Agile Project Manager

The Senior Agile Project Manager will focus on taking our teams to the next level of Agile maturity and continuous learning.

The Senior Agile Project Manager is responsible for supporting, training, coaching and mentoring Agile teams on how to achieve a high level of performance and quality in delivering projects that provide exceptional business value. The ideal candidate is passionate about the Agile movement and the value that it brings to organizations.

The Senior Agile Project Manager may be responsible for several concurrent high visibility projects using agile methods in a fast-paced environment that may cross multiple business divisions. In performing that role, the Senior Agile Project Manager will be expected to use a high level of knowledge and experience with an Agile development approach. The Senior Agile Project Manager will be the independent voice in our development process, providing unbiased, candid assessments across functional teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Team Management Enable and support high performing Agile teams. Lead and inspire Agile teams to self-organize, learn, and adapt, with the goal of delivering the highest value to our customers. Remove roadblocks to the team’s work and leverage organizational resources to improve team capacity for project work.
Project Management – Focus on regular delivery of value; organize and facilitate project status and working meetings; manage risks and issues; and perform delivery planning for assigned projects
Product Owner Support – Support the Product Owner in managing customer expectations for project deliverables and managing stakeholder communication; guide the PO in understanding and performing the duties of their role and ensuring they continue to build and maintain a healthy backlog
Process Management and Improvement – Champion ongoing process improvement initiatives to implement best practices for Agile Project Management; work with key teams to clear the path and drive organizational agility, i.e. delivery, sales, marketing; communicate with and influence teams and leaders in both business and technology roles; contribute to ongoing development of project management, implementation and solution best practices
Team Development – Promote empowerment of the team, ensure that each team member is fully engaged in the project and making meaningful contribution, and encourage a sustainable pace with high-levels of quality for the team; hands on coaching and mentoring teams to think Lean and be Agile; pilot transformation activities and provide training services.

Qualifications:

Solid understanding of software development life cycle models as well as expert knowledge of Agile principles and practices
Ability to inspire and motivate teams to produce quality work focused on execution and delivery
Ability to initiate change and act with integrity when tough decisions must be made
Demonstrated ability to connect and influence others to achieve team goals
Strong problem-solving skills – ability to take a process perspective to solving problems
Demonstrated ability to work closely with development team leadership to balance client priorities with team bandwidth, skillsets and changing conditions
Ability to assess project performance and communicate lessons learned to increase institutional knowledge
Capable of facilitating (brainstorming, conflict resolutions, design sessions, etc.)
Self-starter / able to work and lead groups independently
Strong knowledge and understanding of business needs with the ability to establish/maintain high level of customer trust and confidence
Proven ability to identify potential problems/outstanding tasks, and finding solutions
A proven track record of successfully implementing software or web development projects using Agile methodologies, including 8+ years of experience as a Project Manager managing large, complex, consumer facing projects in a high-tech development environment with multi-function teams.
Prior experience with Agile methodologies with enterprise-level application development teams and projects. PMI-ACP, CSM, or equivalent preferred
Experience overseeing multi-function project teams, including Developers, UX resources, QA Personnel
Balanced business/technical background
Sufficient level of technical background to provide highly-credible leadership to development teams and to be able to accurately and objectively evaluate complex project risks and issues

Skills Required:

BA or BS or equivalent experience is required; MA or MS is a plus
Strong interpersonal skills including mentoring, coaching, collaborating, and team building
Strong analytical, planning, and organizational skills with an ability to manage competing demands
Strong knowledge and understanding of business needs with the ability to establish/maintain high levels of stakeholder trust and confidence
Comfortable candidly but diplomatically calling out, surfacing, and elevating issues
Highly collaborative, prioritizing collaboration over credit, and interested in building strong relationships with peers across corporate functions
Proven ability to lead software development projects with a focus on objectives, goals, and commitments
Possess the ability and willingness to adapt and iterate
Intellectually curious, with a demonstrated commitment to continuous growth
Possess the ability to take care in building trusting environments and trusting teams
Solid understanding of and demonstrated experience in using appropriate tools including Jira/Greenhopper, Rally, VersionOne or equivalent
Excellent oral and written communication skills and experience interacting with both business and IT individuals at all levels including the executive level
Creative approach to problem-solving with the ability to focus on details while maintaining the “big picture” view
Experience in e-learning or related field strongly preferred diplomatically, confidently