Agile/Project Manager III (Contract)

The Focus Group; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,200,000; Full time

Job summary

The Focus Group is seeking an Agile/Project Manager III to lead enterprise-wide projects in line with business strategy. You will plan, direct and coordinate activities, run agile ceremonies, and mentor teams on agile best practices.

You will ensure projects deliver on scope, time, and budget while coordinating with product managers to translate epics into actionable tasks. Experience includes 7–10 years in a project environment with 2–3 years on medium to high complexity initiatives.

Qualifications

• Plan, direct and coordinate enterprise-wide projects to meet business strategy.
• Mentor and coach on agile best practices and ceremonies.
• Translate epics and stories into actionable tasks for delivery teams.
• Ensure projects deliver on time, budget and scope with governance.

Responsibilities

• Plan, direct and coordinate activities of enterprise-wide projects to ensure goals are met.
• Run agile ceremonies and provide mentorship on agile practices.
• Coordinate with product manager to translate epics into actionable tasks.
• Monitor progress and report on project deliverables and budgets.
• Engage stakeholders and manage change across processes and technology.

Skills

Agile Methodologies

Project management

Planning and Organizing

Decision Making

Influencing

Communication Skills

Facilitation

Risk Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Budget & Cost Estimation

Job description

Agile/Project Manager III

To plan, direct and co-ordinate the activities of enterprise-wide projects to ensure that project goals are accomplished and to develop project plans specifying goals, strategy, staffing, scheduling, identification of risks, contingency plans and allocation of available resources, in line with the business strategy. The Project Manager will also monitor and report on project and deliverable progress, run agile ceremonies, and provide mentorship and coaching on agile best practices. The Project Manager will also ensuring the team is working on the right tasks at the right time, working closely with the product manager to translate epics, stories, and other items on the sprint list into actionable tasks for the delivery team

• Ensure successful implementation of Agile in software projects with improved quality in accordance with business needs and strategic goals.

• Provide expert level guidance to software project team in terms of process, system, tools, methods as well as communication, integration and successful team dynamics through weekly facilitation sessions

• Integrate with diverse stakeholders by engaging and facilitate with multiple divers groups across a spectrum of wants and needs

• Engage and facilitate with multiple diverse groups across a spectrum of wants and needs

• Build professional relationships though engagement and regular communication and feedback with all stakeholders using quality metrics and project status reports as drivers

• Ensure accurate cost estimation based on coverage of client requirements and project scope.

• Ensure project budget are managed within project scope.

• Ensure projects are delivered on target within due date, budget and according to scope and project governance.

• Ensure traceability of defined benefits throughout the lifecycle of the project and elevate any deviations.

• Ensure management of scope, including coverage of client requirements, are created based on estimations.

• Manage delivery of project against agreed schedule. Meet project requirements.

• Manage project priorities effectively and ensured dependencies are catered for according to the project scope.

• Ensure professional advice accepted and implemented.

• Identify project stakeholders, communicate their roles, define their level of participation in project, and map their communication needs and stakeholder engagement strategies throughout the project plan. Be able to structure and lead multidisciplinary and multi-level stakeholder engagements with the ability to synthesize and communicate in a non-technical language

• Ensure each stakeholder group is actively managed through the change cycle.

• Ensure business change impact is conducted across process, systems and technology in accordance with change management plan.

• Ensure roles and strategies are defined, and behaviours and operations are understood.

• Ensure clients are informed.

• Ensure the change management process is led and supported together with the client.

• Ensure satisfactory post implementation review and performing retrospectives/inspect & adapt sessions as required.

• Ensure client needs are accurately captured in scope.

• Ensure sufficient resource allocations.

• Manage delivery of large and complex projects according to prevailing project management methodology.

• Conduct effective resource negotiation and allocation.

Experience

• 7-10 years' experience working in a project environment of which 2-3 years working with medium to high complexity projects

Technical Skills

• Decision-making process

• Financial management

• Industry trends

• Cluster Specific Operational Knowledge

• Governance, Risk and Controls

• Data Analysis

• Information Technology concepts

• Project management principles and methodologies

• Agile Methodologies

• Facilitation and report writing and Communication Skills

Behavioural Competencies

• Planning and Organizing

• Influencing

• Decision Making

• Scheduler/Planner

• Consultant

• Cross-functional Liaison

• Work Standards

• Applied learning

• Customer

• Earning Trust

Organizational Fit

• Personal Growth

• Continuous Improvement

• Customer focus

• Openness to frequent change

• Proactive Management

• High Responsibility/Accountability

• Task Variety

• Continuous Learning

• Relationship Building

• Practical results