Cory Ebert, MBA

Senior technical program, product operations, and enterprise systems leader across software platforms, hardware services, internal tooling, analytics, procurement workflows, AI-augmented operating models, and technical launches. Current enterprise technology leader at Corporate Imaging Concepts with 15+ prior years at Microsoft across service engineering, support operations, diagnostics, repairability, vendor strategy, and launch governance. Experienced owning roadmaps, operating models, KPI frameworks, budget execution, compliance workflows, and cross-functional delivery across product, engineering, operations, suppliers, legal, finance, and executive stakeholders. MBA with direct and matrixed people management experience spanning 800+ technical specialists, temporary launch teams, vendor resources, and cross-functional engineering groups.

Core Skills

Technical Program Management, Product Operations, Enterprise Systems, Software Platform Delivery, Internal Platform Delivery, Hardware and Services Productization, Operating Model Design, Roadmap Ownership, Launch Governance, KPI and OKR Frameworks, Executive Communication, Vendor Management, Budget Ownership, Supplier Management, Regulatory Compliance, Smartsheet, Azure DevOps, Power BI, AI-Augmented Workflows, People Leadership, People Management, Performance Management, Influencing Without Authority, Cross-Functional Leadership, Team Development, Change Management, Dashboards

Professional Experience

Corporate Imaging Concepts, Stanwood, WA

Information Technology Program Manager, November 2024 to Present

Lead enterprise technology delivery for CIC's largest client account across analytics, compliance, procurement, infrastructure, internal platforms, and operational reporting. Own development backlog in Azure DevOps and partner workstreams in Smartsheet, coordinating roadmap priorities, business requirements, tooling adoption, stakeholder alignment, launch readiness, and executive visibility.

• Design operating rhythms for enterprise technology delivery, balancing roadmap priorities, backlog health, stakeholder readiness, implementation sequencing, adoption, and operational reporting.
• Drive Smartsheet and Azure DevOps usage across internal and partner workstreams, creating visibility, accountability, and clearer execution ownership across teams.
• Delivered margin intelligence platform integrating SAP and sales data in Power BI and Looker Studio, surfacing 0% to 77% margin discrepancies and enabling leadership decisions on pricing, cost drivers, and sales process improvements.
• Coordinated Coupa onboarding across client workflows, including automated invoicing, procurement process alignment, stakeholder training, vendor/system readiness, and adoption planning.
• Built SaaS ticketing and workflow platform with SLA tracking, automation rules, real-time collaboration, audit logging, and multi-tenant data isolation to standardize repeatable service delivery.
• Led legacy modernization strategy for .NET WCF/SOAP platform, mapping 450+ stored procedures and 217 database entities into actionable roadmap and SAP integration documentation.
• Led monthly IT development sessions and company-wide training for new systems, AI/LLM workflows, and process changes, converting technical change into repeatable operating practices.

Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, WA

Technical Program Manager, Device Repairability Engineering, September 2020 to September 2024

Owned repairability programs for Surface hardware, including Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 2024, across consumer, commercial, and authorized service channels. Served as Product Owner for repair guides, service content, diagnostics, governance workflows, supplier execution, compliance deliverables, and launch readiness tied to hardware release timelines.

• Owned product roadmap, program budget, iFixit vendor contract, RFP, vendor selection, pricing negotiation, deliverables, and quarterly VP/Director reporting.
• Managed 3 to 5 vendor employees for Surface repair training guide development, including role definition, hiring input, termination decisions, performance evaluation, and deliverable quality.
• Built global service content delivery framework with Tier 1 and Tier 1.5 suppliers, reducing external partner expenditures by 100% and accelerating production timelines by 60% through stage-gate governance.
• Designed launch governance model for repairability content, including review workflows, acceptance criteria, decision gates, and sign-off across engineering, legal, safety, supplier, and partner teams through influencing without authority.
• Built executive scorecards tracking CSAT, repeat repair rate, partner readiness, schedule risk, and program financial performance for leadership reviews.
• Owned compliance workflows for French repairability score documentation, Right to Repair legislation, environmental and safety requirements, and export controls for repair tooling.
• Led cross-functional diagnostics programs for Surface hardware, reducing customer-generated repair tickets by 27% through KPI-driven product and service improvements.
• Drove training sessions and monthly development forums for new process rollouts, repair enablement, and cross-functional stakeholder readiness.

Technical Program Manager, Technical Support Operations Management, October 2017 to September 2020

Managed operational programs and culture for 800+ Tier 2 and Tier 3 technical specialists across 83 Microsoft Store locations supporting Surface, Xbox, and Windows. Operated under a split-management model with store managers owning local hiring and scheduling while owning Answer Desk role definition, onboarding, training, performance expectations, service policy, operational KPIs, escalation workflows, partner readiness, support transformation, and customer-facing service outcomes.

