Agile Coach

Job Title: Agile Coach

Duration: 12 Months

Location: NYC NY 10004 (Hybrid)

Position Type: Contract

Work hours: 37.50 hours per week

Note: Due to the nature of the work that an Agile Coach would perform, the consultant will need to be onsite for any number of days a week--that will remain undefined. However, they may work remote when possible, with agreement from the manager.

Certification : SPC 6.0 Active Mandatary

Description: We are looking to hire THREE (3) experienced and dynamic Enterprise Agile Coaches to join our Agile Center of Excellence (CoE). As we lead the Client's IT organization through its Agile Product Transformation, these critical consulting roles will require a blend of technical expertise, exceptional coaching skills, and deep knowledge of Agile principles. The role involves hands-on coaching, mentoring, and guiding - product teams, product leaders and stakeholders toward Agile maturity. This role will be expected to coach with a strong emphasis on adopting Agile methodologies, fostering collaboration, continuous improvement, and alignment with organizational goals. Reporting to the Deputy CTO and/or the Director of the Center of Excellence, this role is pivotal in driving Agile practices while ensuring alignment with the broader transformation strategy at Client's IT.

Responsibilities:

Agile Transformation Coaching:

• Support and provide coaching to large-scale Agile Product transformation initiatives, aligning with the organization's strategic objectives and delivering measurable outcomes.
• Collaborate with CoE leadership to create and execute a tailored Agile transformation coaching roadmap.
• Coach teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and other stakeholders on Agile frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) to foster Agile maturity.
• Partner with product teams to adopt Agile and product-focused practices, enhancing delivery and business value.
• Act as a trusted advisor to teams and mid-level leadership, reinforcing Agile principles and practices.

Training and Facilitation:

• Design and deliver interactive workshops, training sessions, and hands-on labs to upskill teams and leaders on Agile principles, tools, and practices.
• Educate teams on technical best practices, including DevOps, XP engineering practices (TDD, CI/CD, pairing), and Lean principles.

Continuous Improvement:

• Promote a culture of learning and adaptation by embedding effective retrospectives and metrics-driven decision-making.
• Analyze team performance data to identify areas for improvement and recommend & implement actionable strategies.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Work closely with cross-functional teams to identify challenges in Agile adoption and provide tailored coaching support.
• Facilitate alignment and collaboration among teams and stakeholders to ensure a smooth Agile transformation journey.

Best Practices Implementation and Tools:

• Standardize Agile practices, ceremonies, and workflows across teams.
• Leverage Jira, Confluence, Align and other Atlassian tools to enhance Agile process optimization, workflow streamlining and optimize reporting.
• Standardize and monitor metrics for team health, velocity, and overall transformation progress.

Required Skills:

• Change Management Yes. 4 - 6 Years
• Advanced Communication Skills. 4 - 6 Years
• Business Case Development Yes. 4 - 6 Years
• Project Management. 4 - 6 Years
• Project Planning. 4 - 6 Years

Education:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years of software development experience.
• At least 8 years in Agile coaching roles.
• Proven experience coaching for Agile product transformations in large, complex environments.

Certifications:

• Certified Agile Coach (ICP-ACC, ICP-ATF), Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), or equivalent credentials.

Technical Proficiency:

• Comprehensive expertise in Agile frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and LeSS.
• Strong systems thinking and ability to navigate complex organizational structures.
• Deep understanding of technical practices, including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and DevOps.

Soft Skills:

• Exceptional communication, facilitation, and conflict-resolution skills. Proven ability to inspire and motivate teams.

Agile Expertise:

• Comprehensive understanding of various Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, LeSS) and their practical applications.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience transitioning teams or organizations from traditional methodologies to Agile frameworks.
• Knowledge of Lean Portfolio Management and product-centric practices.
• Understanding of organizational behavior and change management principles.
• Proven track record of fostering continuous learning and improvement within teams.

Preferred Skills

• Expertise in metrics-driven coaching, leveraging Agile metrics to inform decisions and drive improvements.
• Experience with organizational behavior and change management principles.
• Familiarity with Lean Portfolio Management and product-centric ways of working.
• Passion for mentoring teams on technical excellence, such as test-driven development (TDD) and paired programming.

Strong emphasis on continuous learning and professional development