Overview
The Agile Coach is a senior leadership position responsible for championing and implementing Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) practices across clinical informatics teams supporting VA's Electronic Health Record Modernization. This role leads Agile transformation, coaches teams and leadership on Lean-Agile principles, facilitates Program Increment (PI) planning, and ensures continuous value delivery across 170+ VA Medical Centers.
Responsibilities
SAFe® Implementation & Facilitation
- Lead implementation and maturation of SAFe® practices across multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs)
- Champion Lean-Agile principles and mindset, driving cultural transformation throughout the organization
- Facilitate quarterly Program Increment (PI) Planning sessions ensuring alignment of teams to common objectives
- Guide execution of 20 iterations annually with two-week sprint cycles and additional intervals for innovation and planning
- Establish and maintain Agile governance structures, ceremonies, and metrics aligned with SAFe® best practices
- Facilitate Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshops to drive continuous improvement
Coaching & Team Development
- Provide expert coaching to Agile teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Release Train Engineers (RTEs)
- Mentor leadership on Lean-Agile transformation, servant leadership, and change management
- Coach teams on SAFe® ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Reviews, Retrospectives, and PI Planning
- Guide teams in breaking down features into user stories with clear acceptance criteria
- Foster culture of continuous improvement, psychological safety, and high performance
- Support development of self-organizing, cross-functional teams
Program Optimization & Stakeholder Engagement
- Oversee Agile metrics and reporting including velocity, burn-down/burn-up charts, and predictability measures
- Identify and eliminate impediments, bottlenecks, and organizational barriers to flow
- Collaborate with Product Management to maintain and prioritize program backlogs
- Partner with VA leadership, Product Owners, and technical teams to drive Agile adoption
- Present Agile practices, progress, and recommendations to executive stakeholders
- Support risk identification, dependency management, and issue resolution across ARTs
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree required in Business, Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field; Master's degree preferred
- SAFe® certification required:
- SAFe® Program Consultant (SPC) strongly preferred
- Minimum: SAFe® Agilist (SA), SAFe® Scrum Master (SSM), or SAFe® Release Train Engineer (RTE)
- Additional certifications preferred: Certified Scrum Master (CSM), PMI-ACP, or equivalent
- Minimum 7 years in Agile delivery and transformation roles
- Minimum 3 years in SAFe® implementation or coaching capacity
- Proven experience facilitating PI Planning events for large programs (50+ participants)
- Demonstrated success coaching and mentoring Agile teams and leadership
- Experience with Agile metrics, tools (Jira Align, Jira), and reporting
- Healthcare or federal government Agile experience preferred
- Deep knowledge of SAFe® principles, practices, and all levels (Team, Program, Large Solution, Portfolio)
- Expert understanding of Lean-Agile mindset, values, and principles
- Strong knowledge of Scrum, Kanban, XP, and other Agile frameworks
- Understanding of DevOps, Continuous Delivery, and technical practices
- Experience scaling Agile across multiple teams and complex programs
This position is contingent upon program award. We are proactively recruiting qualified candidates in advance of contract award.
About CVP
CVP is an award-winning healthcare and next-gen technology and consulting services firm solving critical problems for healthcare, national security, and public sector clients. We help organizations achieve lasting transformation.
CVP is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to actively recruiting individuals and providing advancement opportunities based on merit and legitimate job qualifications. We ensure that all associates receive equal opportunities based on their personal qualifications and job requirements. CVP strictly prohibits any form of discrimination or harassment.
At CVP, we cultivate a work environment that encourages fairness, teamwork, and respect among all associated. We are committed to maintaining a workplace where everyone can grow both personally and professionally.
