Tim Bridges served in systems engineering, electrical, mechanical, and management roles, ranging from wiring and avionics box design, to subsystems, system and ‘system of systems’ design. He analyzed operational needs, derived design requirements, validated and flowed requirements down through systems, ran box level development and qualification testing, provided verification reports, and fielded hardware that successfully flew. Experienced in aircraft, satellites, manned space, and launch vehicles. Bridges holds four patents and published two technical papers. He holds a Master of Science in Systems Architecture and Engineering from the University of Southern California, and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Fullerton. He held a DOD Top Secret security clearance with SSBI/SCI Polygraph (1999 to 2015). He also volunteers for Hire Heroes USA (an organization that helps veterans), and for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

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Bridges joined McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Company in 1988 as an avionics systems engineer on the C-17 military transport program in Long Beach, California. He worked engineering change proposals, FMECA, redundancy schemes, and validation of flying quality requirements. He obtained a private pilot license during this time. Bridges transitioned to McDonnell Space Systems Company, Huntington Beach, CA in 1989. On the Space Station program, he was responsible for the solar alpha rotatory joint ICD between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, external control zone software requirements, Space Shuttle aft flight deck avionics integration, avionics initialization sequences, and design of electrical wiring and connectors - ensuring design requirements for EMI, connector insertion force, and maintainability were met. He published a paper on avionics system-level failure tolerance and verification for the 14th Annual Digital Systems Conference.

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Bridges established and led a multidiscipline project team on the Delta rocket program to address a top program risk: reuse of the Delta II rate gyro avionics in a Delta III cryogenic environment. He established system requirements, designed the system, and ensured that all mechanical, thermal, random vibration, low-frequency dynamics, structural, strength, grounding, electrical wiring, and manufacturing requirements were valid and traceable to design features. He completed verification of functional and performance requirements through a combination of analysis, inspection (including stakeholder sign-off on documentation). He ensured the rate gyro integrated with the rocket’s control system to achieve adequate vehicle stability margins, and reported verification methods and results to the program director’s satisfaction. Bridges completed development unit fabrication, and carried out development and qualification testing, including test failure investigation and trading the merits of regression testing vs. materials fatigue analysis. He supported mission assurance and launch readiness reviews. The production units successfully operated in flight. Bridges received his first patent for the design. 

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Bridges moved to Rockwell International in 1997 to support Global Positioning System.  He was responsible for overall technical management, systems engineering, risk management, suppliers, and senior leadership/customer engagement for GPS III. Bridges coordinated technical studies with the U.S. Air Force (SMC), Space Command, NASA, MITRE, DOT, and Aerospace Corp related to navigation warfare. He conducted subsystem and system-level requirements analyses and technical/programmatic trade studies involving power generation, controls, launch vehicle integration, single/dual manifests, active and passive antenna designs, pointing accuracy, and payload designs. He briefed the Defense Sciences Board on operational requirements traced to the design, gaining their official approval. He received the company’s Engineer of the Year award in 1999, a USAF Team Excellence Award from the customer, and a GPS Special Commendation “for exceptional leadership qualities".

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In 2005, Bridges was senior manager of Engineering Integration for the VP of Engineering for Boeing Defense Systems (BDS).  There he implemented BDS-wide business objectives involving Engineering, Finance, Supplier Management, Operations, HR, and other functions. Formed and led cross-organization project teams, gained stakeholder alignment, and operationalized leadership’s strategic visions. Examples include engineering first time quality, IM/IT strategic alliances with IBM and Cisco Systems, M&A functional clearance, intellectual property protection, and engineering excellence.  

Currently Bridges provides launch vehicle Mission Assurance services for Category II space flight worthiness certification, ensuring deliverables meet USSF CDRL requirements.