Rich Schaeffer Email & Phone Number

United States

Provide technical solution guidance to ATT for network/lab testing, performance monitoring, and network performance realization. From lab to live. Comprehensive Spirent solutions advocate. Mobility, Enterprise, Core, Security, Deep packet / protocol emulation. Currently supporting adoption of Spirent's Visionworks Analytics solution, where collection of performance data is used to identify complex network issues.

Greater Atlanta Area

Technical Sales. Identify key contacts within existing and new customer base and build technical relationships. Help identify key areas where Spirent products provide the best solution and to better understand customer and industry direction in regard to Ethernet, Wi-Fi and other Telecommunications services testing and performance monitoring. Perform technical demonstrations, assess customer requirements, perform trials, provide executive readouts of data, and assist the sales team in closing the sale.

Tier 4 support of Ethernet and IP products, services, network infrastructure, and operations support systems for Cox Business. Includes identifying and defining requirements, and scoping operational support solutions for network operations, service delivery, and service management.

Responsible for knowing all of Spirent Communications' Service Assurance equipment and systems so that their benefits can be demonstrated and explained to customers in order to generate sales. Also responsible for system implementation,product requirements gathering, defect identification and resolution, and new market initiatives and solutions on a global scale with extensive work in EMEA, and Asia. Responsible for working with customers and third party vendors to implement and develop custom solutions for Service Assurance of TDM, SDH, Wireless, Mobile, and Ethernet Services. Trained customers, vendors, distributors, and internal groups on system capabilities and functions. On site support and liaison for engineering and product management through the monitoring of customer trends and use of Spirent's equipment and systems.

Crawley, West Sussex, United Kingdom

Support of trials, demos, and implementation of Spirent equipment and systems for EMEA. Worked extensively on BT 21CN project testing and implementing solutions for DSL testing and monitoring. Worked extensively with vendors such as Huawei, Teradyne, Nortel, and Ericsson to insure full operational capabilities of test and access solutions and to validate service assurance capabilities on the 21CN platform. Also supported other global sales initiatives including Ethernet solutions in Spain, Italy, France, and Germany.

Munich Germany

Worked extensively on trial and proof of concept testing for DSL maintenance and monitoring solutions specifically with Belgacom. Helped develop in chassis DSL test access module for Alcatel DSLAMs. Worked extensively with vendors such as Marconi, Ericcson, Alcatel, Tyco, and others to develop and test interoperability of Spirent equipment for DSL pre-qualification and test. Also supported Ethernet test and monitoring initiatives in France Telecom, Telecom Italia, Wind, Deutsche Telecom, and other EMEA telcos and startups. Supported sales initiative with DT for OSS integration for Ethernet and DSL alarm management and fault isolation. Worked as Product specialist for Spirent's Test and Diagnostic OSS focused on DSL, TDM, and Ethernet solutions and packaging. Wrote test requirements, product requirements, and high level marketing material for distribution throughout EMEA.

Multiple Titles including Manager Systems Operations, Support Engineer, Center Support Manager, Sales Engineer. Reported to both Services and Sales. Job responsibilities however were identical in all positions: Provide on site support for Spirent/Hekimian equipment and systems. While on site, identify customer trends and changes in market in order to provide information to sales, engineering and product management to help develop new products to meet the customer's needs. Managed all aspects of customer relationships from working to resolve complex issues, managing customer service in general, and growing relationships in to other organizations that had ownership or interest in purchasing decisions. While in this position assisted in winning Sprint PCS, Sprint Local, BT Global Services, and MCI. Grew both Sprint LD and Worldcom accounts with the system sales in to each of these accounts worth more then $3M each.

Manged team of highly skilled engineers who managed, maintained and repaired the Global Intelligent Data Network and customer services being carried on that network. Implemented network from ground up and also introduced remote testing to the network to provide more timely fault resolution and performance monitoring. Developed work flows and training material. Worked on development of alarm notification system and aided in development of automated ticketing system.

Responsible for overseeing repair and maintenance of Sprint's Private Line Services and back bone network inclusive of all digital cross connects and test systems. Managed teams of up to 5 highly skilled technicians in a extremely stressful and fast pace environment. Designed and implemented work flows, training material, and job aids. Reduced operating costs through implementation of remote test and alarm systems. Reduced customer Mean Time to Repair from over 7 hours to 3.2 hours on a national scale which also reduced customer turnover.

Obtained rank of E-5. Mobile Wide Band Communications (short/long haul) Microwave Radio. Managed team of up to 10 in war readiness system deployments. Selected to participate in MOB Challenge 1987: A collection of the best from the 5 USAF mobility units competing to determine the best group.

Bs, Business Administration

Graduated with Honors

Associates, Applied Systems Technology