Operations Leader & Systems Architect

Travis Brooks

I build the operating systems that hardware companies run on. Expertise ranging from portfolio architecture, firmware pipelines, AI-instrumented operations, to go-to-market infrastructure.

Get in touch View background
Scroll
Telematics Hardware Firmware & Embedded Systems Fleet Technology Portfolio Management AI Operations Commercial IoT BHPH & Auto Dealer Tech
About

The operating system behind the product

I'm a program and operations leader with deep roots in telematics hardware. This is the kind of work that sits at the intersection of engineering execution, commercial reality, and organizational design.

Over a career spanning Positioning Universal, Verizon Networkfleet, Spireon, DriveOK, and beyond, I've built the cross-functional infrastructure that turns hardware roadmaps into shipped products: intake systems, milestone frameworks, resource models, risk pipelines, and the decision architecture that keeps everything moving.

I think in systems. I lead at executive scope. And I build things that outlast my presence in the room.

20+
Years in telematics
42
Active programs managed
3
Go-to-market verticals
AI
GEO & AEO practitioner
Expertise

What I do

01

Portfolio & Delivery Architecture

Full-lifecycle program management across hardware, firmware, and software. Intake systems, milestone frameworks, resource pressure modeling, risk pipelines, and go-to-market readiness across multiple distribution strategies.

02

Operations Design

I design the cross-functional systems that connect engineering execution to commercial outcomes. Charter-driven delivery, decision accountability, and operational cadence that actually sticks.

03

Telematics & IoT

Twenty years of domain depth in connected vehicle technology, fleet tracking, embedded firmware, ODM partnerships, and cellular connectivity across TSP, fleet, and dealer channels.

04

AI-Instrumented Ops

Designing and deploying GEO/AEO instrumentation — LLM visibility auditing, query monitoring, and AI search presence measurement as operational infrastructure, not a one-time exercise.

05

Tooling & Systems

Builder of the operational infrastructure that runs the business: Flask/SQLite backends, SharePoint-integrated dashboards, intake and charter tooling, automated portfolio health reporting, and the data pipelines that keep decisions grounded in reality.

Case Studies

Work in practice

AI Operations
LLM Visibility Audit
Client
Positioning Universal Inc.
Period
2025–2026
My Role
Instrumentation & Measurement Owner
Outcome
6 workstreams initiated from baseline audit
The CEO forwarded a consultant note about AI agents influencing purchase decisions. I turned it into an operational question: where does the company actually show up when a buyer asks an LLM to recommend a telematics hardware supplier?

The answer was worse than expected. The company appeared in 40% of relevant queries, consistently placing sixth, and always an honorable mention. The model was drawing from a single industry report and had associated the brand with a non-competitor. Subsidiary brands weren't surfacing at all.
"The company had a presence problem it didn't know existed."
What I Built

A structured LLM Visibility Audit Kit: three buyer personas, five LLMs, a standardized query library, a five-dimension scoring rubric, Python automation, and a quarterly CEO report template. Repeatable instrumentation, not a one-time snapshot.

What Moved

Six workstreams initiated: schema markup and LLM crawler access, analyst relations to correct a Berg Insight mis-segmentation, subsidiary brand inclusion in trade media, structured JSON-LD spec sheets, brand architecture review, and a Q3 2026 re-audit against baseline.

My Role

I designed the system, established the baseline, and translated findings into cross-functional tasking. I own the scoreboard. Not the content.

Portfolio Operations
Program Management Operating System
Client
Positioning Universal Inc.
Period
2024–Present
My Role
Sole Architect & Builder
Scale
42 active programs across HW, FW & SW
Automated Artifacts
Rolling 3-Month Milestone Calendar
Portfolio Health Report
RAG Status Report
Portfolio Risk Panel
Portfolio Summary
Resource Pressure Index
The company tracked programs across individual Excel spreadsheets. Several spreadsheets per program, owned by whoever was closest to it. There was no portfolio view, no resource model, no risk aggregation, and no consistent milestone framework. Leadership had no single pane of glass. Decisions were made on gut and recency bias.

I designed and built a complete program management operating system from scratch using a Flask/SQLite backend with a full relational schema, connected to a suite of auto-generating executive dashboards that update on demand and publish live in SharePoint.
"From a spreadsheet per program to a live portfolio operating system — built, owned, and iterated by one person."
What I Built

A Flask/SQLite backend with full schema across programs, resources, phases, milestones, risks, decisions, and dependencies. Milestone frameworks by program type — HW/FW (11 milestones), FW-only (7), SW (4). Commitment classification (Committed / Probable / Speculative / On Hold) to prevent pipeline distortion in capacity calculations.

What It Produces

Six auto-generating SharePoint-embedded dashboards refreshed on demand: rolling 3-month milestone calendar, portfolio health report, RAG status report, risk panel, portfolio summary, and a resource pressure index that surfaces overallocation before it becomes a delivery miss.

What Changed

Leadership moved from reactive check-ins and scattered spreadsheets to a live, consistent view of portfolio health across 42 programs. The system surfaced a critically overallocated engineering resource that had been invisible in the prior model, and allowed leadership to adjust resource allocation months before the over-allocation impacted delivery results.

Background

Where I've operated

Present
VP Program Management
Positioning Universal Inc. — San Diego, CA
Portfolio architect across 42 active hardware, firmware, and software programs. Built the company's full program management operating system from intake through delivery. GEO/AEO instrumentation owner.
Prior
Operations & Product Leadership
Spireon / Verizon Networkfleet
Progressive operations and product management leadership across telematics hardware manufacturers. Built device reporting infrastructure, automation tooling, and cross-functional delivery systems.
Early Career
Operations & Support Leadership
DriveOK / Procon
Early-career foundation in connected vehicle technology, fleet tracking platforms, and the commercial infrastructure of the telematics industry.
Outside the office

Also building

The same instinct that drives operational architecture shows up outside of work. Currently:

Music // Industrial Electronic

PHOBOS

Concept album project. The Hollow Archive — a body of work exploring industrial tension and signal decay. Influenced by FLA, Skinny Puppy. Built track by track.

Game Dev // Indie Survival

Wasteland Scavenger

Indie survival game in development under Packed Tight Games. Systems design, world-building, and solo development. The same love of complex interlocking mechanics that shows up at work.

Let's talk

Executive program leader with deep ops roots. Targeting VP Operations and VP Program Management roles in hardware, IoT, and complex product businesses.

Direct inquiry

travis@
travisbrooks.ai
Send a message