Senior Agile Coach

Apex Systems; Cayce, Northern (SC, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESPP program

401K match

HSA

EAP

Job summary

Everforth Apex is seeking an experienced Agile Coach to lead and support Agile transformation initiatives across complex business and technology organizations in the Columbia, SC area. You will act as a trusted advisor to leadership, Product Management, PO/SM, RTEs, and Agile teams to scale delivery through SAFe and Lean-Agile practices.

The role emphasizes continuous improvement, organizational change, and developing training programs and Communities of Practice across multiple ARTs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in IT, business, engineering, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in Agile environments.
• 4+ years as an Agile Coach supporting multiple teams and large-scale transformations.

Responsibilities

• Coach and mentor teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, RTEs, and leaders on Agile, Lean, and SAFe principles.
• Support the launch, maturity, and optimization of ARTs across portfolios and initiatives.
• Facilitate SAFe ceremonies including PI Planning, Product Increment execution, System Demos, Inspect & Adapt.

Skills

Agile coaching

SAFe

PI Planning

Jira

Azure DevOps

Lean-Agile

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, Engineering, or related discipline

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

Rally

VersionOne

Job description

Agile Coach

1 year contract1 day onsite in Columbia, SC-- 4 days remoteSeeking an experienced Agile Coach to lead and support Agile transformation initiatives across complex business and technology organizations. This individual will serve as a trusted advisor to leadership, Product Management, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Release Train Engineers (RTEs), and Agile teams, helping scale Agile delivery through the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). The Agile Coach will drive continuous improvement, foster Lean-Agile principles, and enhance organizational agility across multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs).

Key Responsibilities

• Coach and mentor teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, RTEs, and leaders on Agile, Lean, and SAFe principles and best practices.
• Support the launch, maturity, and optimization of Agile Release Trains (ARTs) across multiple portfolios and strategic initiatives.
• Facilitate and improve SAFe ceremonies including PI Planning, Product Increment execution, System Demos, Inspect & Adapt workshops, and Scrum of Scrums.
• Partner with business and technology leaders to drive organizational change and adoption of Agile ways of working.
• Assess Agile maturity and develop actionable improvement plans to increase team effectiveness, predictability, and business value delivery.
• Establish and maintain Agile metrics, dashboards, and reporting to evaluate delivery performance and identify continuous improvement opportunities.
• Assist with value stream identification, dependency management, portfolio planning, and roadmap alignment.
• Develop and deliver Agile and SAFe training programs, workshops, and Communities of Practice (CoPs).
• Guide teams in backlog management, story writing, estimation techniques, and prioritization strategies.
• Promote product-centric delivery, DevOps practices, continuous integration, and continuous delivery methodologies.
• Collaborate with PMO, Product Management, Architecture, and Engineering teams to align Agile practices with enterprise objectives.
• Support leadership in building high-performing teams and cultivating a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous learning.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Business, Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in Agile environments.
• 4+ years of experience as an Agile Coach supporting multiple teams and large-scale Agile transformations.
• Hands‑on experience implementing and coaching within a SAFe environment.
• Experience facilitating PI Planning and supporting Agile Release Train execution.
• Strong knowledge of Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and Agile product delivery practices.
• Experience coaching executives, managers, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, and development teams.
• Strong facilitation, conflict resolution, organizational change management, and communication skills.
• Experience using Agile management tools such as Jira, Azure DevOps, Rally, or VersionOne.

Preferred Qualifications

• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) Certification.
• Certified Scrum Professional (CSP), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), or equivalent Agile certification.
• Experience leading enterprise Agile transformations within regulated industries such as Energy, Utilities, Financial Services, or Healthcare.
• Knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD, Lean Portfolio Management, and Agile governance practices.
• Experience establishing Agile Centers of Excellence (CoE) or Communities of Practice.

Desired Skills

• SAFe Framework
• Agile Transformation
• Lean Portfolio Management
• PI Planning
• Release Train Engineering
• Product Operating Models
• Agile Metrics & Reporting
• Organizational Change Management
• Value Stream Mapping
• Jira & Agile Tool Administration
• Coaching & Mentoring
• Executive Facilitation
• Continuous Improvement
• DevOps & CI/CD

What Success Looks Like

• Increased Agile maturity across teams and ARTs.
• Improved predictability, throughput, and quality of delivery.
• Enhanced stakeholder engagement and business alignment.
• Successful PI Planning and Program Increment execution.
• Sustainable Agile practices embedded throughout the organization.

Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing Best of Staffing and Great Place to Work Great Place to Work.

Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typicall within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our ‘Welcome Packet’ as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.

Everforth 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. Everforth Apex will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable law.