H ELDER C ARVALHEIRA
C URRICULA V ITAE
Scotts Valley, CA 95066
Home: carvalh@cs.com
Office: 831-458-4439 helder.carvalheira@plantronics.com
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY
2000 – Present
PLANTRONICS – SANTA CRUZ, CA
Designer & manufacturer of communication headsets for consumer and professional applications

Director of New Product Introduction
January, 2003 – Present

Senior Program Manager, Bluetooth Wireless Products
May, 2000 – December 2002
SILICON VALLEY GROUP (FORMERLY WATKINS-JOHNSON) – SCOTTS VALLEY, CA 1994 – 2000
Designer & manufacturer of semiconductor wafer thermal processing equipment

Director of Systems Engineering
March 2000 – May 2000

Sr. Group Manager & Project Manager, Systems Engineering
January 1998 – March 2000

Supervisor & Project Manager, Robotics Platform Development
January 1996 – January 1998

Mechanical & Systems Engineer, Chemical Delivery & Exhaust Systems
November, 1994 – January 1996
1984 – 1994
ETEC SYSTEMS – HAYWARD, CA
Designer & Manufacturer of electron-beam lithography equipment for semiconductor wafer production

Mechanical Engineer, Electron Beam R&D and Mechanical Engineering
June 1991 – November 1994

Manufacturing Engineer, Production and System Test
February 1984 – June 1991
EDUCATION
With Honors
A.A. ELECTRO-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 1984 With Honors
St. Mary's College, Moraga, CA.
CERTIFICATE IN VACUUM TECHNOLOGY, 1987
Chabot College, Livermore CA.
B.A. BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, 1994
Chabot College, Hayward CA.
VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL COURSES

Engineering: Design for Manufacturability, Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing, Tolerance Stack-up

Project Management: AMA Project Management, Cadence Project Management, Managing Project Managers,
Analysis, Data Acquisition, Control Systems Theory and Application, Wireless Telecommunications Systems
and Infrastructure, and others.
Program and Portfolio Management, and others.
PATENTS AND PUBLICATIONS

U.S. PATENT #(I DON’T HAVE THIS WITH ME RIGHT NOW): “Semiconductor Wafer Processing System with
Vertically Stacked Process Chambers and Single-Axis Dual-Wafer Transfer System”.

U.S. PATENT #(I DON’T HAVE THIS WITH ME RIGHT NOW): “Communications Headset with Microphone and
Control Subsystems”.

TECHNICAL PAPER: “Process Equipment Architecture using Desktop Throughput Simulation”, IEEE/Advanced
Semiconductor Manufacturing Conference, September 1999.

TECHNICAL PAPER: “Characterization of In-Line Film Thickness Measurements for CVD”, Advanced Equipment
Control & Advanced Process Control Symposium XI, September 1999
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H ELDER C ARVALHEIRA
C URRICULA V ITAE
SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS
SYSTEMS ENGINEERING / DESIGN ENGINEERING

Led the overall system development and integration for a new Plantronics Wireless Bluetooth headset
platform, including software/hardware and mechanical/ergonomics. Tactically led the mechanical
development subproject. This product is currently the world’s best-selling Bluetooth headset.

Developed and refined systems specifications for Watkins-Johnson wafer handlers and chemical vapor
deposition (CVD) systems. Technically guided the engineering staff’s subsystem development projects.

Developed a methodology for modeling Watkins-Johnson production equipment throughput. Coded software
models, trained systems engineers, then directed the modeling project which resulted in a new system
architecture.

Researched and developed new ozone generation systems to reduce contamination in Watkins-Johnson wafer
processing equipment. Resulted in increased tool uptime, $3.6M annual savings in repairs, and $2M in
system sales.

Engineered and implemented system design solutions to reduce metal contaminants from chemical vapor
deposition films on Watkins-Johnson systems. This on-wafer contamination reduction directly resulted in
$20M in new sales.

Led prototype system integration projects at Etec, Watkins-Johnson, and Plantronics. Troubleshot systemlevel issues during first integration. Teamed with other engineers to resolve complex mechanical, electrical,
or process problems.

Designed a laser-based sub-micron wafer height and tilt sensor for Etec’s E-beam lithography systems.

Engineered many vacuum, vibration isolation, and precision mechanical subsystems for various Etec electron
beam and Watkins-Johnson Chemical Vapor Deposition applications.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Led the 40-member worldwide Plantronics Bluetooth wireless development team to design a new Bluetooth
wireless headset platform in record time (12 months) with aggressive performance, cost, and design targets.
Coordinated SW, HW, mechanical, quality, and manufacturing teams throughout North America and Europe.
Primary OEM customer interface. Employed strong manufacturing involvement in conceptual design to
improve manufacturability.

Led the Plantronics M205 development team to design and manufacture the company’s first earbud-style
mobile headset. Developed a new method to develop low cost products, combining US design with turnkey
manufacturing in China. This was also the division’s first implementation of a controlled product development
process with phase exits and controlled releases. Within one year of launch, it became the fastest selling
mobile headset in the company, as well as the #1 mobile headset in the US (ranked by sales dollars between
May 2001 and April 2002 by NPD Techworld, reported in TWICE magazine, 7-22-02, page 44).

Engineering project manager for the Plantronics MX100 mobile headset, becoming the first low-cost headset
manufactured in the company’s own captive factory. This design also included a newly-developed patented
ear interface design.

Project manager for the development of two new Watkins-Johnson $2.5M chemical vapor deposition systems.
Teamed with key engineering colleagues to develop a patented system architecture. Led the 58-member
team to develop a system from concept to first operation in 10 months while meeting cost targets.

Created a joint development program with a robotics vendor to develop a new Watkins-Johnson wafer
handler system with a low R&D investment while meeting product needs, completing its first automated
operation on schedule. Led a 12-member cross-functional team.

Created and led cross-functional development teams to implement wafer contamination solutions on WatkinsJohnson Chemical Vapor Deposition systems. Interfaced with sales, marketing, and customers to establish
project direction and implementation. Managed equipment production release, beta testing, field support,
and manufacturing support.
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H ELDER C ARVALHEIRA
C URRICULA V ITAE

Led the Etec Thermal Field Emission Source manufacturing test system project, including product definition,
design, and production implementation. Completed on schedule and on budget.
FUNCTIONAL MANAGEMENT

Restructured and re-developed the New Product Introduction Management team at Plantronics. Redefined
the NPIM role, coached and trained the staff on project management techniques. Developed new internal
processes for project management, such as NPD product costing, NPD pilot build material tracking, and
others. Expanded the scope of the NPIM function by coordinating and consolidating similar functions at
worldwide development sites (Mexico, UK, and Taiwan).

Successfully created, staffed, and managed a new Watkins-Johnson systems engineering department.
Established charter, objectives, and responsibilities. Directed the 11-member staff to establish systems
engineering as a key discipline for the company. Successfully positioned staff for success by coaching and
assigning projects matching their skills and desires. Maintained a 6% turnover rate (industry average was
>15%).

Created a new Watkins-Johnson wafer handling engineering department, leading 5 engineers and technicians
to develop wafer handling automation technologies.

Developed mission statement, charter, roles and responsibilities, and reporting methods for Plantronics
mobile headset project managers. Mentored junior- and mid-level project managers.
PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS GENERATION

Developed a new portfolio management process for Plantronics mobile headset projects, incorporating labor,
expenses, sales volumes, and strategic criteria to rank all new mobile headset programs. Developed an
extensive Excel-based analysis and report format to collect and analyze program data.

Working closely with corporate finance analysts, developed a new finance-based method of selecting
Plantronics’ manufacturing partners for low-cost mobile headsets. This analysis resulted in the placement of
the first low-cost mobile headset in the company’s captive factory.

Initiated and developed a monthly program review process for new Plantronics mobile headset products.
Developed presentation formats and coached other program managers on presentation content.
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