Our customer, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) Information Technology Unit is planning to implement the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in hopes that success may drive change across the agency. Department of Juvenile Services is looking for a SAFe Agile Coach (SPC/SPCT) to support the IT Unit part-time to implement the SAFe framework and improve the ability to provide innovative and timely customer service.
Duties/Responsibilities: :
- Oversee and be responsible for the IT Unit's SAFe Agile transformation
- Lead delivery of SAFe trainings or workshops (beyond SAFe for Teams) to unit staff and agency business owners
- Recommend software and tools for SAFe Agile implementation
- Deliver a two-day SAFe Value Stream Mapping & Agile Release Train(ART) Identification workshop to develop both operational and development value streams
- - Create guiding vision and SAFe implementation plan, involving three steps: selecting the first value stream, selecting the first ART, and creating a preliminary plan for additional value streams - Note: DJS IT unit will be one ART with 47 individuals plus business owners
- Identify SAFe Agile teams and roles, including Lean Agile Center of Excellence (LACE)
- Develop the DJS ART Readiness Checklist, including: define the ART, set ART launch date, train ART leaders and stakeholders, train team members, assess and evolve launch readiness as well as prepare the ART backlog
- Prepare ART backlog to include upcoming features, non-functional requirements, (NFRs) and enablers
- Develop value based, measurable, and gradable Objective and Key Results(OKRs)
- Develop value stream Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Plan and facilitate two SAFe PI Planning sessions, as well as facilitate the development of Epics, Features, and stories for the first two PIs
- Coach SAFe Agile Teams in sprint planning and implementation, as well as provide ongoing SAFe Agile coaching support for new SAFe Agile teams throughout multiple iterations
- Provide practical hands-on mentoring to Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and team members, e.g., help set up team boards, workflow automation, and automated reporting
- Assist organization to define, prioritize, and decompose requirements in product and program backlogs
- Facilitate and coordinate cross team grooming sessions
- Prepare and/or update organization-wide Agile artifacts and methodology documentation
- Analyze, provide recommendations, and help implement changes to reporting, work intake, and planning ensuring processes support Lean and Agile principles, guides and metrics to increase organizational agility
Required Experience: :
- Must have an active SAFe Practice Consultant(SPC) or SPCT, Trainer certification
- At least 5+ years of demonstrated experience in SAFe implementations, building and supporting SAFe Agile teams and programs, preferably within the government industry
- Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with a major in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business, or other related scientific or technical discipline or five+ (5+) years of equivalent experience in a related field
- Must be able to develop and maintain productive working relationships with government leaders and multiple project teams with the ability to articulate benefits of SAFe Agile
- Experience with launching SAFe Agile Release Trains, building a Continuous Delivery Pipeline with DevOps culture, and empowering a Lean Portfolio
- Experience supporting and executing PI Planning
- Experience in leadership coaching, with experience training and mentoring teams through organizational transformation, and SAFe Agile practices at program and enterprise levels
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills; outstanding training, presentation, and facilitation skills, including strong PowerPoint skills
- Master’s degree is preferred
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