Senior Agile Program Manager

Custom Software Systems Inc.

Washington (District of Columbia)

On-site

USD 150,000 - 210,000

Full time

7 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Dental

Vision

Long-term disability

Short-term disability

Basic term life insurance

Supplemental term life insurance for;_

Simple IRA

Parking/Commuting expense reimburse

Training/Education

Job summary

Custom Software Systems, Inc. (CSS) is seeking an experienced Senior Agile Program Manager to lead our Business and Technology Modernization (BTM) program. The role requires strategic leadership to drive enterprise-wide Agile transformation, governance, and measurable business outcomes across multiple teams.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years in program management, hands-on Agile coaching, and success applying SAFe or equivalent frameworks in federal or private sectors. US citizenship is required.

Qualifications

Deep understanding and expertise of SAFe.
Demonstrated ability to define and implement Agile maturity models and assessments.
Strategic thinker with track record of evolving Agile practices and driving organizational change.
Excellent stakeholder management and ability to influence senior leadership.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain transparency with program stakeholders through status reporting and proactive communication.
Drive team maturity progression with assessment frameworks and coaching plans.
Establish performance standards for Coaches and Scrum Masters; monitor coaching quality.
Ensure consistent application of the Agile playbook across teams, coaches, and Scrum Masters.
Drive business value realization by aligning team outputs with program objectives.
Build sustainable governance with documented processes and risk management.
Shape program strategy by assessing effectiveness and piloting innovative practices.

Skills

SAFe expert

Agile frameworks

Stakeholder management

Coaching teams

Governance modeling

Strategic thinking

Communication

Conflict resolution

Resource management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field

Agile certifications (CSM/CSPO/PMP-ACP/SAFe)

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Custom Software Systems, Inc. (CSS) is seeking an experienced Senior Agile Program Manager to support our client’s Business and Technology Modernization (BTM) Program. The ideal candidate will provide strategic leadership and oversight of enterprise-wide Agile transformation initiatives, driving Agile maturity, standardizing best practices, and ensuring measurable business outcomes across multiple teams. This role requires a proven leader with extensive experience in Agile program management, organizational change, and team coaching who can establish effective governance, engage senior stakeholders, and continuously improve Agile practices. The successful candidate will balance strategic planning with hands-on program execution to support sustainable transformation and long-term organizational success.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain transparency with program stakeholders through meaningful status reporting, proactive communication of changes, data-driven insights on team progress, and regular engagement with sponsors and business stakeholders.
Drive team maturity progression by implementing and maintaining assessment frameworks, ensuring Agile Coaches create and execute coaching plans, measuring advancement, and recommending maturity models and metrics beyond velocity/throughput.
Ensure Agile resource effectiveness by establishing performance standards for Coaches and Scrum Masters, monitoring coaching quality, resolving team/coach conflicts, and providing evidence-based recommendations on resource performance.
Ensure consistent application of the Agile playbook across all teams, coaches, and Scrum Masters to maintain standardization, alignment, and continuity in Agile practices.
Drive business value realization by ensuring Agile teams deliver work that meets expected business outcomes through coaching oversight, metrics analysis, and alignment between team outputs and program objectives.
Build sustainable program governance through documented processes, stakeholder engagement rhythms, risk management protocols, resource management systems, and strategic recommendations that enable long-term program success.
Shape program strategy by continuously assessing program effectiveness, piloting innovative practices, recommending adaptations to our Agile approach, and ensuring the program evolves with organizational maturity.
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Citizenship

US Citizenship

Required Qualifications

At least ten (10) years of experience as a program manager, project manager, or project consultant for technology projects with at least 5+ years leading enterprise Agile Transformations.
At least five (5+) years of hands-on experience and proven track record of coaching teams.
At least three ( 3+) years of experience of effective project/program management or system engineering experience demonstrating ability to manage complex initiatives.
Direct experience leading agile transformations in either the federal or private space.
Direct experience with Jira and Confluence.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

Deep understanding and expertise of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
Deep expertise in multiple Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), or similar) with ability to adapt practices to organizational culture rather than rigid framework adherence.
Demonstrated ability to define and implement Agile maturity models and assessments.
Strategic thinker with track record of evolving Agile practices, recommending improvements, and driving organizational change.
Excellent stakeholder management skills with ability to engage and influence senior leadership, sponsors, and business stakeholders.
Experience building sustainable governance models including documentation standards, engagement rhythms, and risk management.
Strong conflict resolution and problem-solution skills for addressing team dynamics and resource challenges.
Excellent communication skills including status reporting, presentations, and facilitation.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred

Certificates

Industry-leading Agile practitioner certifications such as Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, PMP-ACP, or Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), etc.

Preferred Qualifications