Lead Agilist

Job Description

Job Title:

Lead Agilist

Job Location:

Cincinnati, OH (Onsite)

Job Pay Range: $70/hr-$75/hr

Contract Length: 12 Months

The Lead Agilist is an experienced practitioner with a minimum of five years of full‑time business experience and at least three years of hands‑on Scrum experience. After completing organizational training in Agile and Scrum practices, the Lead Agilist is assigned one or more Agile squads to support.

This role is responsible for ensuring that Agile squads understand and apply Agile values, Scrum principles, and effective delivery practices. Lead Agilists use strong observational and coaching skills to identify team needs and intervene appropriately. They promote the growth and development of every team member, using thoughtful communication and powerful questioning techniques to encourage creative problem‑solving.

Lead Agilists model servant leadership and foster an environment of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement. They guide teams in applying the Scrum framework, facilitate Scrum events as needed, and ensure these events deliver meaningful value. They coach Product Owners and Development Teams on effective backlog management, shared understanding of goals, and alignment on success criteria.

Additionally, Lead Agilists support teams in developing self‑organization, cross‑functional collaboration, risk identification, dependency management, conflict resolution, and craftsmanship. They encourage teams to solve problems independently while maintaining an Agile mindset. They also coach stakeholders across the organization on Agile practices and the impact of their interactions with Agile teams.

A successful Lead Agilist embraces a learning mindset and helps teams continuously improve through inspect‑and‑adapt practices, leveraging feedback loops, metrics, and other information radiators. They identify opportunities for improvement beyond standard Scrum ceremonies by applying foundational knowledge of Dev Ops, automation, testing frameworks, and other Agile methodologies. They model openness, courage, collaboration, and continuous learning.

Lead Agilists and their squads share responsibility for identifying and communicating risks, adhering to organizational policies, and ensuring actions support a positive customer experience. They consistently identify, assess, manage, and monitor risks while maintaining alignment with organizational expectations.

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the Scrum framework and Agile principles
• Build and support high‑performing teams that leverage inspect‑and‑adapt cycles for continuous improvement
• Use empirical data to drive team and organizational decision‑making
• Apply critical and creative problem‑solving skills
• Present, teach, mentor, and facilitate effectively across multiple levels of the organization
• Collaborate with team members and prioritize team success over individual achievement
• Maintain a commitment to continuous learning in Agile, Scrum, coaching, facilitation, emotional intelligence, and team dynamics
• Understand the full software development lifecycle, including project management, requirements, design, testing, deployment, and change management
• Demonstrate working knowledge of Agile‑supporting practices (CI/CD, TDD, automated testing)
• Apply knowledge of additional Agile frameworks (Kanban, Scrumban, XP, Mob Programming)
• Support teams in setting priorities and goals aligned with Agile business environments
• Remove impediments using multiple approaches and escalate when necessary
• Facilitate communication and collaboration within and beyond the Agile squad
• Improve the effectiveness of all roles within the squad
• Protect the team from external disruptions to maintain productivity
• Foster self‑organization, learning, and growth
• Build a safe environment where issues can be raised without fear
• Perform other duties as assigned

EEO Employer

Apex Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity,…