and maintenance of SONET, DACS, Fiber Optic, and Microwave equipment.
- Trained and supervised a team of CO engineers; Established safety protocols (No injury during my tenure)
- Worked closely with contractors to maintain outside plant network and prevent outages.
Technical Coordinator
WilTel
11.1993 - 08.1994
- Reviewed all maintenance activities involved in the daily operation of a fiber optic network.
- Performed routine inspections of remote sites to ensure compliance with company standards.
- Developed business plans to replace aging infrastructure, providing documentation and training
- Project managed major building repair programs.
Equipment Engineering
WilTel
01.1993 - 11.1993
- Evaluated SONET equipment from various vendors to evaluate capabilities and ensure proper operation.
- Developed test plans and completed Testing and initial turn-up of SONET equipment nationwide.
- Worked with vendors to resolve software, hardware, and compatibility problems.
- Performed upgrades and expansions on Digital Access Cross-connect System (DACS) matrix and peripherals.
- Created automation scripts to streamline the turn-up of new equipment.
Network Control Center Engineer
WilTel
06.1992 - 01.1993
- Created automation tools to correlate alarms and network events, reducing the quantity of actionable alarms by 83%, thus increasing productivity.
- Converted from manual analysis to electronic trending of alarms and customer impact data.
- Monitored alarms and troubleshoot equipment faults.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering
Oklahoma State University
Skills
- Strategic leadership
- Analytical thinking
- Project management
- Process improvement
- Financial efficiency initiatives
- Coaching and mentoring
Timeline
Associate Director Global Maintenance Engineering
Verizon
03.2021 - Current
Sr. Manager Network Implementation Program Management
Verizon
08.2017 - 03.2021
Sr. Manager Global Maintenance Engineering
Verizon
03.2013 - 08.2017
Manager 2nd Level Global Transport Support
Verizon
02.2001 - 03.2013
Manager Ericsson 2nd Level Switch Support
WorldCom
04.1999 - 02.2001
Manager Quality Assurance and Technical Services
WorldCom
10.1997 - 04.1999
Manager Salt Lake City Area Operations
WilTel
08.1994 - 10.1997
Technical Coordinator
WilTel
11.1993 - 08.1994
Equipment Engineering
WilTel
01.1993 - 11.1993
Network Control Center Engineer
WilTel
06.1992 - 01.1993
Bachelor of Science - Electrical Engineering
Oklahoma State University