Sr Agile Practice Lead - IHG

Bringing True Hospitality to the world.

We want to welcome you to a world of bringing True Hospitality to everyone. When you join us at IHG®, you become part of our global family. A welcoming culture of warmth, honesty, and a passion for providing True Hospitality.

We pride ourselves on letting your personality and passions shine, recognizing the individual contribution you make and supporting your ambition to learn and create your own career path. In making a difference to our guests and owners, colleagues and communities, every day is a chance to create great and unique experiences, in your own way.

With over 370,000 colleagues in nearly 100 countries sharing our values, there’s countless opportunities at your fingertips.

We’re growing; grow with us.

Location:  Atlanta, GA based role

Hybrid Schedule:  3 days a week in office

Summary

We are seeking a seasoned Sr Agile Practice Lead to join our Agile Center of Excellence. This senior-level role will oversee the Agile transformation process across Product & Technology organization, ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic goals and driving cultural change. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in Agile methodologies and a deep understanding of managing the complexities of a highly matrixed organization. Flexibility and a pragmatic approach to Agile implementation are essential, as the successful candidate must tailor practices to suit organizational needs rather than strictly adhering to any single framework.

Key Accountabilities

•  Lead the rollout of the P&T Agile transformation by implementing the vision, executing the strategy, and owning the roadmap.
• Facilitate and manage the Agile transformation process, addressing resistance and ensuring alignment with business objectives.
• Provide expert coaching and guidance to teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and other stakeholders on Agile principles and practices.
• Collaborate with senior leaders and executives to promote Agile principles and benefits.
• Develop and enforce governance policies to ensure consistency and compliance with Agile practices.
• Track key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success and maturity of Agile practices.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and adaptability.
• Promote a flexible, pragmatic approach to Agile implementation, balancing framework guidelines with organizational realities.
• Conduct tool assessments to evaluate and recommend Agile tools that better align the organization from strategy through execution.
• Lead the transition from current Agile tools to the new tools, ensuring minimal disruption and maximum efficiency.
• Coordinate with Agile tower leads in implementing best practices and establishing Agile communities of practice.
• Stand up and facilitate a quarterly cross-functional planning process to align teams on dependencies and ensure cohesive execution across the organization.
•  Integrate shared service roles with Agile teams, ensuring seamless collaboration and alignment.

Key Skills & Experiences

Education

Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field; advanced degree preferred.

Experience

•  8+ years of experience in Agile coaching, transformation, or a similar role.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Scaling frameworks etc.) and the ability to adapt them to suit organizational needs.
• Proven leadership and change management skills within a highly matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication, strategic planning, and organizational skills.
• Ability to promote Agile principles while remaining flexible and pragmatic in implementation.
• Experience in assessing and implementing Agile tools to enhance strategic alignment and execution.
• Experience in facilitating cross-functional planning processes and aligning teams on dependencies.
• Experience in aligning shared service roles (e.g., HR, IT, Finance) with Agile teams.
• Agile certifications (e.g., SPC, SAFe Program Consultant, CSM, PSM) are highly desirable.

Technical Skills and Knowledge

• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, Scaling frameworks etc.) and the ability to adapt them to suit organizational needs.
• Leadership: Ability to inspire and guide teams through Agile transformation, driving alignment with strategic objectives.
• Coaching: Expertise in coaching teams and individuals on Agile practices, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement.
•  Flexibility: A pragmatic approach to Agile implementation, focusing on what works best for the organization rather than strict adherence to frameworks.
• Strategic Thinking: Strong strategic planning skills to align Agile practices with business goals and ensure long-term success.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels, from team members to senior executives.
• Problem Solving: Strong problem-solving skills to address challenges and obstacles in the Agile transformation process.
• Tool Assessment: Proficiency in evaluating and transitioning Agile tools to align with organizational strategy and enhance execution efficiency.
• Coordination: Ability to work with Agile tower leads to implement best practices and establish Agile communities of practice.
• Planning Facilitation: Experience in standing up and facilitating quarterly cross-functional planning processes to align teams on dependencies.
• Integration: Expertise in aligning shared service roles with Agile teams to ensure seamless collaboration and alignment.

Join us and play a pivotal role in driving our Agile transformation, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, and delivering lasting value to the organization. If you have a passion for Agile methodologies and the ability to navigate the complexities of a large, matrixed organization with flexibility and pragmatism, we want to hear from you.

The salary range for this role is $58,834 to $170,000. This is the lowest to highest pay scale we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee’s pay position within the pay range will be based on several factors including, but limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, sales or revenue-based metrics, and business or organizational needs.

AS APPLICABLE: This job is also eligible for bonus pay.

You can apply for this role through the link below (or through internal career site if you are a current employee).

Note: No amount of pay is considered wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable.  The amount and availability of any bonus, commission, or any form of compensation that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company’s sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company’s sole discretion, consistent with the law.

We’ll reward all your hard work with a great salary and benefits – including great room discount and superb training.

Join us and you’ll become part of the global IHG family – and like all families, all our individual team members share some winning characteristics. As a team, we work better together – we trust and support each other, we do the right thing, and we welcome different perspectives. You need to show us you care that you notice the little things that make a difference to guests as well as always looking for ways to improve - click here to find out more about us.

At IHG Hotels & Resorts, we are proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  IHG Hotels & Resorts provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to an individual’s, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, marital or familial status, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.  

IHG is committed to promoting a culture of inclusion where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued.  We seek talent from all backgrounds to join our teams and encourage our colleagues to bring their authentic and best selves to work.  

#LI-CB1

#Hybrid