REMOTE: Lead Consultant (Agile Program Manager)

Job#: 2045553

Job Description:

• Build strong client, industry, and technical community relationships and represent Apex Systems as leaders in Industry and Professional events and communities. Develop and maintain strong internal and external customer relationships.
• Demonstrate expert-level technical knowledge, skills, and effective professional consulting skills. Serve as a subject matter expert. Build trust and respect among internal and external stakeholders and model collaborative teamwork.
• Provide thought leadership to inspire others about agile principles and their benefits, create an engagement roadmap, communication plan, and any necessary reports for client delivery.
• Evaluate the culture and structure of the organization, collaborate with client staff to establish a long-term vision and guiding principles, identify obstacles and impacts of initiatives, and create strategies that ensure successful implementation.
• Oversee and ensure all deliverables are met in alignment with the Statement of Work.
• Support a shift to product-centric delivery versus project-centric delivery through various education and tactical recommendations. Make recommendations to align the organization, define roles and responsibilities, and support major structural changes needed to optimize transformation outcomes.
• Guide the Agile Transformation by creating a tailored Agile framework or suggesting an existing one that fits the organizations needs. Document comprehensively in a detailed, dynamic Playbook, while enhancing the Client’s current Agile practices to prevent redundant efforts.
• Design a plan of action or roadmap to drive adoption and alignment with strategic initiatives across the enterprise. Work continuously with the Client to overcome Agile maturity gaps through regular assessment of personnel, teams, programs, etc.
• Oversee delivery planning, handle project risks, prepare documentation, and assist in team development by supporting their commitments, eliminating obstacles, and utilizing organizational resources to enhance project work capacity.
• Lead and mentor other team members and direct reports that are deployed to target programs, Agile Release Trains (ARTs), teams to ensure cohesive delivery of coaching, high-quality deliverables, meet project deadlines, and take responsibility for engagement and team success.
• Develop metrics and track/evaluate performance of agile programs, services and initiatives. Develop workflows, dashboards, metrics and reports to provide the teams with meaningful operational/performance metrics and status reports.
• Support ad-hoc reporting, including KPIs / team-level metrics, etc. and materials for managers as needed.
• Easily step into pivotal scaled roles, such as Portfolio Manager, Product Manager, Release Train Engineer, Scrum Master, Kanban Lead, etc. as needed.
• Support Product Owners in managing expectations for project deliverables, managing stakeholder communications, and helping to implement an effective system of project governance.
• Work with Executives and Leadership to evaluate and recommend adjustments to annual funding practices and intake processes.
• Help implement new ways of thinking and working while creating a culture focused on value delivery and continuous improvement.
• Strategically account for long-term sustainment of transformation through designing Centers of Excellence standards, establishing Communities of Practice, and staying in tune with the client’s technology and product initiatives to support mechanisms for cross-training and innovation.
• Demonstrate professional level consulting skills, leadership skills, and executive-level communication/presentation skills. Demonstrate adaptability and flexibility to acquire skills to meet business needs.
• Continually innovate, seek creative solutions, and find new ways of adding value. Listen and seek to understand the client and meet their needs, proactively provide solutions and approach adversity with a consultative, solution-focused mindset.
• Stay attuned to the future needs of the client and work with internal resources to identify opportunities. Participate in sales pursuits by providing strategic guidance, estimates, scoping and other pre-sales activities.

• 10+ years of overall agile experience
• 6+ years of experience as an Agile Program Manager in a large organization
• 3+ years Scrum Master experience, leading distributed teams at scale
• Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technology, Organizational Design, Business Administration, Systems Engineering, Management Information Systems or related field (applicable education and experience may be substituted) Master’s Degree a plus.
• Scrum and/or Kanban Certification, SAFe Certification (SPC6) or other scaled implementation certification required.
• Project Management Certification preferred.
• Additional Coaching-related Certification preferred.
• Experience with launching Waterfall teams into an Agile methodology (Scrum or Kanban)
• Experience developing Agile Transformation training materials and/or overseeing the creation of such materials.
• Experience with leading an Agility assessment and framework design of similar size/scale
• Demonstrated ability to guide executives through the organizational design, agility transformation and transition from a traditional mindset to a Lean-Agile mindset.
• Experience in various Agile-tracking tools, such as JIRA, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow etc. and Project Management Tools such as Planview, MS Project, Clarity, Basecamp, etc.
• Excellent creative, conceptual, storytelling, and analytic thinking skills
• Excellent writing skills, strong communication and presentation skills
• Must be a team player with strong interpersonal skills, able to work in team setting and independently.
• Exceptional leadership, time management and organizational skills

• Competitive salary
• Health, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Long and Short-Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Vacation and Holiday Pay
• 401k Retirement Plan
• Training and Advancement opportunities
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Birthdays Off
• Philanthropic Opportunities
• Referral Program
• Partial Gym Membership Paid
• Team Building Events

EEO Employer

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, registered domestic partner status, marital status, disability, status as a crime victim, protected veteran status, political affiliation, union membership, or any other characteristic protected by law. Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law. If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation in using our website for a search or application, please contact our Employee Services Department at [email protected] or 844-463-6178.