Jennifer Dawson, Ph.D. Email & Phone Number

San Carlos, Ca, Us

Deploying solutions to protect communities from gun violence

Westminster, Colorado, Us

Westminster, Colorado, Us

-Responsible for a ~120 person engineering organization that provides technical leadership for all spacecraft programs-Developed and executed strategic plan to complete 30 initiatives addressing improvements to process, role clarity, technical training, and tools and infrastructure-Led Systems Engineering to a +4% improvement in Glint Employee Engagement-Led successful recruitment of 20+ senior systems engineers and five new managers within first year-Responsible for the financial accountability of Systems Engineering costs including proposal budgets, more than 15 spacecraft programs, and $1M+ overhead budget

Los Altos, California, Us

-Responsible for systems engineering team, autonomous driving system verification and validation, and autonomous driving safety case-Developed comprehensive, company-wide safety case-Developed cross-functional project plans, resource allocation, and team performance tracking tools to implement safety case-Drove cross-functional alignment on requirements philosophy and decomposition strategy to improve validation efficiency-Co-authored two papers on innovative systems engineering methodologies merging aerospace requirements techniques with self-driving code development processes-Responsible for fleet grounding process and investigations, effectively balancing expedient return to road with necessary risk mitigation

Los Altos, California, Us

Mountain View, Ca, Us

-Built new Systems Engineering team from the ground up - recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and training team members -Delivered comprehensive systems engineering work products to launch two highly-complex custom vehicles on public roads -Created tailoring strategy for ISO 26262 specification to Nuro’s use case and authored requirements, Functional Safety Concept, hazard analysis, and Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)-Managed cross-functional program team in executing verification and validation to enable safe on-road operations-Managed external functional safety consultants-Led fleet grounding investigations and had responsibility for giving authorization to unground -Defined Culture of Safety policy and implemented company-wide safety reporting processes-Technical representative for briefings with California’s Department of Motor Vehicles

Mountain View, Ca, Us

-Served as internal “glue” by communicating and coordinating across all teams to drive multiple complex, cross-functional initiatives from conception to successful delivery-Utilized project management experience to bring complex software/hardware robotics products to market -Led technical reviews, synthesizes results, and creates actions to resolve product issues-Advised and drove technical interface decisions across software functions-Developed requirements, defined timelines/milestones, identified/mitigated risks, allocated resources, tracked progress, resolved dependencies, unblocked progress

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

Technical Director for Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS)-Managed mission-level risk-Arbitrated significant technical issues, particularly those affecting multiple subsystems or mission assurance-Developed strategy for technical team to execute-Built effective technical team - drove engagement, optimized work processes, resolved conflict, and balanced stakeholders-Developed and delivered technical briefings and papers for marketing, insurance, and executive reviewsProject Manager for Dragonfly-Managed contract with NASA customer, delivering monthly report and ensuring performance on milestone deliverables-Maintained program schedule, budget, risks, and labor requests-Managed subcontracts for four program partners

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

-Sales engineer for a worldwide leader in geostationary communications satellites:-Supported Advanced Systems design team in developing satellite proposals that meet and exceed customer expectations-Developed proposal and bid strategies based on technical, business, and strategic factors-Utilized detailed knowledge of the industry to make executive-level recommendations on sales strategies, competitive assessments, and market forecasts

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

-Provided leadership in the Mission Assurance organization to ensure spacecraft reliability-Oversaw analysis, design, integration, testing, and documentation to ensure compliance to contract and company requirements-Managed risk by balancing reliability and quality with efficiency and schedule factors-Maintained effective working relationship with customer, satisfying customer expectations while focusing resources on value-added activities-Provided technical oversight and facilitate customer oversight and approval for all review meetings, mandatory inspections, non-standard repairs, hardware failures, and troubleshooting efforts-Drove timely finalization of qualification and acceptance test documentation and Product Assurance contract deliverables

Palo Alto, Ca, Us

-Systems engineer with focus on structures, mechanisms, thermal, and propulsion subsystems for commercial communications satellites:-Provided satellite-level technical direction and requirements flowdown-Performed system trade studies-Participated in unit and system-level design reviews-Directed rework and trouble-shooting activities-Reviewed test data, focusing on thermal, vibration and shock testing-Cross-company technical expert for bolted joints - assisted with analysis, special testing, and process improvements across all spacecraft subsystems-Shock committee chair - provided technical direction to all divisions of the company on issues related to shock qualification and testing

York, Pa, Us

-Managed two teams of 10-14 engineering students in successfully designing and fabricating formula-style racecars-Taught courses in areas of expertise including Machine Design, Controls, Capstone Design, Physics, and Introduction to Aerospace Engineering

Phd, Mechanical Engineering

Ms, Mechanical Engineering

Bs, Mechanical Engineering

Education record