Jason B. Johnson

Space Flight Software

My software has played a pivotal role in powering and advancing key operations of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) missions, including the iconic Mars Rovers: Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance; the trailblazing Ingenuity helicopter on Mars; as well as instrumental scientific endeavors like the Europa Clipper, the Psyche Asteroid Mission, and the NISAR climate observation satellite. By providing essential functionality across a diverse range of applications—from exploration and data collection on distant worlds to monitoring Earth's climate—this software has become a cornerstone of contemporary space exploration and research, contributing to some of the most significant cosmic discoveries of our age.

Engineering Leadership at Scale

I have led large, complex software delivery portfolios in mission-critical environments, with an emphasis on platform reliability, product delivery, and cross-functional coordination.

Organizational Leadership: Part of the senior management team guiding an IT organization of over 700 employees and contractors, with a budget exceeding $100 million, providing strategic direction and governance.

High-Impact Communication & Collaboration: Effectively navigated complex organizational dynamics, communicating across executive, middle management, policy, and technical teams to ensure alignment and delivery.

Systems Strategy: Helped shape long-term technology strategy and architecture direction for large institutional systems with high operational expectations.

Vendor & Contract Management: Managed vendor relations and contract negotiations, ensuring the high availability of critical infrastructure. Reviewed key procurements to ensure alignment with IT roadmaps and overall strategy.

Digital Transformation Strategist

In my capacity as Digital Transformation Strategist at JPL, I led the effort to author a Lab-wide IT Strategy. Our team identified and oversaw the implementation of critical digital transformation initiatives across the entire organization. We curated a portfolio of projects, using our business case analysis to ensure alignment with JPL's strategic goals and to secure funding.

My role was pivotal in architecting the solutions, leveraging my technical acumen to guarantee their integration within our complex enterprise architecture. This task required an in-depth understanding of JPL's intricate system landscapes and technological roadmaps, as well as a keen insight into a broad spectrum of digital technologies. By strategically deploying these technologies across various business functions, we aimed to revolutionize operational efficiency, enhance data management practices, and secure mission success.

Interim CDO and CKO

Over the span of two years, before JPL hired on a full-time Chief Data Officer and Chief Knowledge Officer, I was asked to step in to fill some of the needs in that area.

In my capacity as Interim Chief Data Officer, I worked to craft a 200-plus-page Data and Analytics Strategy for JPL. As a part of this effort, I created a maturity model for JPL systems to assess the data quality, integration readiness, and analytics potential of all of JPL's institutional data. It took a team over a year to complete the assessment. The assessment was used to prioritize which areas of JPL needed the most attention and we secured funding to advance the maturity of those areas. This assessment is now maintained under the new Chief Data Officer.

As part of the Interim Chief Knowledge Officer role, I worked with a consultant to help craft what Data Behaviors and what Data Ethics we wanted to encourage at JPL. We worked with Human Resources to understand the results of JPL culture studies and paired those insights with behavioral psychology. We rolled out a change management campaign around data behaviors that included engaging videos and an interactive game to help people learn about how to handle data and knowledge at JPL. I also crafted a proposal to help JPL evolve the Chief Knowledge Officer role to reflect industry trends.