Melinda Poota

• Understand vehicle component capabilities and tailor security requirements to address sourcing requests.
• Deploy Cybersecurity requirements to suppliers and internal GM teams based on capabilities for over 80 Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), Passive Safety, and Suspensions vehicle components and software packages.
• Ensure cybersecurity requirements are incorporated into component development process for current and next-generation GM vehicles.
• Drive cybersecurity requirements to be implemented correctly for various components by executing design and implementation reviews with internal and external teams.
• Maintain working knowledge of cybersecurity principles and elements revolving around controller hardening, secure programming, secure boot, secure diagnostics, message authentication, and other relevant trends, technologies, and best practices for securing embedded control systems.
• Reject or accept Cybersecurity deviations requested by internal or external teams, and document and provide solutions accordingly.
• Perform detailed analysis of external software and hardware solutions and provided and supervised recommended implementations based on provided cybersecurity specifications.
• Facilitate and lead stand-ups with specification owners and program managers to ensure alignment, clarify deliverables and expectations, and address any roadblocks.
• Collaborate with various Design Release Engineers to ensure that cybersecurity specifications are accepted after Statement of Requirements (SOR) due dates.
• Strategize and implement Cybersecurity feature rollouts in collaboration with specification owners and program teams.
• Provide technical feedback via EPICs to guide Cybersecurity feature rollouts across impacted Electronic Control Units (ECUs).
• Gather component plans and critical dependencies for implementation on a regular basis.
• Synthesize information into weekly/monthly report for leadership and working team.
• Understand global program structure, launch plan and timing, and global program ownership.
• Collaborate with senior leadership to secure resource and cost approvals, ensuring timely and effective rollout of features to the appropriate controllers.

• Performed Design Integration Testing (DIT) on Various Vehicle Intelligence Platform (VIP) and Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) programs such as the Electric Escalade IQ, Hummer EV, GMC and Chevy full size trucks, the Cadillac Lyric, and Cadillac Celestiq.
• Ensured system benches are up to date with latest software release packages and document issues found post flashing and post DIT testing to share with appropriate ECU teams.
• Performed functional checks post flashing module per plant process and write up Problem Resolution Tracking ticket (PRTS) for issues found after flashing newly released software packages per plant process.
• Assisted program team in determining if current software packages are acceptable to enter production vehicles.
• Troubleshoot and root cause diagnostic trouble codes.
• Reported controller software issues including diagnostic trouble codes to respectable ECU teams.

• Assisted Program Engineering Manager and Chief Engineer in specifying requirements, execution and evaluation of designs, analysis, development, testing and control of major engineering projects where creativity and initiative are involved as well as a moderate level of independent judgment.
• Oversaw plant operations, and supported the overall process for the design, part acquisition, plant builds, and testing of production and pre-production builds of the Escalade IQ.
• Assisted and lead pre-production build events and issue resolution, support Continuous Process Improvement Team, track, respond to change Requests & Decision Notices, and assist to resolve issues across Assembly Plants.
• Reviewed and approved engineering work orders, launch support in plant, including material shortage and support spills/crisis.
• Performed problem resolution tracking system/issue resolution prioritization and follow up.
• Created specification interface to ensure accuracy for pre-production/productions, Plant Tryout/Production Trial Run support.
• Oversaw validation plan development property support and Involvement with technical solutions for electric escalade vehicle program.
• Assisted in developing engineering designs, including subsystems, and in implementing engineering changes.
• Specified and balance system requirements along with involvement with test/development programs.
• Communicated, coordinated, and consulted with engineering departments, suppliers, and customers.

• Performed white box penetration testing on Global A architecture VCU to exploit security vulnerabilities and conduct exploit mechanisms.
• Led internal white box penetration test engagements on various vehicle ECUs and mobile applications, identifying potential vulnerabilities and ensuring security.
• Performed penetration testing from a modular, system, and vehicle level.
• Developed python script to assist with enumerating and fuzzing FSA.
• Worked with Design Release Engineers to understand module functionality, schematics, and security requirements.
• Provided technical pen test guidance for external Penetration test engagements with IOActive and NCC Group.
• Coordinated with Security Engineers, Development teams, and vendors to report and remediate issues, fostering cross-functional collaboration.
• Discovered multiple vulnerabilities and non-compliant implementations in pre-production systems, contributing to improved security before product launch.
• Served as a point of contact and technical resource for the broader Cybersecurity organization during technical implementations, discussions, and reviews.
• Conducted special investigations in response to newly discovered exploits and third-party reports, proactively addressing potential security concerns.
• Debugged applications via JTAG and SWD using a mix of open source and proprietary tools and devices.
• Evaluated and assessed communication interfaces including CAN, 100Base-T1, UART, SPI, I2C, wBMS, Wi-Fi, BLE.

• Identified and root caused DTCs related to Key Provisioning and MAC issues on various MY24 Electrical programs.
• Identified and root caused DTCs on the Electric Chevy Pickup Controller Verification Frame (CVF) by reaching out to DREs to determine if PRTS needs to be initiated.
• Documented CVF planning, tracked and documented controller CG statuses for electric vehicle programs and flashed MY24 Electric Chevy Pickup trucks to latest software packages.
• Performed Controller Integration Engineering (CIE) related tasks such as assisting in creating a new software packages, CVF planning and assembling, and CVF testing.

Identified DTCs within specific vehicle programs using various tools such as Vehicle Spy to root cause.

• Created and modified DTC Dashboards in Power BI for team reference, manually refreshed Qualifier and AVSS data in PowerBI to get most up to date vehicle data, RTC, and PRTS data.
• Reproduced known vehicle issues while pulling CAN, LIN, or ethernet logs to root cause issues.
• Flashed vehicles to latest software release followed by key provisioning to ensure vehicle is properly updated.
• Performed module swaps, data dumps, other forms of VIP testing to resolve vehicle software and hardware concerns.
• Maintained and updated tools such as DTC Burndown SSM Lookup tool and Power BI dashboards to ensure proper functionality of the software.

• Participated remotely on a PDO team within Ford IT, learned agile principles and participated in agile ceremonies.
• Learned about the Variable Marketing & Incentives PDO within Marketing Sales & Service in Ford IT.
• Obtained hands on experience through testing and implementing application features and developed test cases as a team.

• Added capabilities to ZDT customer portal, admin portal and management utilities using C#, Angular JS, HTML, SQL.
• Added UI to create and manage FAC employee users, and UI which employees can export stored procedures.
• Fixed user interface issues.
• Gained experience with Model-View-Control design pattern, specifically for Microsoft.Net.
• Assisted in replacing legacy code with new code base while working with and creating database stored procedures and stored functions.