Open to opportunities

Usman Zaheer

@usmanzaheer2

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Experienced Director of Software Engineering with a focus on innovation.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I am seeking a role that fosters innovation and allows for team leadership, with opportunities for career growth and development.

I am an experienced Director of Software Engineering with a strong background in software, embedded firmware, and hardware engineering. My expertise lies in developing NASA Human Rated Safety Critical Flight Software, where I have invented an Automated Software Verification and Validation Framework. I have successfully managed teams of over 80 employees, building new teams from scratch and coaching emerging leaders. My extensive hands-on experience in software engineering allows me to remain actively involved in coding while overseeing the full Software Development Lifecycle.

Throughout my career, I have demonstrated strategic thinking and innovation, leading by example in global and remote team coordination. I have a proven track record of conducting trade studies on software development tools, implementing DevSecOps pipelines, and developing comprehensive verification and validation plans. My ability to mentor and onboard new employees has been instrumental in fostering a collaborative and high-performing work environment.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Deputy Flight Software Director

Current

Cimarron

Apr 2025 - Present (3 months)

Served as the Flight Software Deputy Chief/Director, responsible for all aspects of flight software development for the Starlab Commercial Space Station Program. Introduced and adapted a flight software verification automation framework to enhance the verification and validation process.

DevSecOps CI CD Software Project Management

Current

Senior Flight Software Area Lead

Current

CACI, NASA Johnson Space Center

Sep 2023 - Present (1 year 10 months)

Promoted to Task Area Lead, managing 12 separate flight software teams and continuing to develop flight software for Environmental Control and Life Support Systems. Led recruiting efforts, mentored new team leads, and coordinated task orders with NASA customers.

Team Leadership Project Management Recruiting Mentoring Budget Management

Engineering Manager

CACI, NASA Johnson Space Center

Sep 2020 - Present (4 years 10 months)

Managed the Gateway Level 2 Flight Software Verification and Validation Team and an additional Software Test Engineering Team. Designed the overall automated software testing architecture and provided feedback on requirements and architectural improvements.

Software Testing Automated Testing Software Architecture Team Management Integration Testing

Senior Embedded Software Engineer

CACI, NASA Johnson Space Center

Mar 2019 - Present (6 years 4 months)

Responsible for embedded C software design and implementation for components of the next-generation space suits (xEMU). Identified and proposed solutions for safety-critical flaws in oxygen control design and utilized JIRA and Confluence for Agile development.

Software Design Agile Methodology Jira Confluence

Senior Software Engineer

Schlumberger, Wireline Group

Mar 2010 - Present (15 years 4 months)

Applied hardware and software skills (C/C++/C#) to various projects, including project management and software development. Designed firmware for sensor measurements, developed and executed test plans, and led system-level design for a complex drilling measurement product.

C#Firmware Development Test Planning Project Management Agile Project Management

Embedded Systems Engineer

Cosense

Jun 2009 - Present (16 years 1 month)

Responsible for all aspects of assigned ultrasonic sensor projects, including electrical design, software, embedded firmware, and mechanical design. Identified and implemented improvements to existing firmware code and resolved discrepancies.

Firmware Prototyping Troubleshooting

Circuit Design Engineer

IBM

Apr 2007 - Present (18 years 3 months)

In charge of transistor-level VLSI integrated circuit design of control system digital logic and analog clock multiplier for embedded DRAMs. Completed schematic design, verification, layout, and Verilog model creation ahead of schedule.

VLSI Design Integrated Circuit Design Ultrasim Verilog ESP

Lead Software Engineer

IBM

Apr 2006 - Present (19 years 3 months)

Successfully led a remote team of engineers in the initial integration of a software tool for power routing into the IBM ASIC Methodology. Coded the top-level program, managed bug fixes, and addressed customer issues.

Software Integration Team Leadership Remote Team Management Customer Support ASIC Methodology

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Duke University

M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Activities and societies: M.S. Thesis: Low-Power System-Level Fault-Tolerance for Soft Errors Using Checkpointing, Dynamic Voltage Scaling and Adaptive Body Biasing

Completed a Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Thesis focused on low-power system-level fault-tolerance for soft errors using checkpointing, dynamic voltage scaling, and adaptive body biasing.

Johns Hopkins University

B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering

Activities and societies: Minors in Computer Science and Mathematics

Obtained a Bachelor of Science with dual majors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Also completed minors in Computer Science and Mathematics, building a strong foundation in various technical disciplines.