Senior Agile Transformation Coach

Spectraforce Technologies; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Spectraforce Technologies, Inc. is seeking a Senior Agile Transformation Coach to lead enterprise-wide Agile modernization within a large financial services organization in Chicago. The role spans portfolio, program, and team levels, driving Lean- Agile adoption and value-driven delivery.

You will partner with senior leaders to evolve product thinking, enable continuous improvement, and develop AI-enabled coaching capabilities while shaping transformation roadmaps and measurable outcomes.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Agile coaching, product management, and organizational transformation, preferably within large financial institutions.
• Proven experience leading enterprise or portfolio-level Agile transformation initiatives.
• Strong background coaching Agile teams, Product Owners, Product Managers, Business Analysts, and senior leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in scaled Agile execution across complex financial services technology portfolios.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
• Experience creating and publishing high-quality content (articles, playbooks, guides) for enterprise use.
• Experience designing, developing, or experimenting with AI-enabled solutions is highly desirable.
• Ability to provide writing samples demonstrating expertise in Agile thought leadership.

Responsibilities

• Lead enterprise Agile transformation initiatives across technology, operations, and business functions.
• Partner with senior leadership to drive cultural, operational, and process changes enabling enterprise agility.
• Establish and scale consistent Agile practices across portfolios, programs, and delivery teams.
• Develop transformation roadmaps and Lean-Agile operating models.
• Coach Product Owners, Product Managers, and Business Analysts on product management best practices.
• Facilitate product discovery activities and prioritize Epics/Features based on customer value.
• Lead portfolio-level Agile enablement across multiple financial services technology portfolios.
• Conduct Agile maturity assessments and implement continuous improvement frameworks.

Skills

Scaled Agile Transformation

Value Stream Management

Portfolio Leadership

Coaching Senior Stakeholders

Product Ownership Coaching

AI-enabled Coaching

Leadership Communication

Job description

Role

Senior Agile Transformation Coach

Duration

12 Months

Work Location

Chicago, IL

Work Model

Hybrid-onsite 3 days a week

Anchor Days

Tuesday - Thursday

Hours

8 am - 5 pm CST (contractor may be expected to start work at 4 am for two weeks. However, these two weeks will be work from home)

Job Description

1. Project Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Agile Transformation Coach to support enterprise-wide Agile modernization and organizational transformation initiatives within a large financial services organization.

The role will operate at the portfolio, program, and team levels, driving the adoption and scaling of Agile, Lean, product management, and product ownership capabilities. The successful candidate will partner with senior business and technology leaders to transform traditional delivery models into customer-centric, value-driven operating models.

The role will focus on organizational effectiveness, product-centric ways of working, continuous improvement, and measurable business outcomes. Additionally, the candidate will contribute to the development of enterprise Agile enablement materials and support the adoption of AI-enabled coaching capabilities.

2. Role Overview and Responsibilities

The Senior Agile Transformation Coach will help teams, programs, and organizational leaders move beyond process adoption by embedding Agile principles, product thinking, Lean practices, and continuous improvement into everyday operations.

Key responsibilities include:

A. Enterprise Agile Transformation and Leadership Coaching

• Lead and influence organizational transformation initiatives across technology, operations, and business functions.
• Partner with senior leadership to drive cultural, operational, and process changes that enable enterprise agility.
• Establish and scale consistent Agile practices across portfolios, programs, and delivery teams.
• Assess organizational Agile maturity and recommend improvement strategies aligned with business objectives.
• Develop and execute transformation roadmaps to support the transition from traditional delivery models to Lean-Agile operating models.
• Apply scaled Agile frameworks and industry best practices to improve organizational effectiveness and delivery outcomes.

B. Product Management and Product Ownership Coaching

• Coach Product Owners, Product Managers, and Business Analysts on product management best practices.
• Facilitate product discovery activities, including customer journey mapping, persona development, product vision, product strategy, and value stream identification.
• Guide teams in defining, decomposing, and prioritizing Epics and Features based on customer value and business outcomes.
• Improve product backlog management, refinement, prioritization, and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Support effective release planning, iteration planning, and continuous delivery practices.
• Promote customer-centric product development and outcome-based prioritization.

C. Program and Portfolio-Level Agile Enablement

• Lead scaled Agile execution across financial services technology portfolios.
• Identify, establish, and optimize portfolio-level value streams.
• Transform traditional project-based and waterfall delivery structures into Lean-Agile value stream-oriented operating models.
• Design and implement portfolio-level workflow structures, governance models, and operating practices.
• Facilitate alignment across programs, teams, Solution Architects, and Development Leads.
• Support feature definition, solution design, and architectural alignment to enable effective delivery.
• Coach technical leaders on systems thinking and the establishment of architectural guidelines and guardrails that enable decentralized decision-making.
• Establish and reinforce Agile adoption practices across portfolio, program, and team levels.

