Richard Petersen

5287 Corte Estima, Apt. 32

Camarillo, CA 93012
Phone: 805-419-4695
Cell: 805-267-6413
email: rpde0da2@westpost.net

I am seeking a position as an engineer or field engineer. You will note on my r

esume a period I was unemployed from 11/2005 to 10/2007. In November of 2005 I
resigned my position with the government to go to Peru to get married and work o
n my new wife's immigration papers. I did not work while in Peru because I did
not know how long I was going to be there. I never realized the process of gett
ing married and getting my wife into the USA would take as long as it did. I en
ded up being there a little over a year. When I got back to the USA, I could no
t find a position as an engineer. Because I had held some fairly high level pos
itions, no one was willing to hire me in a lower level position. I was told ov
er and over again that I was over qualified for positions and that I would leave
as soon as I found something better.
Finally after my savings ran out, I took a position with Walmart as an associate
in order to pay for food and gas and clothing while staying with a friend. Aft
er this I was able to get a technical position with Schlumberger as a Field Spec
ialist installing equipment mostly on offshore oil rigs. I would like to get an
engineering position again. And I hope the positions I have held during the l
ast 3 years will prove that I am not going to be looking for something better an
d will stay with a company who will give me a chance. I do not want to jump aro
und from job to job, but desire a position with a company I can grow with. I am
older, but in good health. I would like to find a company I can stay with for
the next 10 to 15 years when I hope to retire.
Like many other people, I did not believe it would be so hard to find a position
later in life when I resigned my position with the government in 2005. The las
t five years have been a very sobering and humbling experience. I only hope to
be given the opportunity to demonstrate my value to your organization.

Experience

Schlumberger Oilfield Services, Garden Grove, CA 5/2008 - present

Field Specialist
Install and maintain electrical submersible pumps in oil and water wells and ass
ociated surface equipment. Equipment includes pumps, motors, sensors, transforme
rs, control and monitoring equipment. Equipment operates from 400 to 5,000 volts
and 20 to 500 amps.

WalMart Super Store, Missoula, MT 10/2007 - 5/2008

Frozen Food Associate
Unload trucks and stock frozen food section.

NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, MD 5/1994 - 11/2005

Electronics Engineer, GS 855 -14
I was the lead hardware engineer on the acquisition team for a national network
of weather monitoring equipment to replace the current rawinsonde network. This
was a two part project: investigate the requirements for and develop the specifi
cations for a new type of radiosonde, and determine the type of ground system to
be used and develop the specifications for it. I was responsible for the oversi
ght of design and construction of proof-of-concept system, development of test p
lan, oversight of test activities and data evaluation, and preparation of statem
ent of work and specifications for the production system.
I was also responsible for operations and maintenance of the current hardware as
sets of the upper air observing program. This included the 70,000 plus radiosond
es and associated consumables used each year and the national network of 100 plu
s ground systems and associated ground facilities. I established policies and pr
ocedures governing the use and maintenance of upper air equipment, investigated
and resolved technical issues, and evaluated equipment performance to ensure use
r requirements were being met.
I was the Contracting Officer's Technical Representative (COTR) for and responsi
ble for the maintenance of all radiosonde contracts. I worked with the vendors t
o ensure products met performance standards, help set up and conduct regular ins
pections of production facilities, reviewed and approved all documentation, help
ed set up and insured that all test equipment was operating properly and able to
verify that the performance specifications were being met, and reviewed and app
roved all test data. I provided technical assistance to field sites on radiosond
e and ground system hardware and operational issues. I worked with facilities en
gineers on upper air specific facilities issues such as design/construction of b
alloon inflation and launch shelters and retrieval, reconditioning and redeploym
ent of radomes and assist in review and oversight of building projects where upp
er air systems/ facilities are an integral part of the building design. I wrote
all radiosonde procurement specifications, wrote all contract modifications, eva
luated all vendor technical proposals, and monitored contract performance and pa
rticipated in all negotiations with vendors. I was the Decommissioning Manager f
or the upper air legacy systems and the Division Property Manager.

NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, MD 11/1991 - 5/1994

Electronics Engineer, GS 855-14
I supervised all technical activities involving the radar, radar adjuncts, and u
pper air equipment program areas. I was responsible for the technical oversight
of three national equipment programs and for the development and implementation
of two national replacement equipment programs. I planed, organized, and supervi
sed the work of the Radar, Radar Adjuncts, and Upper Air Equipment Groups and th
e Drafting Section located at National Weather Service Headquarters. I was respo
nsible for planning, coordinating, analyzing and evaluating the effectiveness of
these national equipment networks of systems to meet NWS requirements. I direct
ed the development of technical specifications for the procurement of complex el
ectronic equipment. I served on source evaluation boards. I administered leave,
evaluated performance, conducted semi-annual performance reviews and developed j
ob performance standards. AI was also the acting Lead Engineer on the upper air
replacement system program.

NOAA/National Weather Service, Silver Spring, MD 4/1989 - 11/1991

Electronics Engineer, GS 855-13
I was the Project Engineer responsible for the maintenance and operation of rada
r equipment. I directed and guided other engineering staff. I planned and organi
zed the work of the Radar and Radar Adjunct Program areas. I managed Engineering
Division radar funds. I determined objectives, schedules, and strategies govern
ing the acquisition, use, support, and disposition of NWS field resources. I ser
ved as consultant in the development of policy for the national radar and radar
adjunct engineering programs. I prepared technical specifications, conducted fea
sibility studies, served as COTR. Working totally on my own, I wrote the specifi
cations and statement of work for, conducted all technical reviews of vendor sub
missions, made recommendations to the Contracting Officer, managed the developme
nt and installation, and managed ongoing operations of a radar system deployed i
n Alaska to monitor volcanic ash clouds in response to Congressional pressure ov
er aircraft safety issues. This whole process was completed and the radar was on
site and operational in less than 6 months from the time of the initial eruptio
n. I evaluated plans, specifications, and a wide range of other documentation to
ensure they met NWS requirements and were compatible with NWS policies, and sup
port capabilities. I coordinated all NWS Engineering Division activities on the
try-agency WSR-88D weather radar program and was responsible for ensuring that N
WS specific requirements and issues were adequately addressed Program Office. In
this role I was directly involved in all hardware and software development, all
site/facilities planning and national coverage discussions, all operator and ma
intenance training philosophy, material, and class development, all technical ma
nual development, review and approval, and all logistics issues, including deter
mining the maintenance philosophy and factory setup.

Northrop Corp., Defense Systems Division, Rolling Meadows, IL 10/1988 - 4/1989

Senior Engineer
Temporarily assigned to McDonald-Douglas facility in St. Louis, MO developing th
e analog and digital test stations for the AN/ANQ-135 ECM system also included d
evelopment of system level test requirements specifically tailored to optimize t
he Built-in-test capabilities to enhance Intermediate Level Test/Repair on the G
FE test station AN/USM 458. This also involved the development of a BIT matrix a
pplication to achieve efficient fault isolation and minimize repair times.

Northrop Corp., Defense Systems Division, Rolling Meadows, IL 4/1984 - 10/1988

Project Engineer
I managed engineering units responsible for the design and development of Electr
o-Optical Infrared (QRC 82-03/MIRTS) and Electronic (AN/ALQ-162 and AN/ALQ-135)
Countermeasure Systems. I conducted studies to evaluate design alternatives and
cost impacts. During the last 4 years with Northrop, I was responsible for entir
e engineering effort from project definition to transition to production. I dire
ctly managed up to 45 engineers and technicians. I was responsible for project h
ardware and software design/development, Printed Wiring Board design/fabrication
, drafting, technical data generation, project scheduling, and financial trackin
g. I was the primary interface between the Engineering Department and the custom
er, subcontractors, program management, production and all support organizations
. I participated in the writing of Interface Control Documents, System Acceptanc
e Test Procedures, System Manufacturing Test Procedures, various sub-assembly MT
P's, and Aircraft/System Integration Procedures. I was the final approval author
ity for all documents and drawings associated with my programs. I was Engineerin
g representative on Configuration Control Board. I wrote Cost Account Work Autho
rizations and reviewed and approved all Engineering Change Requests for projects
on which I was lead. At Northrop, the Project Engineer had a great deal of resp
onsibility and authority. I assisted in setting initial cost, schedule and perfo
rmance objectives, and after, program approval, I was responsible for meeting th
e finalized cost, schedule and performance requirements.

