John Jackson
John Jackson, M.B.A.
Chief Strategy Officer
Mr. John Jackson is a founding member of VSD, LLC (VSD). John plays a key role as the chief strategy officer, working within the executive leadership function to plan, communicate, and execute strategic initiatives to support the organization’s growth, revenue, and profitability objectives. Working with the other corporate officers, John developed and successfully implemented the strategy that diversified VSD’s customer base, pinpointed new areas for business growth, arranged resources to execute the strategy, implemented a project management office, and recommended entrance into international markets. John monitors competitive environment issues and key metrics to adjust the organization’s strategy and assist in steering the company’s strategic goals and implementation plans. In order to help the organization achieve its strategic goals, John oversees the definition of information technology requirements and plans for technology support of organizational improvements.
John’s core strengths are in conceptualization and integration of project risk management controls, capability asset management, and organizational maturity models. Early in his business career, John was exposed to sophisticated frameworks and systems for managing high technology development programs (and their associated business processes and human resource pools). Since his joining VSD, it is in these three areas where he has provided leadership.
In capability asset management, it was John who foresaw the market’s move towards higher thresholds and preferences for structured approaches, professionally-certified staff, and quality-controlled product/service delivery capability. Leveraging his knowledge of Capability Maturity Models, he rebuilt the firm’s talent pool and inventory of skills, knowledge, experience, and abilities so that the firm could sustainably compete for larger and more complex projects. This attention to managing the firm’s capabilities was key to the conveyance of trust in many competitive bidding situations where VSD was viewed as a new player.
In the area of project risk management, John has been instrumental in guiding the firm to its near International Standards Organization-grade level of sophistication. A key to this achievement has been his successes in implementing earned value management practices into the firm’s project management activities. In this area, he has introduced formal processes and procedures in key points in the production value chain where risk was greatest. As a result, the firm has experienced dramatic reductions in project delivery risk and across-the-board reductions in risk-related project incidents, all the while generating incremental and predictable gains in project profitability.
On the recent 35M Integrated Patrol Boat Training program, it was John who led the team that developed the proposal and the project management plan. As a result of his very visible contribution, the client awarded him individually the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Commander’s award. John’s work is further credited with inspiring market confidence in VSD, resulting in the subsequent award of the 60-Meter Offshore Support Vessel contract.
Prior to VSD, John served as a senior analyst at CACI. He started his career with CACI as a computer-based training developer, but his analytical skills and experience allowed him to help the organization in other key areas. John assisted program managers in implementing business unit-wide management systems to track and monitor large-scale software engineering projects for the Department of Defense. He also assisted with the implementation of Capability Maturity Model Level 3 software development systems for the business unit.
John started his career in one of the most challenging schools in the U.S. Navy. He attended Naval Nuclear Power School and graduated in the top quarter of his class. He subsequently volunteered to be aboard submarines where he qualified as the senior watch station engineering watch supervisor as a junior sailor. During his tour aboard a submarine, John trained for and was selected to go to the physically demanding and selective U.S. Navy Diver Training where he was rigorously qualified to conduct critical underwater inspections on submarines.
John attended the University of Phoenix where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business/Information Systems and his master’s in business administration with a concentration in technology management. He graduated both programs with honors. John holds a Project Management Professional certification from the Project Management Institute and is a Microsoft Certified Professional and a certified Master Training Specialist with the U.S. Navy.
John is always looking to expand his network and may be reached on LinkedIn.