D. Agile Assessments, Metrics, and Continuous Improvement

• Conduct Agile maturity assessments and evaluate the effectiveness of teams, programs, and portfolios.
• Develop and implement team health assessments, maturity models, and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Establish and monitor delivery metrics, including:
  • Agile maturity and team health indicators.
  • Predictability and delivery performance.
  • Flow efficiency and cycle time.
  • Work in Progress (WIP) and throughput.
  • Backlog health and prioritization effectiveness.
  • Release and iteration performance.
• Analyze assessment results and identify organizational improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain coaching and transformation backlogs.
• Partner with Scrum Masters, Team Coaches, and delivery leaders to establish and execute team-level improvement plans.
• Communicate progress, key findings, risks, and improvement outcomes to stakeholders and senior leadership.
• Demonstrate measurable improvements in predictability, delivery performance, and organizational agility.

E. Agile Enablement, Content Development, and Thought Leadership

• Develop and maintain enterprise Agile playbooks, guidance documents, coaching frameworks, and adoption methodologies.
• Create Agile maturity models, assessment tools, training materials, and organizational transformation resources.
• Produce high-quality leadership communications, articles, whitepapers, blogs, and thought leadership content.
• Develop practical coaching resources to support Agile adoption at portfolio, program, and team levels.
• Facilitate workshops, training sessions, and leadership enablement programs.
• Promote consistent understanding and application of Agile principles and Lean practices across the organization.

F. AI-Enabled Agile Coaching and Innovation

• Explore and support the development and adoption of AI-enabled Agile coaching capabilities.
• Experiment with generative AI solutions, AI assistants, and AI agents to improve coaching effectiveness and organizational productivity.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI for Agile assessments, maturity evaluations, planning, reporting, knowledge management, and continuous improvement.
• Support the design and implementation of AI-enabled productivity tools and automation solutions.
• Promote responsible and practical adoption of AI technologies to enhance organizational agility and decision-making.

3. Experience and Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Agile coaching, product management, and organizational transformation, preferably within large financial institutions.
• Proven experience leading enterprise or portfolio-level Agile transformation initiatives.
• Strong background in coaching Agile teams, Product Owners, Product Managers, Business Analysts, and senior technology and business leaders.
• Demonstrated experience in scaled Agile execution across complex financial services technology portfolios.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrated experience creating and publishing high-quality content, including internal or external articles, blogs, whitepapers, playbooks, guidance documents, and training materials.
• Ability to provide writing samples demonstrating expertise in Agile thought leadership and content development.
• Experience designing, developing, implementing, or experimenting with AI-enabled solutions, AI assistants, or AI agents is highly desirable.

4. Required Skills and Competencies

1. Scaled Agile Transformation: Direct experience leading scaled Agile execution across financial services technology portfolios. Experience with frameworks such as SAFe, LeSS, Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD), Spotify, Scrum@Scale, or similar approaches.
2. Value Stream Management: Proven experience identifying, establishing, and optimizing portfolio-level value streams, including transforming traditional waterfall project structures into Lean-Agile value stream-oriented operating models.
3. Portfolio Operating Models: Experience designing portfolio-level workflows, governance structures, operating models, and enterprise transformation roadmaps.
4. Agile Framework Development: Ability to create enterprise Agile playbooks, maturity models, coaching frameworks, assessment tools, and guidance materials supporting adoption at portfolio, program, and team levels.
5. Content Development and Thought Leadership: Exceptional written communication skills with demonstrated experience producing high-quality published content. Writing samples are required.
6. AI and Emerging Technologies: Experience developing, implementing, or experimenting with generative AI solutions, AI assistants, AI agents, or AI-enabled productivity tools is a strong advantage.
7. Consultative and Problem-Solving Approach: Highly adaptable, proactive, and consultative, with the ability to navigate complex organizational challenges and recommend practical solutions.
8. Agile Adoption Lifecycle: Direct experience establishing, implementing, and reinforcing Agile adoption and continuous improvement practices across portfolio, program, and team levels.
9. Stakeholder Engagement: Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with business owners, senior executives, technology leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
10. Leadership and Coaching: Excellent facilitation, mentoring, feedback, conflict resolution, and change management skills.

5. Key Deliverables and Success Measures

The successful candidate will be expected to deliver measurable improvements in enterprise Agile maturity, organizational effectiveness, and delivery performance.

Key deliverables include:

• Enterprise and portfolio-level Agile maturity assessments.
• Organizational Agile transformation roadmaps.
• Portfolio-level value stream identification and optimization recommendations.
• Agile operating models, workflows, and governance guidance.
• Team health and maturity assessment frameworks.
• Delivery predictability, flow, throughput, and WIP measurement frameworks.
• Team-level and program-level coaching and transformation backlogs.
• Enterprise Agile playbooks, coaching frameworks, training resources, and thought leadership materials.
• AI-enabled Agile coaching experiments, use cases, and productivity improvement opportunities.
• Regular leadership reporting on transformation progress, organizational health, and measurable business outcomes.

Success will be measured by improved Agile maturity, stronger product ownership and management capabilities, increased delivery predictability, optimized value streams, improved flow efficiency, and sustained adoption of Lean-Agile principles across the organization.