Ford Aerospace, Keafon, Kuwait and USA 4/1981 - 4/1984

Engineer
Part of management team responsible to set up and operate primary and secondary
standards labs, electronic equipment support facilities and warehouse. Worked d
irectly with foreign hovernments to determine needs and capabilities. This incl
uded:
- develop comprehensive lists of all equipment to be supported. This always inc
luded equipment and systems from all over the world, some of it state of the art
but much of it obsolete. Compiled information on all required equipment, consu
mables and technical information for equipment to be supported. For the very ol
d equipment that was no longer sold or supported by the original manufacturers,
this was a very difficult process.
- identify equipment in inventory requiring traceability and establish means to
accomplish this.
- develop the specifications for the facilities needed to house all babs, offic
e space and warehouse.
- hire the additional personnel needed to set up and run the facility.
After commissioning of the facility, I was part of the on site management team.
I was involved with the operation of the Kuwait facility and the research for an
d set up of the facility in Turkey. I was scheduled to go to Turkey as part of
the management team there, but after the contract start date was delayed indefin
itely, I decided to take a position at Northrop.

National Bureau of Standards (now NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 4/1980 - 4/1981

Electronics Engineer
Designed and constructed electronic instrumentation used as industry standards t
o evaluate various manufactured materials. Integrated in-house design with off-t
he-shelf instrumentation. One system was a computer-controlled thermal conductiv
ity meter capable of monitoring and controlling temperature variations more accu
rately than any other apparatus of its kind. Other equipment built and maintaine
d included environmental chambers and instruments designed to simulate and monit
or the effects of weathering on various materials under controlled conditions. I
was also responsible for asset management of three labs. Responsible for schedu
ling of regular calibration and maintenance operations, arranging for repair of
defective equipment, determining future equipment requirements, researching and
compiling information needed for the ordering of equipment and spares, and acqui
sition of equipment.

Neotec, Silver Spring, MD 8/1978 - 4/1980

Engineer
Designed, assembled, and wrote software for computer controlled test equipment u
sed in-house. Designed test fixtures. Wrote specifications and test procedures.
Responsible for the transition of systems from development to production. Superv
ised the production staff; scheduled jobs, evaluated employee performance, inter
viewed applicants for production job openings, scheduled overtime, and assisted
with training.
During the first six months I was responsible for the design, construction, test
ing, and field installation of application-specific process control systems.

Optelecom, Gaithersburg, MD 1/1977 - 8/1978

Engineer
Manufactured semiconductor laser arrays to be operated at cryogenic temperatures
. Developed and wrote detailed process procedure covering the entire manufacturi
ng process from the receipt of the gallium arsenide wafers to the final assembly
and test of the laser arrays. This was a very complex process, requiring the ap
plication of various specialized processes and exotic materials. I was required
to know photo-lithographic techniques, sputter deposition of metalization, the u
se of linear ovens, and high vacuum chambers used in the doping of semiconductor
material. I hand cut and assembled 500 semiconductor lasers along with assorted
other components by hand, under a microscope. Inspected samples of individual l
asers for junction depth and channel geometry and power output. Provided all dep
ot level maintenance for the optical radar system used by the Air Force, for whi
ch the laser array was the critical component. I also designed, built and tested
digital circuitry used in fiber optics coupled communications equipment and mai
ntained test equipment and high vacuum systems.

Prior to 1977 I worked as an electronics technician. I worked full time on the

evening shift with Tektronix for 6 years while going to school. Before this, I
was an electronics technician with the US Air Force. All my technician experien
ce was as a bench tech doing component level repair.

Education:

Keller Graduate School of Management

Chicago, IL
Master's Degree - 3/1989
Major: business administration
Capitol College
Langam, MD
Bachelor's Degree - 6/1977
Major: electronics engineering technology
Montgomery College
Rockville, MD
Associates Degree - 12/1972