From Developer to Technical Program Manager: A Code Weaver's Chronicle

It is said that life takes you unexpected places, but love brings you home. For many engineers at Samsung R&D Institute India – Bangalore (SRI-B), developer of several ‘World’s best’ and ‘World’s first’ technology solutions, their entry into this patent powerhouse was steered by their relentless love for research and innovation. Vanisri Srikrishna Jallapelli, head of the Camera Technical Program Management (TPM) department, is one such example whose passion for work led her home to SRI-B.

Fresh out of college, Vanisri embarked on her professional journey in 2003, starting as a computer engineer at a Bangalore-based telecommunications service provider. Interestingly, although she officially joined SRI-B about 15 years ago (in 2008), her association with Samsung traces back to the first day of her career. In fact, her first client and project was with the famed South Korean conglomerate. During this period, she had the privilege to visit all of Samsung’s offices in Europe and Singapore, where she experienced first-hand the innovative work culture and inherent ‘sense of urgency’ that is weaved into the fabric of every Samsung employee. Needless to say, she was hooked.

Five years later, she found herself living her dream when she joined the fraternity as a software developer in SRI-B, Samsung’s largest software R&D centre outside of South Korea.

Figure 1: Vanisri (first row, 4th person from the left) along with members from the Camera Team at SRI-B

“Even now, I remember my first day of joining Samsung. It feels like 15 years passed by so quickly – doesn’t feel that long at all! Every day has a new challenge, a new problem to solve, so I’m really enjoying my work here! There is also a lot of freedom to explore my role and share my talent. My managers are very supportive and keep encouraging and challenging me to do new things, so I enjoy work every day.”

In the fifteen years of her tenure, Vanisri has had the opportunity to work on a wide range of projects across domains, having grown from a developer to an innovator to the technical program manager that she is today. And the journey, she shares, has been one of continuous growth and learning, even as her role evolved with the company’s expanding portfolio. She filed two patents within the first 5 years of her career at SRI-B. She also played an integral role in defining the roles and responsibilities of a technical program manager (TPM), and currently heads the TPM department for the Camera team.

Figure 2. Vanisri presented with the 'Wonder Woman' Award at SRI-B's Silver Jubilee Celebrations

As her role entails ensuring timely, smooth and successful execution and delivery of new products/solutions, she is involved in every stage of the product development cycle until its release in the market. No doubt, the task comes with its fair share of challenges, but for Vanisri, that’s what makes work interesting every day, amplified by the unmatched feeling every time a new product or feature is released to the world. Her first experience of this moment was in 2018, during the launch of a new product in the Galaxy J series, where SRI-B made significant contributions to camera solutions on the device. Since then, the Company has further expanded its capabilities, with established Centres of Excellence in Communication, Vision, Voice, On Device AI, IoT and Services.

“The thing I like most about working in SRI-B is technology; there are so many areas of tech that you can explore at work, so our portfolio is always expanding. The technology here is the best and really drives our work.”

Vanisri has also contributed to preparing the process roadmap for the organization at different phases of its journey, aligning with the Company’s R&D vision. With SRI-B now en route towards creating the New Valley, more exciting opportunities and projects are underway, which is set to further empower and enable consumers.

If you would like to work in an organization that is ever-evolving and enables you to work on cutting-edge technology, visit:
http://www.samsung.com/in/aboutsamsung/careers/careers-center/
https://sec.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/Samsung_Careers