Donovan 💻 Grant

Too many smart people in tech are quietly burning out.

I saw it everywhere and eventually, I realised it was happening to me too.

Over six years ago, I hit my own wall.

On paper, things were going well; solid projects, a good reputation, dependable results. But underneath, I was drained and quietly asking myself: Is this how it’s meant to be?

That question changed everything.

I stepped back, paid attention to what was helping and what wasn’t, and began rebuilding from the inside out. Over time, some clear patterns emerged. How I thought, how I acted, what mattered to me, how I managed my energy, and what helped me keep going.

That’s what eventually became the MOVES Framework.

Most of the tech professionals I meet today are smart, capable, and driven, but quietly running on empty.

They’ve done everything right: built strong careers, earned respect, delivered results. Yet the spark that once fuelled them has faded, replaced by restlessness or fatigue.

They don’t need another productivity trick.

They need space to breathe, clarity about what matters, and a way to make progress that lasts.

That’s what my work is about.

The MOVES Framework: Mindset, Ownership, Values, Energy, and Sustain, is a practical, human roadmap for reconnecting with who you are, what matters most, and how you want to show up.

🎤 I speak and work with teams on things people rarely make time for but deeply need:

•	How to stay steady when work keeps changing
•	How to spot burnout early and respond before it takes over
•	How to make progress at work without losing energy or self-trust.

If you’re looking for conversations that are honest, practical, and grounded in real experience, I’m always open to connecting.

If any of this feels familiar, you’re welcome to reach out.

Lead Business Analyst & Coach

Medtronic

Program Director, Process Optimization. A part of the Strategy & Technology team within Medtronic’s Global Ops. & Supply Chain.

Developed and led a transformational program to standardize capacity modeling across Medtronic's Enterprise Operations (66 mfg. sites, 20 Operating Units/BUs).

Developed and implemented an innovative operations analysis/operations research platform that delivers critical insights, leveraging a minimum viable data set to identify & mitigate risk, optimize performance, and target opportunities for improvement.

Program Director

- Data and Analytics leader for the General Surgery & Market Access (GSMA) Operations Network.  A large Operations network comprised of 4 Business Units and 21 Manufacturing sites.

Director of Analytics

Engineering Director, Operations Commercialization Engineering (OCE) within the Surgical Innovations Business Unit
- Led the creation of a new department chartered to streamline commercialization and transfer to Operations for the project pipeline of ~70 launches from 4 R&D centers in the US, Europe, & Asia
- Built a culture with world-class Employee Engagement – Organizational Health Survey (Qualtrics) results greater than 80% in all 3 company index areas (4 consecutive survey's)
     - Achieved peak Index scores of: Engagement = 88%, Inclusion = 94%, Innovation = 98%
     - Increased score for the question about “work being too hard” by 36 points in 6 months
- Protected revenue for new product launches by identifying and mitigating risk to production ramp-up and commercialization. 
- Integrated Business Planning core team member & subject matter expert for Supply, Capacity, & Analytics during process and tool design.  Acted as Change Ambassador for rollout across 10 mfg. sites within the Business Unit
- Created Governance process and tools to manage Long-Range Capacity and Expansion related investment.  Reduced the number of manufacturing lines above target Capacity utilization by more than 50%
- Delivered critical analytics  for Business transformation initiatives, Crisis response, and tiger-teams

Director of Engineering

Led team of 10 project managers & engineers within Strategic Project Management for Manufacturing Operations.  Core responsibilities:  business analysis, manufacturing strategy development, and strategic project management.
- Analyzed product lifecycle / footprint optimization opportunities and presented recommendations to upper management for long-term footprint strategy.  Gained approval for 2 large programs.
- Drove project management standard work and best practices across the portfolio of programs from initial concept evaluation & business case through execution & closeout

Manager, Strategic Project Management

3 companies have been 1 company and 1 company has been 3

I joined Tyco in 2003.  
Tyco Healthcare spun off to become Covidien in 2007
Covidien was acquired by Medtronic in 2015

Covidien & Tyco Prior to acquisition by Medtronic

Covidien

Led staff of 8 Engineers within Strategic Project Management function of Manufacturing Operations.
Core responsibilities included, Program Management, Industrial Engineering support for New Product Development, and Capital / Expense management.

- Managed the Program for a product transfer and mfg. start-up of packaging and sterilization facility in the Dominican Republic; relocated 10 manufacturing lines and exceeded project cost savings targets

Manager of Industrial and Project Engineering, Strategic Project Management

Managed Engineering team responsible for Industrial Engineering support for New Product Development.

- Rebuilt the team while maintaining internal customer service levels through an 80% staff turnover caused by an organizational change & promotions

Manager, Operations Analysis and Project Engineering

Large-Scale Program leadership including manufacturing transfers & start-ups, integrations of newly acquired businesses, and site closure & consolidations

- Executed mfg. site consolidation project; process development, product transfer, qualification, and production start-up for 3 product lines (Class II medical devices) 
- Expanded capacity and facility infrastructure across 12 focus-factories, to align with 5-year Strategic plan's growth, through $100 MM capital investment program

Project Manager, Strategic Project Management

Project Management and leadership for product transfers & manufacturing line transfers, and capacity expansion programs.

Sr. Project Engineer, Divisional Engineering & Operations Analysis

Tyco Healthcare Limited.

• Project Management for 7 new product introduction programs.  
• Analysis to support Business Unit Manufacturing Strategy development, including evaluation & optimization of Mfg. footprint & competitive benchmarking.

Project Engineer, Divisional Engineering & Operations Analysis

Industrial Engineering and Operational Analysis
• Developed cost estimates, line layouts, and capacity analyses for new product development (NPD) launches

Capital and expense budgeting/management
• Managed the business unit’s capital budget; created spending and forecast accuracy analytics and presented monthly summary reports to upper management.
• Managed expense spending, forecast, and accuracy for all projects within the business unit

Associate Industrial Engineer, Divisional Engineering

Luck. Drop your toast and it lands jelly-side-up, luck.

An Engineer by trade, but I've never engineered much. I’m at my best when leading teams, building culture, and developing people. It all started with luck.

My first job after college was as an engineer. But the work wasn’t engineering. Instead, I stumbled into the intersection of Project Management, Strategy, and Analytics. A sweet spot where I've spent most of the last 20 years.

• A decade of Project and Program Management. Delivering dozens of large strategic programs and business transformations. Some with budgets exceeding $20M.

• Led manufacturing strategy and footprint optimization workstreams to reduce costs by millions.

• Bridged the gaps between R&D product launches and Manufacturing, mitigating over $1B of risk to revenue.

• Established the global Analytics team of a 21-site Operations Network. Driving insights that informed strategic decisions.

• Developed new global standards through influence when I had no authority to do so.  Improving processes across global operations.

• I've led teams through growth. Standing up new functional departments twice, doubling headcount, and quadrupling scope.


I’m passionate about coaching, mentoring, developing future leaders, and helping team members grow.

A journey fueled more by influence than authority. The common theme? Leading people through the intersection of program management, strategy, and analytics. Delivering the toughest projects to earn the next opportunity.

- - - -

The biggest lessons I’ve learned in 20 years as a leader:

• People deliver better results when they like the work - they're more fun to be around too
• We aren't robots doing work; we're all people, and connection is powerful
• Heroes get the glory, but preventing fires is better than fighting them
• Asking good questions is more valuable than giving great answers
• Sometimes you'll catch a bad break - keep going
• Sometimes you get lucky - embrace it
• A great culture usually wins
• Simple is better

- - -

Guiding Values: 
Be genuine and make a difference

Core Beliefs:
Life hides lessons in plain sight. 
Pay attention to learn. 
Tell stories to teach.

First figure out what's most important to you in your life.
Then you can start making the right decisions to get it.

When you care about people, they’ll do the work.
When you only care about the work, you’ll lose the people.

Aaron Alwine

Teams don’t fail because of talent.

They fail when their operating model isn't clear.

If people don’t know how decisions happen, how work flows, or what “good” looks like - friction takes over.

Once friction shows up, it spreads.
It slows everything down.

The best leaders I’ve worked with all had one thing in common:
They made the work feel smooth.

Not easy.
Not perfect.
Smooth.

Smooth enough that people can focus on impact instead of navigating chaos.

Clear operating mechanisms eliminate friction.
Delivering that clarity is a leadership responsibility.

Engineering & Program Director | Enterprise Operations Strategy & Analytics | Global Manufacturing Networks

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