ENGINEERING ACQUISITION
Ryan Devine is nothing if not an engineer. “I lean heavily towards the logical, analytical, left-brained way of thinking,” he said. A self-professed nerd and a natural problem-solver, he took an indirect path to the Army Acquisition Workforce (AAW), first working in research and development for the Army. It all began with his undergraduate engineer- ing capstone project, when he was part of a team to design an automated inflatable bumper system to protect the hull of a high-speed Navy vessel during docking. “I seri- ously doubt that design was ever used,” he joked, “but it was a fascinating project.” At a career fair that spring, his fate was sealed.
RYAN DEVINE
COMMAND/ORGANIZATION: Product Manager for Force Sustainment Systems, Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support
TITLE: Assistant Product Manager for Shelter Systems
YEARS OF SERVICE IN WORKFORCE: 15
DAWIA CERTIFICATIONS: Level III in program manage- ment and engineering
EDUCATION: M.S. in systems engineering and project management, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Massachusetts; B.S. in engineering, Roger Williams University, Rhode Island
AWARDS: Detroit Federal Executive Board public service recognition, Project Manager Expeditionary Energy and Sustainment Systems Golden Shield, 10-Year Federal Career Service Award, Department of the Army Civilian Service Achievement Medal
“On a whim, I dropped a résumé at the NSRDEC [Natick Soldier Research Develop- ment and Engineering Center in Natick, Massachusetts, now the Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center] table,” he said. Te center, which had also spon- sored his capstone project, called him for an interview. When he was eventually offered the job, “I immediately accepted,” Devine recalled. “Working for an organization as expansive as the Department of Defense, with responsibilities that could fluctuate and stay fresh and exciting, made the position really appealing.”
In fact, he was hooked. Applying his engineering skills and natural curiosity to solve military problems turned out to be a great fit for Devine. Twelve years later, as he prepared to take on his current position as assistant product manager (APM) for Shelter Systems within the Product Manager for Force Sustainment Systems (PM FSS), he was apprehensive about the change from research and development to the broader world of acquisition. “Probably the most important point in my career with the Army was when I accepted my current position,” he said. And despite his early concerns about the tran- sition, “I’ve found my engineering background and way of thinking have been nothing but helpful in my acquisition career.”
Today, Devine is solving problems on a larger scale. His new home, PM FSS, falls under the Project Manager for Expeditionary Energy and Sustainment Systems, which is a part of the Program Executive Office for Combat Support and Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS). “FSS is responsible for a broad and diverse portfolio of equipment ranging from shelter systems to environmental control systems to tactical camouflage systems,” he explained. “As the APM for Shelter Systems, I manage specifically that portion of the portfolio: soft wall shelters, rigid wall shelters, vehicle-mounted shelters and a variety of products that can be integrated into shelters” (for example, insulation or electromag- netic spectrum shielding).
Shelter is one of the most basic human needs. And as engineers predictably do, Devine has begun looking for ways he can improve both the products themselves and the processes used to manage, procure and sustain them. “In the spirit of process improvement, I have created some tools for FSS personnel to use to make their jobs easier,” he said. One such tool, which he designed to streamline and partially automate the management of FSS fleet data, was recently adopted for more widespread use across PEO CS&CSS.
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Army AL&T Magazine
Fall 2020
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