Agile Coach / Product Owner

National Highways; Devon and Torbay; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A key national transport authority is seeking an Agile Coach/Product Owner to enhance agile capabilities. This role focuses on coaching teams, implementing agile frameworks, and driving continuous improvement across the Digital Services function. As part of a hybrid work environment, the successful candidate will collaborate across digital teams to foster self-organization and efficiency. The ideal candidate will possess strong coaching skills and a proven record in agile methodologies pertinent to digital organizations.

Qualifications

• Experience in coaching, educating, and inspiring teams.
• Deep knowledge of agile tools, techniques, and principles.
• Proven record of driving a culture of continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Coach individuals and teams to adopt an agile mindset.
• Advise on applying agile methods for project delivery.
• Support professional development in Agile roles.

Skills

Coaching and mentoring

Agile methodologies

Team collaboration

Continuous improvement

Agile frameworks

Education

Relevant qualification in Agile coaching

Tools

Scrum

Kanban

Job description

As part of the development of our Digital Services function, we are recruiting to strengthen internal digital capability within the Digital Services Digital Technical Competence Team. These roles are central to building sustainable in‑house expertise that supports the design, development, and delivery of digital solutions across the transport network.

A key focus of this campaign is creating new opportunities. As a result, we are recruiting Agile Coach/Product Owners to coach and support individuals and teams as we continue to embrace more agile ways of working across Digital Services and National Highways. This role will embed capability and excellence with regards to all things agile and will represent and champion the work of the Agile Centre of Excellence (ACoE) within the Product and Delivery Team, Digital Services and across National Highways.

The Agile Coach/Product Owner role will also help to create an agile environment, putting in place the systems, processes, coaching, roles, and ways of working to sustain high performing teams to deliver business value more efficiently. They will bring in best practice thinking from the wider agile community and promote the “one team” approach when embedding agile frameworks / policies / standards for Digital Services and external suppliers to adhere to and be assured against.

This is a hybrid role, requiring two days per week in the office, based at any National Highways office location and travel to attend team meetings will be required.

• As part of the Agile CoE within the Product and Delivery Team, you'll help develop and embed the strategy for agility across Digital Services covering key topics such as governance, quarterly business planning and prioritisation etc to define best practice for how, when, why this is done. This work will align with Government Digital Service (GDS) and Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) guidance and principles, ensuring teams focus on user needs, iterate frequently, and deliver value through evidence‑based, collaborative ways of working.
• Coach individuals and teams using a combination of observation, hands on coaching and support and training, to help them adopt an agile mindset and deliver in an agile way. Work with teams to set them up for success, encouraging self‑organisation and collaboration in cross functional teams.
• Act as an agile champion and advise the wider delivery community on how best to apply these methods to teams / project delivery to ensure faster realisation of value, minimum viable product approach, prioritisation, and links to strategic objectives.
• Help support professional development of the Digital Services team with regards to Agile, Scrum, Kanban etc.
• Coaching and developing the capability of key agile and delivery roles, including Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Product Managers and Delivery Managers, providing Agile training to these roles, and to team members and stakeholders where required, e.g., supporting the removal of day‑to‑day issues and blockers for Scrum Masters, and supporting delivery, prioritisation and planning activities such as product roadmaps and backlogs.

About you.

• Relevant qualification or proven experience as an Agile Coach in a digital organisation with demonstrable experience in coaching, educating, inspiring and motivating teams.
• Deep knowledge and experience of a broad range of agile topics, tools, techniques, principles and practices with ability to transfer that understanding at all levels of the organisation.
• Proven record of driving an agile culture of continuous improvement.
• Experience of enabling the leadership of delivery and achievement of outcomes in cross functional teams, empowering collaboration, and self‑organisation to succeed.
• Enthusiastic and engaging with ability to act as a source of motivation for individuals and teams and able to lead teams to self‑organisation.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England's motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

The Digital Services Directorate is helping to reshape the way National Highways operates by delivering digital, data, and technology services across all areas, from frontline to back office, in a modern and efficient manner. Our vision is to develop integrated information and technology that empowers our colleagues and provides real‑time information to our customers, as well as integrating with intelligent vehicle and transport systems as they evolve, to enhance journey safety and reliability.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds.