The Agile Coach role within Edward Jones serves to connect firm level strategy and prioritization to the execution activities of product management, teamwork, and responsibility-based management. The coach mentors, coaches and guides the products and their associated teams in the implementation and relentless improvement of agile processes and tools to ensure effective outcomes for the firm.
The goal of an Agile Coach is to develop teams and individuals with a Lean-Agile mindset and to build a team that is self-sustaining and high performing to reach their full potential. The Agile Coach works across divisions to not only help define Agile processes, tools, and metrics for the organization, but also help teams implement those processes and tools and is aligned with the strategies of the Product and Agile Center of Excellence.
The Agile Coach is a champion for innovation, relentless improvement and fostering a continuous learning environment. They continuously seek to gain alignment in execution and immediately raise any concerns and challenges to the Product and Agile Center of Excellence. The Agile Coach will drive relentless improvement and foster a continuous learning environment.
**Key Responsibilities**:
- Provide strategic consulting and support for teams, product managers and product leaders.
- Communication and facilitation for Teams, Product, and Delivery Managers
- Understand firm vision and strategy, and ensure product goals, business direction, and technical direction all align to support the vision and strategy
- Work closely with other internal and external coaches to ensure agile alignment of messaging and methodology used across the firm
- Work closely with Agile teams, Release Train Engineers, Scrum Masters, Product Delivery Managers and Product Owners to determine strengths and weaknesses and set action plans for continuous and relentless improvement
- Deliver Agile training and curriculum solutions to the organization including co-facilitation and facilitation of workshops. Contribute feedback and enhancements on adjustments to the solutions.
- Identify internal Agile practitioners and foster their growth through mentoring and coaching; Recommend growth opportunities for Agile practitioners across the firm.
- Be an ambassador for the Agile mindset and a catalyst for change in the organization
- Provide coaching for team improvements by observing Agile team events, monitoring Agile metrics, and conducting one-on-one mentorship.
- Ensure Agile teams are setup for success by supporting team charter events for new teams and leading new Agile team planning and pre-planning
- Provide direct feedback to product leadership on team progress and escalation of impediments delaying team progress
- Facilitate and participate in the Agile Community of Practice(s) and Dojos when required.
- Participate in coaches working groups or Centers of Excellence to develop and build strategies for transformation (i.e. Scaling Agile, Advancing team maturity, etc)
- Be a sounding board and partner to other Agile Coaches
- Participate and provide experiential feedback to teams and product leadership on process, governance, and standards to support an Agile organization
- Partner with organizations on implementing DevOps principles in conjunction with Agile principles
- Deliver training sessions to agile delivery teams starting with Team Charters and Kick-offs
- Deliver training sessions and workshops to product and agile deliver teams to support organizational change and education (i.e. Agile 101)
- Partner with both Internal and External Coaches to develop and implement programs and plans that will assist with continuing the success of the Agile Transformation
**Decision Making**:
- Will engage with product leaders to plan and execute cross divisional planning meetings (i.e. Program Increment planning sessions)
- Must understand when to escalate decisions to the Product and Agile Center of Excellence
**Span of Influence**:
- Will work independently and proactively
- Responsible to and positively represent the Agile Program Management Office (APMO) and the Product & Agile Center of Excellence
**Position Requirements**:
- Bachelor's degree or relevant experience
- Masters/Graduate Degree preferred
- Experience in planning for execution in Agile and Agile Transformations
- 10+ years of IT experience with managing and delivering highly complex, enterprise programs and products preferred
- 5+ years of experience in relationship building/communication with Executive leaders or teams across the firm
- 5+ years of experience in coaching/training/facilitating Executive leaders or teams through a large-scale Business and Agile Transformation
- 5+ Experience enabling Exec leaders or teams with the mindset shifts necessary for a successful Business and Agile Transformation
- Scaled Agile Framework (SPC) preferred
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) preferred
- ICAgile Expert-Agile Coa