Christopher R. Lettow
Mount Prospect
Summary
Experienced engineering and operations senior leader. With over 22 years of experience in the electric power industry, I have designed industry game-changing products, managed high-performing teams of engineers and led a global Quality Assurance organization where I was responsible for all aspects of quality strategy development and execution. I currently lead a team of 16 new product development architects responsible for the technical leadership and execution of all major new product development projects. I am a creative and energetic leader who has consistently demonstrated the ability to build and motivate effective teams who consistently meet and exceed goals.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Director - Product Architecture
S&C Electric Company
11.2023 - Current
- Leads a team of product architects responsible for the technical execution of all of S&C's new product development projects.
- Developing standardized and streamlined processes capable of scaling new product development efforts to maximize new product value to the customer.
- Responsible for implementation of a Product Experience team to deepen understanding of how customers interact with and experience our products to ensure that our customers are delighted by our new products and solutions.
- Interfaces with S&C's Technology and Breakthrough Innovation teams to develop technology roadmaps to identify future technology needs for products that solve customer problems.
- Serves as main technical interface to executive leadership team and customers to report on progress of new product development activities
Technology Director
S&C Electric Company
06.2021 - 11.2023
- Responsible for the technical execution of a $30M+ new product development project
- Led a cross-functional team of 25 electrical, electronic, mechanical and software engineers
- Interfaced with company's strategic marketing and sales teams to ensure that the new product's architecture, features and ratings align with the customer problem we are trying to solve
- Ensured that all aspects of product design meet engineering best practices and maximize value creation for our customers
- Devised testing protocols and coaches engineers on test execution
- Oversaw and updated project's financial plan, including projected factory cost, capital plan and project expense to ensure project has an acceptable NPV and IRR
- Reported regularly to company's Chief Technology Officer and Chief Product Development Officer on project progress and regularly interfaces with customers to present product concepts and incorporates feedback.
Director - Global Quality Assurance
S&C Electric Company
02.2016 - 06.2021
- Devised and implemented a strategic change to the Quality organization aimed at driving a prevention rather than reaction-minded focus
- Built a team of Quality Engineers to develop and implement risk identification and mitigation processes both for existing products and as part of S&C's new product development process
- Created a process to drive strategic focus to key customers experiencing quality lapses and formed cross-functional teams to deliver positive quality changes for those customers
- Expanded quality processes globally to meet the needs of local manufacturing facilities and customers bases
- Built and expanded supplier quality organization to consistently achieve improved supplier quality results, culminating in S&C's best-ever results in 2020.
Manager - Product Engineering - Fuse Products
S&C Electric Company
08.2008 - 02.2016
- Led a team of ten design engineers responsible for the application and production support of 12 product lines as well as the development of new products
- Utilized lean manufacturing techniques to reduce production labor costs and improve throughput
- Led the re-design of several existing product lines to improve revenue and reduce costs.
Project Engineer - R&D
S&C Electric Company
01.2002 - 08.2008
- Designed and developed the magnetic actuator mechanism for the IntelliRupter PulseCloser, a game-changing fault interrupting device for the electric power industry
- Responsible for mechanism design, control algorithm design and all testing to relevant industry standards
- Awarded two U.S
- And international patents.
Electrical Engineering Co-Op
NASA - Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
08.1999 - 05.2001
- Designed and tested microstrip patch antennas for the Mini-AerCam, a device designed to orbit the International Space Station to assess its condition
- Utilized finite element modeling to assess the predicted performance of antenna designs.
Education
Master of Business Administration -
Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
06.2021
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering -
University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
12.2001
Skills
- Strategy Deployment
- Organizational Vision and Strategy Development
- Organizational Design
- Financial Modeling
- Innovation and Creative Problem Solving
- Values-Based Leadership
- Risk Identification and Mitigation Tools such as FMEA, Design for Experiments and Design for Reliability
- Team Member Development
- ISO-9001 Quality Management System
- AC Medium Voltage Equipment Design
Accomplishments
- Awarded MBA With Distinction - Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management (2021)
- Received Kellogg's Managing Organizations Department Student of the Year Award (2021)
- Received Kellogg's Dean's Award for Academic Achievement for maintaining perfect (4.0) GPA
- Earned membership in Beta Gamma Sigma international honor society for collegiate schools of business (2021)
- Participant in S&C Electric Company's "Conrad Executive Development Program" (2019)
- Awarded BSEE from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with Honors (2001)
- Awarded four United States and International Patents
U.S. Patent 7,352,265 - Manual Trip Control and Arrangement for Multiple Circuit Interrupters
U.S. Patent 7.626,397 - High Current Capable Circuit Testing Closer Apparatus and Method
U.S. Patent 8,681,462 - Circuit Testing Closer Apparatus and Method with In-Rush Current Awareness
U.S. Patent 10,504,678 - Remote Access Pull Ring
Activities
- Member, Board of Education, Mount Prospect School District 57 (2022-present)
- Governing Board Member, Northwest Suburban Special Education Association (2022-present)
References
Available upon request
Timeline
Senior Director - Product Architecture
S&C Electric Company
11.2023 - Current
Technology Director
S&C Electric Company
06.2021 - 11.2023
Director - Global Quality Assurance
S&C Electric Company
02.2016 - 06.2021
Manager - Product Engineering - Fuse Products
S&C Electric Company
08.2008 - 02.2016
Project Engineer - R&D
S&C Electric Company
01.2002 - 08.2008
Electrical Engineering Co-Op
NASA - Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
08.1999 - 05.2001
Master of Business Administration -
Northwestern University - Kellogg School of Management
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering -
University Of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign