JOB SUMMARY:   

We are looking for a passionate Agile Coach, who is experienced in enabling Agile delivery through the application of Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and other Agile practices. Agile Coaches in our organization are thought leaders who partner with senior management to build high performing Agile teams/programs.

A successful Agile Coach must adeptly navigate complex organizations and be flexible in working with teams that have various levels of Agile maturity.  Agile Coaches understand organizational change management and solve complex problems that arise from establishing Agile practices in new environments. 

The Agile Coach works with peers and the Agile Delivery Manager to provide direction towards maturing and optimizing Agile execution across the enterprise. This role will interact closely with Technology and Business stakeholders to educate and ensure business outcomes are achieved.

MAJOR JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

Directly managing setup of Agile teams, Agile programs and SAFe Agile Release Trains. 

Coach senior business and technology leaders on the Agile mindset, the value of Agile delivery, and the conditions that are ideal to enable it.

Facilitate organizational alignment discussions around Agile delivery, strategic vision, and desired business outcomes.

Conduct assessments to validate the readiness of new Agile teams or to identify opportunities for elevating the maturity of existing teams.

Design and perform assessments and metrics to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Prepare organizations for Agile delivery through training and on-the-job coaching of Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Release Train Engineers, and Development Teams

Create collaborative coaching plans for teams/programs looking to optimize performance

Support and contribute to the Agile Community of Practice as a thought leader (create content, facilitate workshops, host lean coffees, etc.)

Assist stakeholders in defining Agile metrics to show the value delivered by teams/programs

Identify and resolve organizational impediments that inhibit Agile teams 

Serve in a hands-on Scrum Master, Release Train Engineer, or Product Owner role as needed, while establishing new teams or optimizing existing teams

REQUIRED SKILLS:

Bachelor’s degree in related field 

10+ years of overall experience in technology delivery 

5+ years in an Agile Coach role at a program or portfolio level 

Agile certification (CSM, CSPO, PSM, PSPO, PMI-ACP, SAFe, etc.)

Experience with scaled Agile programs (SAFe, etc.)

Agile mindset with expert knowledge of Agile frameworks and practices (Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe, etc.)

Executive presence and superior communication skills (verbal, written, and presentation) 

Experience building relationships with senior leaders, team members, and customers to execute on a common vision and strategy

Experience influencing and managing project teams without formal direct reporting relationships

Ability to be a champion for continuous improvement within Technology and Business teams

Knowledge of Agile success patterns, common challenges, and techniques to course correct when issues arise

Knowledge of best practices in Organization Change Management

Knowledge of technical engineering best practices (Test Driven Development, Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery, DevOps, etc.)

Flexibility to work with Agile teams in a variety of different contexts, team sizes, organizations, cultures, co-located vs. distributed, etc. 

Experience with Software Development Life Cycle and Release Management 

Experience with launching new Agile teams and launching Agile Release Train according to SAFe. 

Demonstrated understanding of Project Management concepts, including the ability to manage budgets, create resource plans and forecasts, prepare schedules, identify risks, and prepare mitigation plans 

Experience working on mixed methodology program (e.g. Scrum interfacing with Waterfall from a dependency perspective)

Experience with managing backlogs and sprints via an Agile Lifecycle Management tool (JIRA, Azure DevOps, VersionOne, Rally, etc.)

High-level of proficiency in Microsoft Office products, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, Project, and SharePoint

PREFERRED SKILLS:

Certified Agile Coach (CAC)

PMP and/or Lean Six Sigma certifications

Expertise in Product Development and/or Customer Experience

Previous experience in Utility industry