Krishna Chaitanya Narra

About Krishna Chaitanya Narra

I\'m an engineering leader who\'s equally comfortable debugging a tricky HIL failure at 10pm and running a program review with senior stakeholders the next morning. After 20+ years delivering across both safety-critical and application software systems, I\'ve learned that the best engineering managers don\'t stop being engineers — and I\'ve worked hard to stay both.My foundation is in software validation, verification, and certification.It spans safety-critical systems under DO-178C and CENELEC SIL4, as well as modern application-level software using BDD-based automation, CI/CD-integrated pipelines, Python frameworks, and Jenkins workflows.I\'ve delivered complex programs across rail signaling and avionics, with particularly deep expertise in rail — spanning both vital onboard systems and wayside systems.In these environments, failure is quite literally not an option, and that mindset shapes how I approach quality, compliance, risk, and delivery at every level.That same passion for engineering and problem-solving led me to file a patent — an aerial camera system for determining size parameters of vehicle systems (US #99•••23) — something I\'m quietly proud of.Building and scaling distributed US + India engineering teams is something I\'ve done from scratch more than once — hiring engineers, establishing offshore delivery models, transitioning full V&V programs, and keeping execution steady across time zones and cultures. Creating environments where engineers can actually do their best work is one of the most rewarding parts of this job.Lately, I\'ve been focused on how AI and LLMs can be applied meaningfully to software engineering. That curiosity led to deploying a GPU-accelerated local LLM on internal infrastructure — enabling AI-driven test generation and intelligent document search in a secure, on-premise environment, keeping all IP within company infrastructure. The emphasis is always on practical impact: reducing manual effort, improving engineering confidence, and always asking what actually works — not just what\'s trending.Outside of work, I tinker with the latest AI technologies to stay sharp, and hit the gym and badminton court to stay sane.I am an US Permanent Resident — authorized to work for any US employer without sponsorship.If you\'re looking for someone who can lead a complex program, get hands-on when needed, and build teams that deliver with confidence — let\'s connect.

Experience

1. R & d Project Manager Test Leader

   KB Signaling

   Jan 2022 — Present · Melbourne, FL, US

   Led end-to-end validation campaigns for the Wayside Data Management Module, an edge analytics platform — owning test strategy, automation frameworks, and delivery across application-level software using agile methodology- Own test planning and estimation across concurrent programs — defining scope, effort, and schedules that align engineering capacity with delivery commitments- Reduced test execution and delivery cycle time by 30%+ through tooling improvements, CI/CD integration, and BDD/Behave framework adoption- Built a private CloudStack environment and deployed a GPU-accelerated local LLM on internal infrastructure — enabling AI-driven test generation and intelligent document search in a secure, on-premise environment, keeping all IP within company systems- Build and mentor distributed US + India engineering teams; establish individual development plans and drive best practices for modern DevOps workflows.

Education

• Sriram Engineering College

  B Tech, Information Technology

  1999 — 2003