Walter Johnson
Creative Operations & Design Operations Leader | Program & Delivery Management
Hire this person
Send a job offer directly to this candidate
About
Creative Operations and Design Operations leader with 20+ years scaling in-house creative teams, standardizing delivery workflows, and turning business goals into repeatable processes. Proven record embedding Agile/Scrum into creative production, optimizing resourcing and capacity, governing design systems across global teams, and managing SOWs and budgets. Combines operational rigor, cross-functional stakeholder leadership, and direct technical fluency (Figma, front-end, AI tools) to ship high-quality work on time and at scale — including programs generating $500K+ in revenue.
Experience
Creative Services Implementation Manager & Design Lead at Amadeus Hospitality (2019-01 – Present)
- Standardized the end-to-end creative lifecycle by embedding Agile/Scrum ceremonies, structured intake, and review gates into creative production — facilitating daily stand-ups and sprint reviews to improve throughput and on-time delivery.
- Managed resourcing, capacity, and forecasting across a multidisciplinary creative team, balancing workload and prioritization against competing business demands and deadlines.
- Partnered cross-functionally with product, development, and QA teams to align creative delivery with roadmaps and translate business goals into repeatable processes.
- Scoped and managed statements of work (SOWs) and project budgets for high-visibility corporate initiatives, generating $500,000 in new revenue through disciplined delivery.
- Monitored delivery KPIs and quality standards, growing subscription services by $30,000 quarterly while retaining enterprise-level accounts.
- Introduced automation and AI/GenAI tooling into the creative workflow to reduce manual effort and accelerate turnaround.
Design Services Team Lead at Amadeus Hospitality (2009-01 – 2019-01)
- Established and governed scalable design systems and web standards that unified the global brand experience and reduced rework across teams.
- Built onboarding and training programs for domestic and international designers on Adobe Creative Suite, design standards, and user-centric practices, scaling team capability across multiple geographies.
- Translated complex requirements into prototypes and repeatable specifications, de-risking downstream production and validating technical direction.
Design Department Manager at Chas Sells Engineering (2006-01 – 2007-01)
- Directed a 10-person multidisciplinary team, managing workflow, quality control, and delivery of complex plan sets under deadline and compliance requirements.
- Optimized delivery across transportation, infrastructure, and energy clients, standardizing production methods that raised data-collection accuracy to a company best.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design & Art History – University of Massachusetts Lowell
Associate of Arts in Graphic Design – Mount Ida College / University of Massachusetts Amherst
Certificate in UX/UI Design – Georgia Institute of Technology
Certificate in AI Developer – IBM
