Enterprise Agile Coach
12-Month Contract (with potential for extension)
Primarily Remote (quarterly requiring onsite participation (upfront relationship building, PI Planning)
Location: Downtown Kansas City, MO

JOB DESCRIPTION

Seeking an Enterprise Agile Coach consultant with strong facilitation, coaching/mentoring, training development, and Lean/Agile skills. This consultant will report to the Assistant Director of EMPO/PMO and work as part of the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO) to assist in the agile maturity model. This person will facilitate lean/agile practices and daily interactions with all Information Technology Group (ITG) leaders and their teams. Specifically, they will be aligned with the IT Technical Operations and Security Operations departments to ensure increased and sustained adoption in Agile Ways of
Working.

The Enterprise Agility Coach (EAC) serves as a role model and change champion for applying Lean & Agile principles and practices and is responsible for training, coaching, and mentoring at the Portfolio and Program levels for scaling Agile. In this capacity, the EAC will partner with the EPMO leader to develop best practices for guiding the ITG and Business Leadership towards their transformation to business agility.
They will need a broad, solid understanding of and provide expertise in the areas of:

Lean Thinking
Scaling Agile (SAFe) Principles and Practices
Systems Thinking
Organizational Agile Design
Change Management
Lean Budgeting
Agile Portfolio/Program Management
Working in partnership with the EPMO leader and other ITG leaders to support the shift from a project-centric to a product-oriented operating model

TECHNICAL SKILLS

5+ years coaching Agile teams in various methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc.)
3+ years coaching Agile transformations at scale in large organizations while working with Program and Portfolio teams
BA/BS or equivalent experience
Preferred Coaching Certifications:
- Agile Team Facilitator (ICP-ATF)
- Agile Coach (ICP-ACC)
Preferred Agile Certifications:
- SAFe Program Consultant (SPC)
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
- Certified Product Owner (CPO)
Experience creating and delivering Agile training content, workshop materials, and job aids at the Program and Portfolio levels
Experience having gone through previous Agile and SAFe transformations with a proven history of successfully maturing Program and Portfolio teams to independence
Solid knowledge and experience in applying Lean Thinking, Systems Thinking, and Change Management principles and practices
Experience leveraging multiple agile tools to run Agile and SAFe initiatives (Jira, TargetProcess, etc.)

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

- Must be a Servant Leader with a high degree of emotional intelligence
- Demonstrated servant and influential leadership
- Excellent communication and people skills to collaborate effectively with leaders, teams, and third-party vendors
- Strong negotiation skills and ability to build common ground
- Strong organization and time management skills
- Strong conflict resolution skills
- Strong presentation, training, and facilitation skills
- A change agent who isn’t afraid to challenge the status quo with a proven record of driving change through an organization at scale
- Skilled at crafting thought-provoking questions to reinforce team learning
- Good listening skills and openly gives and receives honest feedback

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Working with organizational structures and culture to develop leaders, build a formidable team culture, and grow technical practices to promote agility
- Leverage various coaching styles to create high-performing Agile teams
- Advise on Agile transformation at the program and portfolio levels
- Provide training on foundational Agile and SAFe Agile principles and practices to ITG and business leaders
- Coach teams in adopting, reinforcing, and continuously improving Agile and SAFe Agile practices
  - Note: The client utilizes SAFe practices, yet the successful coach will be well-versed in using a holistic approach to championing agility
- Provide role-based training to the following, yet not limited to:
  - Lean Portfolio Managers & Teams
  - Agile Portfolio/ Program Managers
  - Product Owners
  - Epic Owners
  - Scrum Masters
  - Release Train Engineers (RTEs)
- Provide strategic guidance in Program and Portfolio formation, operation, and overcoming organizational impediments
- Coach Value Stream Mapping and Agile Release Train (ART) Identification
- Coach ART formation, launch, and execution
- Establish and empower Communities of Practice (COPs)
- Coach, mentor, and train leadership in creating a culture of continuous learning and improvement
- Partner with and manage Team Coaches
- Create Agile training, workshop materials, and job aids
- Assess team maturation and provide feedback to teams on progress
- The EAC will leverage a variety of coaching, mentoring, and training styles to drive Agile adoption throughout the organization and assist with the realization of organizational transformation success metrics