Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Accomplishments
Websites
References
Timeline
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RACHEL PRAETORIUS

RACHEL PRAETORIUS

Boulder,CO

Summary

Senior leader with over 20 years of combined experience in Strategy & Operations (Chief of Staff), hardware and software technical program management, sustainability, and operational excellence.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience

Work History

Head of Quality, Infrastructure, and Policy Technical Program Management

Google Home
06.2024 - Current
  • Lead TPgM team for portfolio of programs across Google Home Infrastructure, Quality, Policy, and Technical Writing functions including 15 FTEs in 5 locations (MTV, LAX, SAN, BLR, PNQ)
  • As Strategy & Operations lead for Google Assistant, led annual planning, roadmap development (product and technical implementation), Monthly Business Reviews, annual goal setting and tracking, All Team communication forums, and headcount allocation
  • Drove dependency tracking and alignment with other business areas (Auto, TV, Gemini).
  • Re-vamped the customer insights process and reporting for the Google Home App and Assistant to implement a prioritized list of top defects aligned with customer feedback across each channel (social, customer service contacts, and in-product customer feedback).
  • Implemented a triage and resolution process, leading to a 30% decrease in the customer contact rate in 2024.
  • Lead capacity planning (GPU and TPU), governance process, and manage VP escalations to secure allocation for critical launches in 2025.
  • Led the transition from Assistant to Google Home to ensure ownership, systems, processes, and access transitioned smoothly to the new organization.
  • In partnership with Product Management and Engineering, authored strategy documents for each ownership area
  • Implemented a 2-week sprint planning for all areas of ownership, leveraging Agile best practices in alignment with the SDLC (software development lifecycle) for Google Home.

Strategy & Operations Consultant, Google Assistant

Magnit
04.2022 - 06.2024
  • Strategy & Operations consultant supporting the Google Assistant organization in its transformation to a newly decentralized organizational structure and integration of new capabilities (Large Language models).
  • Lead the development of new OKRs (Objectives & Key Results) and alignment across the Google Assistant and all partner organizations to establish annual goals, with quarterly KPI (key performance indicators) tracking.
  • Develop playbooks, mechanisms, and metrics that enable efficiency and effectiveness across the Google Assistant business, raising the bar for quality amidst workforce reductions and reorganizations.

Director of Sustainability and Strategy & Ops

Amazon.com
01.2019 - 01.2022
  • Developed and executed a net new Sustainability program for Amazon Devices & Services to deliver a path to reduce the average carbon footprint of Amazon's device products by 50% in 5 years
  • Owned and authored annual plan, goals, roadmap, and proposals reviewed and approved by the Devices & Services SVP and Amazon Worldwide Sustainability VP and their leadership teams
  • Developed and delivered presentations internally and externally to inspire and educate employees and industry leaders, leveraging grass roots passion to build ownership and knowledge across the organization
  • Hired and trained 18 employees to successfully meet sustainability goals for two generations of product launches across every major product line (Kindle, Fire Tablets, Echo, FireTV, Ring, and Accessories)
  • Conceived and implemented industry-leading renewable energy program for connected device energy consumption, launching industry consortium to scale methodology
  • Acted as Amazon representative for internal and external announcements and press engagements

Chief of Staff, Devices Hardware

Amazon.com
01.2015 - 01.2019
  • As part of the Devices Hardware leadership team, led the operations of the division, including primary ownership of annual planning, roadmap management, change management, headcount management, goals (OKRs), and continuous improvement programs
  • Planned, executed, and regularly presented in employee engagement forums to build a strong culture, collect and address employee feedback, and communicate key initiatives and changes
  • Led the Amazon Devices 'Lab University' program to deliver education for employees of all levels in the specific skills to thrive at Amazon and excel in system-level product development

Sr. Manager, Program Management Office

Amazon.com
01.2013 - 01.2015
  • Developed and rolled out the Amazon Product Development Process (PDP) for Devices including a new set of tools for program management, including a training program with web-based and in-person training
  • Personally trained >3000 employees
  • Created internal web-based portals to house process documentation, project updates, and best practices used by ~20,000 employees
  • Provided day-to-day mentorship to project teams, clearing roadblocks, managing escalations, and preparing for executive program reviews

Sr. Manager Toys Program Management

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc
06.2009 - 04.2013
  • Managed the development life cycle of the Leapfrog Toy Portfolio, successfully delivering 46 unique new or refreshed toy products and 227 localizations, meeting or exceeding project metrics
  • All projects were delivered within committed schedule, 5% of budget, and 1% of product cost boundaries
  • Reviewed global business requirements, established metrics and priorities, and developed and executed project plans including scope, schedule, resources and budget
  • Led cross-functional development teams and worked closely with vendors in Asia to execute the design and manufacturing of products, ensuring cohesive integration of Hardware, Software, and Packaging development
  • Drove cost improvement on new and carry-forward products to reduce costs by an average of 10%, offsetting labor increases in the China market
  • Drove process improvement initiatives including integration of packaging into the product development process, automation of the schedule reporting system, streamlining of the ideation funnel, and creation of new templates for documentation of marketing and product requirements
  • Hired, managed, trained, and mentored new Program Managers

Education

BS - Mechanical Engineering

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, McCormick School of Engineering
06-2002

Skills

  • Program management
  • Agile methodologies
  • Data analysis
  • Customer insights
  • Stakeholder management
  • Team leadership
  • Effective communication
  • Quality processes
  • Strategic planning
  • Operational budget forecasting
  • Change management

Accomplishments

  • Chief of Staff and Operational Excellence leader for the Amazon Devices & Services Hardware group. Owned strategic and operational planning for the business as it grew from ~1000 to ~5000 employees, managing the roadmap and driving the organization to meet financial and talent acquisition goals annually.
  • As PMO manager, developed and launched the new product development process for Amazon Devices & Services and LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc., including development and implementation of training, communication, and success metrics focused on efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Proposed, pitched, planned, and implemented sustainability program for Amazon Devices & Services. This included hiring a new team to achieve bold public goals in less than 10 months, then building mechanisms and training thousands of employees to scale.
  • Primary owner of Amazon Devices & Services Sustainability publications and public presentations, including: 2020 Announcement, 2021 Announcement, Alexa Sustainability Marketing video, Meant For It Podcast

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Head of Quality, Infrastructure, and Policy Technical Program Management

Google Home
06.2024 - Current

Strategy & Operations Consultant, Google Assistant

Magnit
04.2022 - 06.2024

Director of Sustainability and Strategy & Ops

Amazon.com
01.2019 - 01.2022

Chief of Staff, Devices Hardware

Amazon.com
01.2015 - 01.2019

Sr. Manager, Program Management Office

Amazon.com
01.2013 - 01.2015

Sr. Manager Toys Program Management

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc
06.2009 - 04.2013

BS - Mechanical Engineering

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY, McCormick School of Engineering

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