Senior Agile Program Manager – Scale Delivery & Lead Teams

Toptal; United States; A distancia; USD 110.000 - 160.000; Jornada completa

Descripción de la vacante

Toptal is seeking a Senior Agile Program Manager to scale delivery across multiple cross-functional teams in a fully remote, worldwide role. You will translate roadmaps into coordinated delivery, manage dependencies, and drive timely decisions at senior levels.

With 8+ years in PM/Agile and 5+ years leading multi-team delivery, you’ll lead planning events, maintain dashboards, and coach teams on Agile principles, while partnering with Product, Design, and Engineering to achieve business outcomes.

Formación

• 8+ years in program or project management, with 5+ years leading delivery in Agile environments.
• Proven track record managing multi-team programs from planning through release.
• Deep, practical knowledge of Scrum and Kanban, plus scaling frameworks (SAFe, LeSS, Scrum@Scale).
• Strong command of Agile tooling and building dashboards for program-level reporting.
• Excellent facilitation and communication skills for engineers and executives.

Responsabilidades

• Lead end-to-end delivery of a multi-team program (3+ Agile teams) toward quarterly objectives.
• Run program planning: quarterly/PI planning, roadmap alignment, capacity planning, release planning.
• Identify and manage cross-team dependencies, risks, and blockers; escalate with options.
• Facilitate program ceremonies and ensure decisions are produced, not just updates.
• Partner with Product Owners/PMs to keep backlogs aligned to business value.
• Build program-level reporting: delivery health, velocity trends, OKR progress, RAID logs.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery practices and tooling across teams.
• Maintain stakeholder communications across engineering, product, design, and leadership.

Conocimientos

SAFe/LeSS leadership

Executive stakeholder management & OKR

Cross-functional program governance

Herramientas

Jira

Jira Align

Azure DevOps

Rally

Descripción del empleo

Senior Agile Program Manager - Scale Delivery & Lead Teams - Remote

Seniority & Market Positioning: Requiring 8+ years total and 5+ in Agile environments, this is a senior-to-principal level role. Senior Agile Program Managers at scaled organizations command $110k-$160k USD in North America, €70k-$110k in Western Europe. The lack of posted salary is a flag - worth probing in screening calls.

Skills You'll Build: This role is a strong accelerator for anyone targeting Director of PMO, VP of Delivery, or Chief of Staff tracks. Key high-demand competencies you'll deepen include:

• SAFe/LeSS scaling framework leadership (RTE-level experience)
• Executive stakeholder management and OKR reporting
• Cross-functional program governance in distributed environments

Culture Signals: The description's emphasis on "hands-on, not status-reporting" and "decisions, not just updates" suggests a results-driven culture that values accountability over process theater - a green flag for practitioners who dislike bureaucracy.

Green Flags: Clear, well-written job description; emphasis on coaching and continuous improvement; breadth of scope across engineering, product, and design teams provides rich cross-functional exposure.

Potential Red Flags: No salary range disclosed; headquarters section is blank, suggesting possible early-stage or lean org; "comfort with ambiguity" language may indicate evolving organizational structure. Certifications like SAFe RTE are listed only as "nice to have," which is realistic and not a red flag.

Headquarters: Remote (Anywhere in the World)

We're looking for an experienced Agile Program Manager to lead delivery across multiple cross-functional teams working toward a shared set of business outcomes. You'll sit at the intersection of strategy and execution: translating roadmap priorities into coordinated, predictable delivery, keeping dependencies visible, and making sure the right people are making the right decisions at the right time.

This is a hands-on program role, not a status-reporting one. You'll own the cadence, the plan, and the risks across several Agile teams, and you'll be the person stakeholders trust to tell them where things really stand.

What You'll Do

• Lead end-to-end delivery of a multi-team program, coordinating three or more Agile teams (Scrum, Kanban, or hybrid) toward shared quarterly objectives.
• Run program-level planning, including quarterly/PI planning, roadmap alignment, capacity planning, and release planning.
• Identify, map, and actively manage cross-team dependencies, risks, and blockers, escalating early and with clear options.
• Facilitate program ceremonies such as Scrum of Scrums, program syncs, system demos, and retrospectives, and make sure they produce decisions, not just updates.
• Partner with Product Owners and Product Managers to keep backlogs prioritized, refined, and aligned to business value.
• Build and maintain program-level reporting: delivery health, burn-up/velocity trends, OKR or objective progress, and RAID logs, tailored for both team-level and executive audiences.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery practices, tooling, and team workflows, coaching teams and leaders on Agile principles where needed.
• Manage stakeholder communication across engineering, product, design, business, and leadership, keeping expectations aligned as scope and priorities shift.
• Track program budget, resourcing, and vendor or third-party deliverables where applicable.

What You Bring

• 8+ years of experience in program or project management, with at least 5 years leading delivery in Agile environments.
• Proven track record managing multi-team programs (not just single-team Scrum) from planning through release.
• Deep, practical knowledge of Scrum and Kanban, plus experience with at least one scaling framework (SAFe, LeSS, Scrum@Scale, or similar).
• Strong command of Agile tooling such as Jira, Jira Align, Azure DevOps, Rally, or equivalent, including building dashboards and program-level reporting.
• Excellent facilitation skills: you can run a 50-person planning event as comfortably as a tense 1:1 escalation.
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication in English, with the ability to tailor the message for engineers and executives alike.
• Experience working with distributed or remote teams across time zones.
• Comfort operating with ambiguity: you can stand up structure where there is none and adapt it as the program evolves.

Nice to Have

• Agile or program management certifications such as SAFe RTE, SAFe SPC, PMI-ACP, PgMP, PMP, CSM/CSP, or ICAgile.
• Experience with Agile transformations or introducing scaled frameworks into an organization.
• Background in software, SaaS, data, or digital product delivery.
• Familiarity with OKRs and value-stream or portfolio management.
• Experience in regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, insurance, public sector) where Agile delivery coexists with compliance requirements.
• Budget and vendor management experience on programs with multiple delivery partners.

Is this Agile Program Manager role truly fully remote with no location restrictions? Yes - the role is listed as open to candidates anywhere in the world, with no specific country or timezone requirement stated. However, coordinating multiple Agile teams will likely require some real-time availability for ceremonies, so expect partial timezone constraints depending on where the teams are based.

What Agile frameworks and tools are required for this role? You'll need deep knowledge of Scrum and Kanban, plus practical experience with at least one scaling framework such as SAFe, LeSS, or Scrum@Scale. Proficiency in Agile tooling like Jira, Jira Align, Azure DevOps, or Rally is also required.

Is a SAFe certification required to apply? No - certifications like SAFe RTE, SAFe SPC, PMI-ACP, PgMP, or PMP are listed as "nice to have," not mandatory. Demonstrated hands-on experience managing multi-team Agile programs is the core requirement.

What level of seniority is expected, and how much experience is needed? The role requires 8+ years in program or project management, with at least 5 years specifically leading delivery in Agile environments. Experience managing multi-team programs - not just single-team Scrum - is explicitly required.

Is there any salary or compensation information available for this position? The job posting does not disclose a salary range. Candidates should inquire about compensation during the initial screening process, as market rates for senior Agile Program Managers vary widely by region and engagement type.

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