Serge Merlin - PMP

Strategic and commercially minded Service Delivery & Technical Program Leader with 15+ years managing complex customer engagements, contractual obligations, and cross‑functional delivery programs across SaaS, robotics, aerospace, and embedded systems. Known for driving governance discipline, aligning internal teams to customer commitments, and serving as the executive-facing point of accountability for high‑stakes, multi‑million‑dollar programs. Adept at navigating matrixed environments, influencing without authority, and ensuring risks, decisions, dependencies, and commercial impacts are proactively managed and clearly communicated.

Senior Manager, Technical Operations & Support Programs - Teledyne FLIR - Waterloo, ON

(2024-01)

Serve as the primary business and governance lead for global enterprise customers, ensuring alignment between contractual commitments, service expectations, and internal delivery teams.

• Lead executive-level communication, including service performance reviews, risk briefings, and operational governance forums.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams (Product, Engineering, Support, Finance, Legal) to ensure customer obligations, decisions, and dependencies are clearly documented and executed.
• Implement governance frameworks and telemetry-driven dashboards to track service performance, adoption gaps, and operational risks across global deployments.
• Drive commercial clarity by supporting scope adjustments, approvals, and change-impact assessments.

Engineering Project Manager - Teledyne FLIR - Waterloo, ON

(2022-01 - 2024-01)

Managed complex hardware/software delivery programs, ensuring alignment between customer expectations, contractual milestones, and engineering execution.

• Facilitated cross-functional decision-making and escalations across software, hardware, and firmware teams.
• Authored and maintained program governance documentation, including risk registers, dependency maps, action logs, and milestone tracking.
• Ensured operational clarity by coordinating handoffs, ownership boundaries, and communication paths across internal and external stakeholders.

Technical Product & Support Specialist (RPAS) - Teledyne FLIR - Waterloo, ON

(2015-01 - 2022-01)

Acted as the primary technical liaison between enterprise customers and Engineering, ensuring customer issues, feature requests, and operational risks were translated into actionable development priorities.

• Supported customer governance by preparing technical summaries, escalation documentation, and operational readiness materials.
• Led RPAS certification and training programs, ensuring compliance with regulatory and contractual requirements.

Consultant – RPAS / Fleet Logistics - Merlin Connections Inc. - Waterloo, ON

(2015-01 - 2021-01)

Advised B2B clients on operational risk, regulatory compliance, and fleet governance for autonomous systems.

• Developed mission-planning frameworks and operational documentation used in customer-facing governance and risk reviews.

Customer Project Manager (Aircraft Delivery Programs) - Bombardier Aerospace - Dorval, QC

(2009-01 - 2015-01)

Served as the primary customer relationship and delivery lead for complex aircraft programs, managing contractual obligations, compliance requirements, and delivery milestones.

• Facilitated executive governance reviews to resolve cross-functional issues impacting scope, cost, or timelines.
• Coordinated risk mitigation, regulatory approvals, and operational readiness across engineering, production, and customer teams.

Program Manager ($600M Portfolio) - RTI CLARO - Laval, QC

(2007-01 - 2009-01)

Directed a large-scale engineering and manufacturing program, ensuring contractual deliverables, financial targets, and operational commitments were met.

• Managed commercial discussions, vendor contracts, and scope adjustments with executive stakeholders.
• Implemented governance and performance frameworks that increased output and improved commercial outcomes.

Operations & Contract Manager / Product Manager - Zodiac Aerospace - Montreal, QC

(2004-01 - 2007-01)

Managed customer contracts, engineering deliverables, and operational dependencies for major aerospace programs.

• Oversaw governance processes, risk reviews, and cross-functional coordination across engineering, supply chain, and production teams.
• Delivered multi-million-dollar programs on time and within budget while improving operational efficiency and stakeholder alignment.

Program Manager – Dash 8 Program - Zodiac Aerospace - Montreal, QC

(2003-01 - 2004-01)

BSc Equivalent - Technology Engineering - Édouard Montpetit College

Computer Engineering Studies - Concordia University

Automotive Technician Training - Aviron Technical Institute

MBA Certification - Tulane University