Kevin McGowan

Ottawa, ON | 📧Email | 🔗LinkedIn

SUMMARY

Executive operator with 10+ years of experience leading operations, delivery, and cross-functional teams in high-growth and fully remote technology organizations.

Specializes in scaling companies without unnecessary complexity: building lean systems, lightweight governance, and aligned teams rather than adding layers. Combines strategic leadership with hands-on execution to improve clarity, delivery speed, and organizational effectiveness.

CORE STRENGTHS

Operational Scaling • Lean PMO Design • OKRs & Strategic Execution • Cross-Functional Leadership • Agile Transformation (Practical) • Remote Team Operations • Budget & Financial Oversight • Process Design • Stakeholder Alignment

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Scaled operations without headcount growth (Pinax): Enabled organizational growth by strengthening systems, alignment, and execution discipline rather than increasing staffing
Built execution clarity across teams: Introduced OKRs, lightweight governance, and reporting to align product, marketing, and engineering
Led national-scale program delivery: Directed a $15M federally funded program with full accountability for team, budget, and outcomes
Improved delivery performance: Coached teams toward self-management and consistent execution across a fully remote environment

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Senior Project Manager (Contract)

Export Development Canada (EDC) | 2025–Present

Leading enterprise marketing transformation, migrating from legacy platform (Eloqua) to Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Coordinating delivery across internal teams, executive stakeholders, and external partners including Accenture
Managing cross-functional workstreams including development, change management, and training/enablement
Establishing delivery structure, timelines, and governance to align technical implementation with business outcomes
Supporting organizational change through stakeholder engagement, communication planning, and adoption strategies

Chief Operations Officer / Program Manager

Pinax | 2022–2025

Led company-wide operations including HR, finance, and delivery for a fully remote organization
Implemented and operationalized OKRs to align product, marketing, and operations around measurable outcomes
Designed and introduced lightweight PMO structures to improve execution without adding bureaucracy
Coached cross-functional teams toward self-management, improving accountability and delivery consistency
Streamlined operational processes to support scalability and reduce friction across teams

Program Manager – Opioid Poisoning Response Training

St. John Ambulance (National Office) | 2018–2022

Directed a $15M national program funded by Health Canada
Built and led a 15-person cross-functional team delivering training initiatives across Canada
Established governance, reporting, and compliance frameworks for large-scale program delivery
Managed relationships with senior government stakeholders and national partners

Project Manager & Content Developer

Kinaxis | 2015–2018

Delivered cross-functional training and knowledge programs in a technical environment
Coordinated SMEs to produce scalable learning and documentation assets
Improved internal knowledge transfer and team capability

Instructor & Advisory Board Member

Algonquin College | 2009–2017

Led online course delivery and project execution
Advised on curriculum and program improvements to better align with industry needs

EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS

Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM), Scrum Alliance
Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Scrum Alliance
Project Management Professional (PMP), PMI
Certificate in Information Management, University of Toronto
B.A. English, Rhetoric & Professional Writing, University of Waterloo

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