Agile Coach (For Independent Contractors)

Details

An Agile Coach works with Product and Engineering structures to ensure they are focused on the effective delivery of working software. Agile Coaches work with a variety of roles across multiple, cross-functional teams to shape high-performing teams that deliver high value to the business by guiding teams to think customer first.

They focus on continuous improvement and work at all levels to identify improvements, guide stakeholders and teams, and create a culture of psychological safety. Agile Coaches are deployed into an area focused on a business objective and work with stakeholders and teams to determine where they can add the most value. They may work on large-scale programs alongside Technical Program Managers and have an Engineering, Product, or Design background.

Responsibilities

Delivering Working Software

• Work with Product and Engineering structures to ensure effective delivery of working software.
• Help teams break down work, think customer-first, identify the value to achieve, and determine effective delivery approaches.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement through regular review, learning, and implementation of effective change.
• Solve delivery problems, remove blockers, and reduce dependencies by bringing subject matter experts together to agree on suitable outcomes.
• Influence Product teams to focus on effective delivery metrics, understand delivery data, and use it to measure success.
• Influence individuals and teams in the continuous delivery of working software using delivery function principles.

Influencing Behavioral Change

• Encourage Product teams to continually learn and adapt by creating a culture that supports trying new approaches to delivering working software.
• Help teams obtain early feedback by delivering working software in a single batch.
• Evolve team culture toward continuous improvement by highlighting problems and enabling teams to solve them.
• Create a sustainable pace by improving planning and continuous delivery practices.
• Instill a continuous improvement mindset by coaching and teaching teams tools and techniques to evolve their ways of working.

Continuous Improvement

• Work at all levels to identify improvements by understanding the current situation, articulating it clearly, and defining the direction for improvement.
• Help teams achieve a target condition by identifying the current state, desired state, and steps required to get there.
• Act on decisions, take ownership, and lead by example.

Psychological Safety

• Enable teams to freely present ideas and thoughts by promoting openness and healthy conflict.
• Identify and adopt long-term, sustainable solutions using techniques such as root cause analysis and the five whys.

Stakeholder Management and Influencing

• Identify key stakeholders for projects, plans, or decisions and understand how organizational and individual impacts are connected.
• Create stakeholder buy-in through effective communication, information sharing, and addressing needs and concerns.
• Analyze the impact of project-driven change on stakeholders and design change management approaches using change management principles and communication strategies.
• Build commitment and obtain support for initiatives through emotional intelligence, persuasive communication, and aligned stakeholder expectations.

Negotiating and Consulting

• Work toward win-win outcomes by understanding and responding to the needs and motives of others during negotiations.
• Provide advisory services and solutions by combining an understanding of challenges and needs with problem-solving and effective communication.

Coaching and Mentoring

• Use experience and knowledge to coach or guide stakeholders at all levels when appropriate.
• Improve stakeholder performance by sharing experience and approaches to work.

Requirements

• Full understanding of Agile principles.
• Knowledge of different Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban.
• Knowledge of the software delivery life cycle, including continuous delivery and walking skeletons.
• Relevant background in an Engineering or Product role.

Engagement Details

• Project ID: 14771-1
• Contract type: Independent contractor
• Duration: 3 months
• Start date: October 26, 2026
• End date: January 25, 2027