We are looking for an experienced Japanese speaking Agile Coach to help transition our existing work practices to a full embrace of agile methodology, from the top down. The agile coach will mentor and guide our employees in how to figure out the best solutions for their specific departmental challenges. This person will analyse our organization’s existing infrastructure and implement improvements to help streamline processes and create efficiencies. Ultimately, the agile coach will play a key role in long-term strategy across the business, helping our teams deliver better products in a faster, more efficient manner.

Objectives of this role

• Work with project teams to analyse current systems and processes and design a strategy for adopting agile best practices
• Guide teams in how to stay on track with agile techniques, fine-tuning their approach to ensure that overall strategy is being met
• Lead agile workshops for developer and functional teams, as well as for key stakeholders
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, setting goals and milestones and assigning responsibility
• Drive cultural change by championing an agile mindset, and ensure the organization is adhering to industry best practices

Responsibilities

• Facilitate learning and development among employees through individual and team coaching
• Coach senior managers in agile practices to ensure adoption of best practices from the top down
• Communicate agile principles, scrum practices, and overall operating model across the organization
• Champion the use of metrics and other objective measures by teams
• Undertake daily follow-ups with individual team members to ensure projects are on track and goals are being met
• Maintain objectivity regarding issues and how to troubleshoot them by applying agile principles
• Hold stand-up meetings with cross-functional teams to review project status
• Support teams in determining resource allocations to maintain agile practices and ensure smooth project delivery

Required skills and qualifications

• Must be able to read and write Japanese
• Minimum 5 years of experience as agile coach
• Experience in using scrum, kanban, and scaled agile framework (SAFe)
• Track record of implementing agile techniques in different work cultures and environments
• Experience in running agile projects of varying size and complexity
• Strong skills for leading, educating, and coaching
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Preferred skills and qualifications

• Certification as agile coach or scrum master
• Experience in coaching at large organizations or Fortune 500 companies
• Educational background in computer science