Agile-Scrum Practice Leader (Executive Director)

SMBC Group is a top-tier global financial group. Headquartered in Tokyo and with a 400-year history, SMBC Group offers a diverse range of financial services, including banking, leasing, securities, credit cards, and consumer finance. The Group has more than 130 offices and 80,000 employees worldwide in nearly 40 countries. Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group, Inc. (SMFG) is the holding company of SMBC Group, which is one of the three largest banking groups in Japan. SMFG’s shares trade on the Tokyo, Nagoya, and New York (NYSE: SMFG) stock exchanges.

In the Americas, SMBC Group has a presence in the US, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Peru. Backed by the capital strength of SMBC Group and the value of its relationships in Asia, the Group offers a range of commercial and investment banking services to its corporate, institutional, and municipal clients. It connects a diverse client base to local markets and the organization’s extensive global network. The Group’s operating companies in the Americas include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. (SMBC), SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., SMBC Capital Markets, Inc., SMBC Rail Services LLC, Manufacturers Bank, JRI America, Inc., SMBC Leasing and Finance, Inc., Banco Sumitomo Mitsui Brasileiro S.A., and Sumitomo Mitsui Finance and Leasing Co., Ltd.

The anticipated salary range for this role is between $188,000.00 and $225,000.00. The specific salary offered to an applicant will be based on their individual qualifications, experiences, and an analysis of the current compensation paid in their geography and the market for similar roles at the time of hire. The role may also be eligible for an annual discretionary incentive award. In addition to cash compensation, SMBC offers a competitive portfolio of benefits to its employees.

Role Description

SMBC Americas Division (AD) Information Technology is seeking an Agile-Scrum Practice Leader to join the team. We are looking for an experienced practitioner to manage the introduction and facilitation of agile methods within Technology as a priority and ideally expanding across a variety of stakeholder groups in the company. The key goal of the role is to lead cultural change across technology partners while identifying opportunities for agile implementation through coaching, community building and learning by doing as a group of Agile practitioners. 

The Agile Lead’s key deliverables are a multiyear transformation roadmap with clear milestones and outcomes that will advise and provide input into delivery practitioner tool decisions 

Role Objectives

•    Provide thought leadership and solutions with the adoption of Agile methodologies across a wide array of technology teams.
•    Define and execute an Agile roll out roadmap that shows a progressive scale up scenario with achievable objectives and defined, concrete deliverables.
•    Create strategic coaching objectives in partnership with technology partners/leaders and your team to drive adoption, maturity and optimization of agile and product mindset and practices. Design training sessions to educate stakeholders at all levels on key principles. 
•    Train, mentor, and guide Scrum Masters across the technology organization; act as servant-leader to various teams, enabling them to reach their highest potential in delivering for the business.
•    Define and execute an Agile roll out roadmap that shows a progressive scale up scenario with achievable objectives and defined, concrete deliverables.
•    Create and execute assessment framework to screen program management portfolio and transformation book of work for agile implementation opportunities.
•    Partner with program and transformation leads to (i) Refine approach in accordance with agile principles and agree on transition timelines and deliverables; (ii) develop transparency to strategies, objectives, and work; and (iii)  facilitate product chartering, roadmaps, OKRs, persistent prioritization techniques and celebrate outcomes in creative ways.
•    Provide over-arching and continuous support to Scrum masters, project managers, program managers, and transformation leads to facilitate program transition to, and execution of, agile methodology sustainability.
•    Serve as the AD Technology Agile champion and provides continuous support and training to senior management.
•    Foster a culture of collaboration and a common vision of agile approaches between team members and internal stakeholders in adjacent functions including product owners, technology, and compliance. 

Qualifications and Skills

•    Prior experience rolling out a company-wide Agile practice with an information technology delivery context
•    Ten or more years’ experience in Information Technology project delivery environment across the broad spectrum of the enterprise technology stack. 
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