Agile Delivery Lead

Roles and responsibilities

• Masters (preferred) or Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Information Technology or related discipline.
• Agile certification is necessary – preferably advanced (CSP, CSC, PSM-II, SPC, CAL 1-2, etc.) or beginner (CSM, PSM-1, Scaled Agilist, etc).
  

Minimum Experience

• 10+ years’ relevant experience in the banking sector with at least 7+ years in similar positions of progressively increasing managerial responsibilities in the Governance and Change / Transformation function.
• Has 5+ years experience in Enterprise-wide Change & digital Transformation and Agile Ways of Working. Has substantial experience and expertise in agile delivery techniques and methodologies to ensure continuous improvement and delivery of services
• Experience as a Program Lead / Director handling Transformation programs, ideally with Project Management qualification in Agile / PMO.
• Hands-on experience in devising strategy for roll-out of multiple Agile frameworks (team and enterprise level).
• Extensive experience in leading and executing cross departmental projects with senior stakeholders.
• Effective leadership and strong written, oral and presentation skills.

• Project Monitoring and Oversight:

  • Monitoring Progress: Ensuring that the Agile teams are progressing according to the agreed-upon plan and timelines, without compromising quality or scope.
  • Assessing Delivery Metrics: Tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) such as velocity, burn-down charts, sprint completion rates, and defect rates to evaluate team performance and delivery.
  • Risk Management: Identifying potential risks early in the project lifecycle and working with teams to mitigate or resolve them proactively.

• Process Improvement:

  • Agile Practices: Ensuring that Agile practices (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, Lean) are being followed properly across teams and helping to adjust processes as needed to optimize performance.
  • Continuous Improvement: Facilitating retrospectives, identifying opportunities for improvement, and helping teams evolve their Agile practices to become more efficient and effective.

• Quality Assurance and Control:

  • Ensuring Quality: Promoting and ensuring the adoption of practices like Test-Driven Development (TDD), automated testing, and Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) to maintain product quality.
  • Code Reviews: Supporting or overseeing code quality through peer reviews, pair programming, and automated code scanning.
  • Defect Management: Identifying defects early in the development process, ensuring they are tracked, and collaborating with development teams to resolve them quickly.

• Stakeholder Engagement:

  • Communicating with Stakeholders: Keeping business stakeholders and leadership informed of the project's status, risks, and any issues that may affect delivery timelines.
  • Facilitating Cross-Team Collaboration: Ensuring effective communication and collaboration between cross-functional teams, such as development, testing, operations, and product management.
  • Expectation Management: Ensuring that stakeholder expectations are well managed and aligned with what the Agile team can deliver, adjusting timelines or scope when necessary.

• Agile Governance:

  • Agile Frameworks and Guidelines: Ensuring that Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, etc.) are being applied correctly and consistently across projects.
  • Ensuring Compliance: Making sure that Agile delivery adheres to organizational standards, regulatory requirements, and compliance frameworks where necessary.
  • Documentation and Reporting: Documenting and reporting on Agile metrics, performance, and delivery to internal and external stakeholders.

• Team Support and Coaching:

  • Coaching Agile Teams: Providing guidance to Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and other team members on Agile principles and best practices.
  • Training: Offering training on Agile techniques, tools, and practices to teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment with Agile methodologies.
  • Facilitating Agile Ceremonies: Supporting or overseeing important Agile ceremonies like Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives to ensure they are productive and aligned with best practices.

Desired candidate profile

• Agile Methodologies:

  • Strong understanding of Agile frameworks such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and Lean.
  • Familiarity with Agile practices, principles, and values as outlined in the Agile Manifesto.

• Project Management:

  • Strong project management skills, including the ability to plan, track, and manage the delivery of projects while ensuring alignment with business goals.
  • Ability to balance scope, time, cost, and quality in Agile environments.

• Risk Management:

  • Ability to identify, assess, and mitigate risks that could impact the success of Agile delivery projects.
  • Proactive issue resolution skills to prevent delays and improve team efficiency.

• Quality Assurance:

  • Understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and quality assurance processes in Agile, including automated testing, Continuous Integration (CI), and Test-Driven Development (TDD).
  • Ability to ensure that high-quality standards are maintained throughout the project.

• Data Analysis and Reporting:

  • Ability to gather and analyze Agile metrics (velocity, burn-down, cycle time) to assess team performance and identify areas for improvement.
  • Skills in reporting and visualizing project status and delivery health for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Stakeholder Management:

  • Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with business stakeholders, leadership teams, and Agile teams.
  • Ability to manage expectations and foster collaboration between different business functions.

• Facilitation and Coaching:

  • Experience in facilitating Agile ceremonies, such as Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Retrospectives, and Backlog Refinement.
  • Ability to coach teams on Agile best practices and help them continuously improve.

• Change Management:

  • Experience in managing and guiding teams through organizational changes as they adopt Agile methodologies and principles.

• Collaboration and Teamwork:

  • Strong teamwork and interpersonal skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams and align objectives with organizational goals.