Open To Work
Hi, I’m
John Kochan
Gainesville
Summary
Dynamic Principal Systems Engineer at The MITRE Corporation, adept in program management and strategic development. Spearheaded initiatives that achieved over $100M in annual savings and enhanced operational efficiency. Proven leader in talent development and risk management, driving cross-functional collaboration and delivering impactful results in complex environments.
Overview
28
years of professional experience
1
Certification
Work History
The MITRE CorporationMcLean
Principal Systems Engineer
01.2006 - 01.2025
Job overview
- Advised federal executives on IT acquisition and modernization strategies, developing acquisition packages and integrating CI/CD and enterprise-scale engineering to secure contracts 15% under projections and generate over $100M in annual savings.
- Architected an enterprise‑wide framework unifying multiple VA programs, improving interoperability, strengthening governance, and delivering 15% efficiency gains and 10% cost reductions.
- Led enterprise service‑transformation initiatives with senior IT leaders, applying ITIL best practices and AI‑enabled automation to improve government service efficiency by up to 15%.
- Developed a VA System‑of‑Systems management strategy that reduced risk by 5%, improved cross‑team coordination by 15%, and lowered system integration costs by 10%.
- Directed a 30+ member cross‑functional engineering team, delivering ACA‑compliant outcomes and sustaining nine consecutive quarters of perfect CPAR scores with less than 1% budget variance.
- Directed process improvement initiatives across federal agencies, integrating program management methodologies and strategic alignment to enhance operational efficiency and advance mission outcomes.
- Provided strategic evaluation of DOJ’s Financial Shared Services proposal, shaping interagency decisions and enabling a cloud‑based financial system projected to save over $10M annually.
- Revitalized MITRE’s Systems Engineering Division talent pipeline by redesigning college recruitment strategy and strengthening long-term workforce planning, increasing quality and diversity of new hires by 20%.
- Mentored early‑career engineers through targeted development and education guidance, strengthening technical capability and accelerating long‑term professional growth.
The MITRE CorporationMcLean
Associate Department Head
01.2006 - 01.2025
Job overview
- Applied Lean Six Sigma methodologies to strengthen systems engineering for quality-improvement initiatives, reinforcing change-management processes across four federal agencies.
- Streamlined resource allocation processes with program and portfolio teams, reducing identification and allocation time by 30% and reinforcing governance.
- Directed hiring, management, and professional development for 50-member team, implementing initiatives that enhanced retention and improved cross-departmental communication.
Avanco International Inc.McLean
Business Intelligence Program Manager
01.2005 - 01.2006
Job overview
- Reported directly to the Executive Vice President, overseeing all aspects of the Business Intelligence Solutions group. Led recruitment, strategic planning, and operational procedure development, aligning efforts with organizational goals to drive growth and efficiency.
- Developed and executed a growth strategy for the Business Intelligence Solutions group—focused on the Cognos 8 product suite—achieving a 20% expansion within the first year.
- Contributed as key member of Solutions Team, applied understanding of requirements and processes to develop operational and system views of DoDAF Architecture.
Artesia Technologies (OpenText)Rockville
Manager Technical Education
01.1998 - 01.2005
Job overview
- Reported directly to Sr. Vice President for Products and Services, overseeing partner and customer training initiatives to align with strategic goals.
- Designed and launched three distinct multi-day training courses for Artesia Digital Asset Management software, increasing user adoption by 25% and boosting satisfaction ratings by 30%.
- Developed and delivered methodologies course for partner and client project teams, transferring best practices and project learnings to improve implementation outcomes.
- Built and maintained 10+ training environments on Windows and Solaris, facilitating effective hands-on learning experiences across databases, servers, and client architectures.
Artesia Technologies (OpenText)Rockville
Senior Consultant-Management Consulting Services/Professional Services
01.1998 - 01.2005
Job overview
- Reported to Senior Director, delivered IT and business consulting for comprehensive Digital Asset Management solution, enhancing client operations.
