Craig Johnston
Mooresville,NC
Summary
Experienced project management and technology leader with over 20 years of expertise in delivering complex projects and driving agile transformations across organizations. Skilled in resource management, system/data architecture, and cross-functional team leadership. Proven track record in improving operational efficiency, managing budgets, and implementing innovative solutions across diverse industries. Certified PMP and Scrum Master with a passion for aligning technology strategies with business objectives.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Project Manager
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
12.2023 - 01.2026
- Directed Agile transformation initiatives for digital web and mobile application teams, emphasizing roadmap planning and release management. Utilized Scrum and Kanban within Jira and Confluence.
- Led cross-functional teams to deliver on average 4 high-impact projects per quarter on time and within budget with 99.9% deployment uptime
- Utilized AI tools for refinement of development tasks and meeting notes.
- Implemented process improvements that enhanced team velocity by 50%, which increased project deliveries.
Senior Product Manager
Lowes Home Improvment
12.2021 - 10.2023
- Spearheaded product vision and strategy for Supply Chain Data Analytics, enhancing decision-making processes across 3 products.
- Led agile coaching sessions and facilitated SAFe quarterly planning, achieving improved team cohesion and delivery predictability.
Senior Scrum Master
Lowes Home Improvment
05.2020 - 12.2021
- Provided Agile Transformation, Agile Coaching and Scrum Master duties across 4 teams within Core Data Science and teams within Data Analytics Platform teams.
- Implemented process improvements that enhanced team velocity by 40% and reduced project timelines
- Moderated annual and quarterly PI planning utilizing SAFe practices, including Epic and Feature development and refinement.
- Produced reporting via Jira dashboards, plans, Confluence pages and Miro.
Senior Program Manager
National General Insurance
01.2018 - 08.2019
- Senior leadership for IT DevOps and Control Management
- Managed a $3.5M program budget, overseeing the successful migration to Azure DevOps and enterprise file transfer solutions.
- Led cross-functional teams across geographic locations to implement strategic initiatives enhancing operational efficiency.
- Standardized release management practices, ensuring compliance with corporate IT and security standards.
- Improved project management processes through adoption of Agile methodologies, increasing delivery speed by 50%.
Program Manager
National General Insurance
10.2012 - 01.2018
- Provided senior leadership in a product and program management role for supporting Financial Applications, Shared Services and Quality Control Testing.
- Managed an estimated $10M budget with 36 total resources.
- Led cross-functional teams to develop and implement large scale strategic initiatives for program success.
- Streamlined project workflows, enhancing efficiency and reducing time-to-completion for multiple programs.
- Mentored junior program staff, fostering professional development and knowledge sharing across teams.
- Analyzed program performance metrics to drive data-driven decisions and improve overall outcomes.
Software Development Manager
National General Insurance
11.2008 - 10.2012
- Led four teams that support Sales, Service, Marketing, and Business Intelligence products related to the private passenger, commercial, and motorcycle business.
- Led cross-functional teams to implement strategic initiatives enhancing operational efficiency, achieving a 40% reduction in system outages through proactive release management.
- Enhanced project planning and execution processes, enabling a 30% improvement in time-to-market for key deliverables.
Education
BBA - Business Analysis and Marketing
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX12.1988
Skills
- SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban proficiency
- Insurance and finance knowledge
- Data Analytics
- Cross-platform application integration
- Client relationship management
- Project plan development
- SaaS implementation experience
- Tools: Jira Confluence, TFS/Azure DevOps, MS Project, MS Visio, PowerPoint, Miro, Smartsheet
Certification
- Project Management Professional (PMP) – Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM) – Scrum Alliance
Timeline
Senior Project Manager
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store
12.2023 - 01.2026
Senior Product Manager
Lowes Home Improvment
12.2021 - 10.2023
Senior Scrum Master
Lowes Home Improvment
05.2020 - 12.2021
Senior Program Manager
National General Insurance
01.2018 - 08.2019
Program Manager
National General Insurance
10.2012 - 01.2018
Software Development Manager
National General Insurance
11.2008 - 10.2012
BBA - Business Analysis and Marketing
Texas A&M University