• Designed and owned operating model changes for Answer Desk service delivery, including role standards, service policy, technician workflows, escalation paths, readiness expectations, and operational KPIs.
• Owned Answer Desk culture and execution standards across 83 locations, including onboarding, training development, training delivery, performance management inputs, and termination authority for site personnel.
• Led COVID-era transformation from physical retail support to remote delivery across 83 locations, including CRM migration, operating model redesign, team restructuring, and change adoption.
• Hired and managed 10 employees to launch and operate COVID-era device recycling program, including candidate selection, role definition, training, safety practices, quality control, and day-to-day management; delivered 1,500 devices cleaned, re-imaged, and donated to Washington schools within three weeks.
• Reduced repair turnaround time by 57% through KPI ownership, escalation management, process redesign, and operational governance.
• Established Microsoft's first authorized repair partner program, increasing repair capacity by 40% through business case development, vendor alignment, contract execution, and partner readiness planning.
• Managed six-person escalation recovery team through backlog elimination, role definition, KPI definition, training, and performance management, reducing 1,000+ open tickets to under 100 and improving response times from 3 to 5 days to under 24 hours.
• Delivered training at scale through stage presentations to 100+ personnel and remote sessions on new systems, workflows, service standards, and operating model changes.
• Authored role expectations and supported hiring processes for Answer Desk Service Advisor positions, contributing to clearer standards and team capability development.

Technical Program Manager, Factory Repair Engineering, February 2016 to October 2017

Drove product development and process optimization for Microsoft's global Surface repair and refurbishment network. Product Owner for Surface Diagnostic Toolkit and Software Repair Tool, partnering with engineering, quality, manufacturing, and repair operations teams to improve readiness, throughput, and service quality.

• Owned Surface Diagnostic Toolkit from requirements through release, improving diagnostic accuracy by 43% across repair facilities.
• Shipped Windows repair automation tooling for Surface devices, achieving 17% defection rate for customer repair tickets.
• Led device imaging system integration within 3 months, reducing imaging time by 60% and customer wait time by 35+ minutes.
• Developed testing standards and acceptance criteria for returns, repair, refurbishment, and service quality at Tier 1 Microsoft-owned facilities.
• Coordinated with manufacturing partners to improve global repair operations, service quality, cost performance, and deployment consistency.

Technical Advisor, Microsoft Stores Answer Desk, September 2009 to January 2016

Provided Tier 2 support and hands-on device repair for Surface, Xbox, and Windows products. Maintained 90%+ customer satisfaction and was selected for Microsoft corporate TPM role based on technical expertise and operational impact.

Selected Product Operations Projects

Operating Systems, Tooling, and Analytics

• Built internal SaaS workflow platform with SLA policy tracking, automation rules, audit logging, and operational reporting for repeatable service delivery.
• Developed Power BI and Looker Studio dashboards integrating SAP, storefront, and sales data for operational visibility, margin analysis, and executive decision support.
• Led enterprise system migration discovery across 450+ stored procedures and 217 database entities, converting undocumented legacy complexity into actionable modernization roadmap inputs.

Review Squad, AI-Augmented Development Framework

github.com/Corye-CIC/Review_Squad

• Architected AI-assisted development framework covering discuss, research, plan, consult, implement, review, and ship workflows.
• Designed orchestration patterns, quality controls, agent specializations, persistent memory, and lifecycle commands for repeatable software delivery governance.
• Built practical AI-augmented workflows for planning, implementation, review, and shipping, modeling a builder mindset.

Education

Master of Business Administration, Western Governors University, October 2025
Excellence Award, Management Communications

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Management, Western Governors University, 2025
Capstone Excellence Award, WGU Excellence Award

Technical Proficiencies

Product Operations: Operating Model Design, Planning Cycles, Goals Frameworks, Launch Governance, Team Rhythms, Role Standards, Hiring Standards, Product Lifecycle Management, Executive Communication

Metrics and Insights: KPI/OKR Frameworks, Operational Dashboards, Investment Prioritization, Readiness Metrics, Reliability Metrics, Cost Tracking, Schedule Tracking, CSAT, Repeat Repair Rate

Tools and Systems: Smartsheet, Azure DevOps, Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Project, Power BI, Looker Studio, Google Analytics, SAP ECC 6.0, Coupa

AI and Automation: AI-Augmented Workflows, Agentic AI Workflows, LLM Tooling, Model Context Protocol, Workflow Automation, Automation Rules, Audit Logging

Technical Platforms: TypeScript, Python, SQL, C#, PowerShell, NestJS, React 19, Node.js, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Redis, REST APIs, WebSocket, API Gateway, Microservices

Governance and Leadership: Cross-Functional Alignment, Vendor Management, Supplier Management, Budget Ownership, RFP Management, Regulatory Compliance, Compliance Controls, Acceptance Criteria, Change Management, Training and Adoption