Agile Coach Scrum Master

At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.    

Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.

This is a brand new and exciting role that will champion the delivery of strategic outcomes, facilitate team events, coach and support teams across the University to deliver value. You will be driving the adoption of agile delivery within the organisation from the early stages, and proactively engaging with multiple departments to embed the standards and guardrails set by the Leadership Team. Serving as an Agile coach, you will guide lean and core delivery team members to self-organise, self-manage and achieve team flow.

The role sits in our Computing & Information Services team, which comprises some 200 staff working in partnership with other University departments and stakeholders, to support and enhance the digital experience of staff and students.
  
Further information about the role and the responsibilities is at the bottom of this job description.

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:   
•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.    
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into this University Superannuation Scheme (USS).  
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have ample parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.  
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.   
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.  
•    On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).  
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community  
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.   
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits.   
•    If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools. If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.  

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.  
  
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.    
  
Your application should cover the following criteria:

1.     *Extensive experience in the role of Scrum Master across multiple teams

2.     *Experience working as an agile coach to influence delivery and activities across the organisation.

3.     Experience using and implementing scrum, kanban, and a scaled agile framework (e.g. LeSS)

4.     Experience in running agile projects of varying size and complexity.

5.     Experience of implementing agile techniques in different work cultures and environments with a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.

6.     Experience of implementing standards and procedures, advocating and supporting positive change.

7.     *Expert facilitation skills in a delivery team, 3rd parties and other stakeholders, including

a.     All Scrum and Kanban events

b.     Multiple retrospective ideas

c.     Facilitation of sessions with 3rd parties and stakeholders to resolve complex issues

d.     Breaking down MVP’s into epics and stories

8.     Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

9.     Strong digital competence across a range of digital tools including Azure DevOps*, Jira, Microsoft Teams*, and Slack.

10.  Achievement of recognised industry and professional standards supported by relevant courses or certifications [e.g. certified agile practitioner].

11.  Committed to continuing professional development to maintain professional recognition.

12. A deep understanding of software development practices, tools and processes.

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. Please don’t forget to check if there are any weighted criteria (see above).  

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.

•    A CV: and

•    A supporting statement which outlines how you meet all of the essential criteria within the Person Specification and where possible the desirable criteria.

Contact details

For a chat about the role or any further information please contact James Crooks, Chief Information Officer at [email protected]

·         Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

·         Develop and promote an in-depth understanding of University policy and external developments relevant to your role.

·         Use your professional knowledge and experience as an experienced agile practitioner to lead and coach team members in the use of agile methods, scrum practices, self-organisation, and cross-functionality, providing subject matter expertise and advice.

·         Look for ways to continually improve working practices and take a lead role in the development and implementation of assigned policies, processes and standards.

·         Ensure data (commercially sensitive and/or personal) is appropriately stored and managed.

·         Contribute to the development of operational and strategic level plans for Computing & Information Services.

·         Lead and coach the adoption of agile projects across the organisation, monitoring performance, giving advice, providing reports and taking action to ensure agreed outcomes are met.

·         Provide oversight for agile project teams.

·         Research trends in technology and working practices, to determine the implications and opportunities to evolve and adapt how value is delivered in CIS.

·         Influence University policy and standards by leading and informing meetings, working groups and sub-committees.

·         Provide professional guidance and advice when managing complaints, referrals and specialist activities.

·         Build and establish contacts and networks with key stakeholders, internal and external staff, suppliers, contractors and industry specialists.

·         Design and deliver training and coaching to your stakeholders to support their development and growth.

·         Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills, swap information with peers and positively influence the University’s reputation.

·         Represent the service and University at promotional events.

·         Any other reasonable duties.

If you would like further information you may find the following link helpful:

About us: Working in Computing & Information Services

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.    
   
SECONDMENT
The post is full time fixed term for a 2 year period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.