John Butler
Supply Chain & Quality Technical Expert
A NASA Silver Achievement Medal recipient and former NAVSEA 04P Director, John brings four decades of submarine supplier oversight, counterfeit material investigation experience, and program leadership at the highest levels of Navy and federal acquisition.
John Butler, Supply Chain & Quality Technical Expert at Show Me Quality Consulting
NASA RECOGNITION
NASA Silver Achievement Medal Individual Award presented to John Butler in 2023
"For exceptional leadership of the Assessment and Investigations Office change process, and developing and executing the first Early Life Cycle Assessment."
AWARDED 2023
Key Credentials
Selected highlights from four decades of submarine and supplier oversight leadership

BS, Marine Engineering, Massachusetts Maritime Academy

AS9100 Lead Auditor – IAQG certified training

Defense Acquisition University DAWIA Level III Systems Engineer & Level II Production, Quality & Manufacturing, 2001

VDA 6.3 Certified Process Auditor

NASA Silver Achievement Medal, 2023, for exceptional leadership of the Assessment and Investigation Office change process, and developing and executing the first Early Life Cycle Assessment of the Gateway Space Station Habitation and Logistics Outpost

Developed and authored the system software and hardware certification requirements for US Submarine Fly by Wire Ship Control Systems (FBW SCS)

Career Details
Professional history and key responsibilities
2017 – Present
Show Me Quality Consulting
Supply Chain & Quality Technical Expert
  • Virginia Class Program Office support
  • PMS450T technical advisory
  • Ship Control System (SCS) Program Contractor coordinator for C5I systems software/hardware interface with SCS SW/HW
2014 – 2016
Independent Consulting Following Federal Retirement
Technical Advisor
  • Fielded program, technical, policy, and budget questions for multiple offices at Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Naval Surface Warfare Center
2006 – 2014
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
04P Director

Supervised supplier quality, critical material, procurement fraud, counterfeit material, and critical material failure analysis investigation programs. Led and directed engineering and program workers' actions associated with critical material failure and quality investigations, material purchasing, supplier management, audits of suppliers, Navy Commands and prime contractors (Electric Boat and HII Newport News Shipbuilding), material receipt inspection, certification, control, and fraud and counterfeit investigations with NCIS special agents integrated on staff, supporting Department of Justice (DOJ) criminal investigations and hearings.

Coordinated efforts between all Navy Commands, Army, DOJ, Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, FBI, Intellectual Property Rights Commission, Aerospace Industry Association, Semi-Conductor Industry Association, NASA, and other organizations and government agencies.

Key Achievements:
  • Chaired NAVSEA/NAVSUP/NAVAIR/DCMA/NSTR-PGH Executive Steering Committee (ESC) providing leadership and guidance to improve Government supplier oversight and product quality (2006 – 2014)
  • Reduced Level I (LI)/Submarine Safety (SUBSAFE) material reject rate from 17% to 5.5% by defining and measuring the material acquisition, manufacturing, and receipt inspection process and implementing continuous improvement efforts
  • Improved Navy contract technical and quality data accuracy by leading and providing guidance to engineering and quality organizations, reducing material reject rate
  • Simplified (eliminated unnecessary in-plant DCMA review) and automated (IT solution) Government LI material certification documentation package review and approval process — reducing Navy approval time, improving Navy/supplier communications, and increasing supplier satisfaction
  • Provided leadership and guidance for development of a standardized critical material receipt inspection requirements program (technical manual and common receipt inspection procedures) for naval shipyards and Navy Supply QA-1, 2 and 3 material
  • Stood up a new NAVSEASYSCOM Department, NAVSEA 04P, defined staffing, program and budget requirements, and successfully briefed OPNAV to obtain program funding and plus-ups during a fiscally challenging time when new programs were not being funded
  • Developed and implemented the NAVSEA 04P Department Strategic (Business) Plan, including buy-in from all staff members who agreed to add business plan objectives to individual performance plans for accountability
  • DON Product Data Reporting and Evaluation Program (PDREP) Program Manager — Chaired DON PDREP IT System Configuration Management Board, providing leadership and guidance for system enhancements that eliminated redundant Navy IT systems and consolidated to a single system across Navy for Supply Discrepancy Reports (SDR), Product Quality Deficiency Reports (PQDR), and receipt inspection — saving over $3M annually
  • DON Counterfeit Material Integrated Process Team (IPT) — NAVSEASYSCOM representative with DASN ELM, NAVAIR, NAVSUP, SPAWAR, NAVFAC, and NCIS; established suspect counterfeit material code in DON Product Quality Deficiency Reporting (PQDR) IT System (PDREP) to identify and track counterfeit material and drafted Navy counterfeit material policy to enact new 2012, Title 18 law (data is used by Navy to report to the Senate Armed Services Committee)
2000 – 2006
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA)
Engineering Supervisor

Engineering supervisor in NAVSEA 07T, Submarine Hull, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Management Division, which executes technical (warrant) authority for all in-service submarines.

  • As Propulsion Sea Water System Section Head, provided leadership and guidance to staff and Navy Warfare Centers for ship alteration development and approval, direct fleet support, waiver and deviation final decisions, qualification of research and development products for use on in-service submarines, and logistics data for material acquisition
  • Assumed collateral duty of NAVSEA 07TC, SUBSAFE (SS) Section Head — provided leadership and guidance for the Deep Diving General Overhaul Specification (DDGOS), SUBSAFE Design Review, SUBSAFE Certification of major submarine availabilities, HME Standardize Test Program, and Unrestricted Operation Maintenance Requirement Card Program (URO MRC)
  • Assumed collateral duty of Fly-by-Wire Ship Control System (FBW SCS) Program Director — led the initial development, approval, and implementation of the FBW SCS Requirements Technical Manual for Submarine FBW SCSs, providing the administrative and technical requirements for design, development, test, initial certification, and maintenance to ensure FBW SCS will not cause a casualty or prevent submarine recovery from a flooding or control surface jam casualty for SEAWOLF, VIRGINIA, and all future submarine classes
  • Branch Head (NAVSEA 07T2) for the following sections: Submarine Propulsion and Sea Water Systems; Electrical and Power Distribution; and Ship Control Systems and FBW SCS Program
  • Forward deployment, Bahrain — onsite technical authority to assess submarine collision damage, identify, coordinate, and oversee repairs and testing, and rode Sea Trial to make final depth and speed recommendation for submarine transit to U.S.
  • Forward deployment, Italy — onsite technical authority to assess submarine grounding damage, identify, coordinate, and oversee repairs and testing, and rode Sea Trial to make final depth and speed recommendation for transit to U.S.
  • Led development of FBW SCS Technical Manual, Program, and implementation at Electric Boat, Lockheed Martin Maritime Systems, and Naval Surface Warfare Center
1985 – 2000
Submarine Maintenance Engineering, Planning & Procurement (SUBMEPP) Activity
Program Director — SS/DSS Scope of Certification
  • Developed standardized procedures for the repair, overhaul, monitoring, and testing of various hull, mechanical, and electrical systems and components for all U.S. Navy submarine classes — including Availability Work Package development, HME Standardize Test Procedures, Maintenance Procedures, Class Maintenance Plans, and Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) analysis for sea water systems
  • Promoted to program management and became the U.S. Navy's second Program Manager of the URO MRC Program
  • Established SSN 688 Class MOD 25 unique URO MRCs, SEAWOLF Class URO MRCs and Program, and the Dry Deck Shelter Hull Integrity Procedures (DDS HIP) and Program within three years; the DDS HIP program was developed to support certification of DDS
  • Served as SUBMEPP SUBSAFE and the organization's first Deep Submergence Systems Scope of Certification (DSS SOC) Program Director
  • Crafted SUBMEPP's vision and strategic direction as a valued advisor to the SUBMEPP Chief Engineer and Executive Steering Committee, and led implementation of SS/DSS SOC requirements into all SUBMEPP programs to transition SUBMEPP from a matrix to a process-based organization
  • Supported the material procurement process — including Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) — as the Seawater System Engineer and later as SS/DSS SOC Director, ensuring contracts for material used in Level I, SS, and DSS SOC applications contained all technical, program, and material control requirements (including long lead time material procured for the SHIPALT converting SSN 688 Class submarines to DDS host ships)
1982 – 1985
Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Design Division
Design Engineer
  • Evaluated damaged submarine HME and combat systems and equipment, including corrosion and erosion of various metal types in static and dynamic applications
  • Identified and communicated appropriate repairs to shops and waterfront, and issued instructions — including reading and interpreting blueprints, drawings, maintenance standards, HM&E test procedures, technical manuals, material specifications, and other technical documents
  • Participated in the shipyard's material provisioning process when material was not available in the Navy Supply system and DLA Stock Programs by preparing logistics and technical information for shipyard local procurement of material
  • Went to sea on SSN 688 Class submarine sea trials after shipyard maintenance availabilities
Education
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Buzzards Bay, MA
BS, Marine Engineering
Defense Acquisition University
Level III Certification — Systems Engineering
Level II — Production, Quality and Manufacturing
U.S. Coast Guard License
Third Assistant Engineer, Steam and Motor Power Plants — Unlimited Size
Defense Acquisition Professional Community
Member since 2001
Professional Training
LEAN Greenbelt — applied regularly to minimize program/process waste and maximize program value to the customer
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey)
Causal Analysis — codified process used to identify and document causes of material or process failure, including corrective actions to recover and prevent future repeat failures
Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) — process used to establish safe minimum level of maintenance for shipboard systems
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) — used for time-keeping, material purchase, and contracting with private companies for labor/services and funding Navy field Commands engineering services

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