- Led strategic initiatives to enhance client engagement and satisfaction.
- Facilitated targeted workshops at General Motors, Getty Images, and other client sites, aligning software implementations with organizational goals to achieve business objectives.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop innovative solutions for clients.
- Analyzed complex business requirements to inform project scope and deliverables.
Network Imaging CorporationHerndon
Systems Test Engineer
01.1997 - 01.1998
Job overview
- Developed and executed comprehensive test plans for imaging systems.
- Reported to QA Manager; conducted unit, regression, and beta testing on imaging products, including COLD, Workflow, and Storage Media applications, ensuring product quality and reliability.
- Conducted system performance evaluations for network imaging solutions.
- Collaborated with engineering teams to troubleshoot system issues.
Education
Worcester Polytechnic InstituteWorcester, MA
MS from Systems Engineering
01.2019
Fort Leonard WoodFort Leonard Wood, MI
US ARMY Engineer Officer Advance Course
01.1999
Fort DixFort Dix, NJ
US ARMY Observer Controller Certification Course
01.1997
Fort Leonard WoodFort Leonard Wood, MI
US ARMY Engineer Officer Basic Course
01.1992
Radford UniversityRadford, VA
BBA from Operations Management
01.1991
Skills
- Leadership
- Program management
- Strategy development
- Risk management
- Resource management
- Continuous process improvement
- Organizational change
- Policy development
- Operational analytics
- Shared services
- Stakeholder engagement
- Talent development
- Schedule management
- Acquisition support
- Change
- MBSE knowledge
- Strong business acumen
Clearances
- Department of Defense TS/SCI
- DHS Top Secret Suitability
- US Department of Commerce MBI
- US Department of Treasury MBI
- Department of Veterans Affairs Top Secret
- Department of Health and Human Services MBI
Certification
- CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst+), CompTIA, 12/31/26
- US ARMY Engineer Officer Basic Course, Fort Leonard Wood, MI, 12/31/92
- US ARMY Observer Controller Certification Course, Fort Dix, NJ, 12/31/97
- US ARMY Engineer Officer Advance Course, Fort Leonard Wood, MI, 12/31/99
Skills
Leadership, Program management, Strategy development, Risk management, Resource management, Continuous process improvement, Organizational change, Policy development, Operational analytics, Shared services, Stakeholder engagement, Talent development, Schedule management, Acquisition package development and support, Change, MBSE knowledge, Strong business acumen, CySA+(Cybersecurity Analyst+), SE V-model, ITIL v3/v4, Visio, SAFe, SEBOK, ITSM, MS Project, MindManager, Jira/Confluence
Professional Development
- MITRE's Leadership Competency Framework eLearning, 12/31/23
- Clarity Training for Project and Task Leaders, 12/31/21
- Trusted Advisor Essentials, 12/31/21
- Introduction to the Innovation Toolkit and Application, 12/31/20
Work Preference
Job Search Status
Open to workWork Type
Full TimeLocation Preference
HybridRemoteOn-SiteSalary Range
$190000/yr - $225000/yrTimeline
Principal Systems Engineer
The MITRE Corporation
01.2006 - 01.2025
Associate Department Head
The MITRE Corporation
01.2006 - 01.2025
Business Intelligence Program Manager
Avanco International Inc.
01.2005 - 01.2006
Manager Technical Education
Artesia Technologies (OpenText)
01.1998 - 01.2005
Senior Consultant-Management Consulting Services/Professional Services
Artesia Technologies (OpenText)
01.1998 - 01.2005
Systems Test Engineer
Network Imaging Corporation
01.1997 - 01.1998
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
MS from Systems Engineering
Fort Leonard Wood
US ARMY Engineer Officer Advance Course
Fort Dix
US ARMY Observer Controller Certification Course
Fort Leonard Wood
US ARMY Engineer Officer Basic Course
Radford University
BBA from Operations Management