Executive Director, Agile Delivery

Southern Cross University’s purpose is to change lives through revolutionary learning and research with real impact. Our bold Southern Cross Model brings a deeper learning experience, improving individual student outcomes, quality of life and a better way to learn. Our world-leading research is driving positive impact for our communities, environment and economy.

When working at Southern Cross University you will be surrounded by ambitious students, proud colleagues and stunning natural beauty. We are leaders in our communities in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Coffs Harbour and the Gold Coast and pride ourselves on helping shape a better tomorrow.

Southern Cross University (SCU) is embarking on a journey to transition to Agile Ways of Working.

As the Executive Director, Agile Delivery you will shape our approach to Agile and build our Agile Delivery capability from the ground up. You will be responsible for:

• Embedding Agile practices, values and behaviours across squads and business functions to propel SCU towards greater business agility.
• Building our first Agile Delivery squads and capabilities aligned to key value streams.
• Engaging the business to build and align capabilities to enable the transition to agile.
• Establishing agile portfolio governance including portfolio reporting, portfolio syncs, strategic reviews, and budgetary alignment.
• Overseeing the uplift and configuration of our tooling to support Agile practices.
• Leading our Agile cadence including the enterprise agile events such as quarterly planning and scrum of scrums.
• Overseeing and coaching our Agile delivery teams.

This is a senior role at the University and you will engage with the executive team and senior stakeholders across SCU.

The ideal candidate will have 7+ years of Agile experience, including at least 3 years leading Agile Delivery at scale across multiple teams and value streams. Our focus is on experience navigating the transition and so we will value experience from a diverse range of industries (e.g. Banking, Finance, Telco, Education, etc). In addition, you will possess:

• Deep expertise in Agile methodologies, practices and techniques, with certifications in methodologies such as Scrum and ideally Scaled Agile Framework or equivalent.
• Demonstrable experience in leading the adoption of Agile, including, building capability and establishing Agile squads.
• Experience in running Agile at the enterprise level, coordinating agile governance processes and portfolio level events such as quarterly planning.
• Proven track record in leading and coaching Agile delivery teams.
• An understanding of application development methods, practices, and tools.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.

Our staff benefit from flexible work arrangements, including hybrid work models, generous parental and carer’s leave provisions, wellbeing initiatives, employee assistance programs and professional learning opportunities.

This is a full-time, fixed-term (5 years) position based in the beautiful Northern Rivers or Gold Coast regions with generous relocation support available. Our campuses are based in the Gold Coast, Lismore and Coffs Harbour and we encourage our teams to base themselves in a location that leverages the lifestyle benefits of working and living in the region.

Find out more about working at SCU by visiting Why Work at SCU.

Applicants must apply online and attach a two page CV and one page cover letter responding to the selection criteria within the position description by the closing date. Information to support you prepare your application is available on our website. If you experience difficulties applying online or need reasonable adjustments at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know by contacting ****@scu.edu.au.

Job applicants must be an Australian or New Zealand citizen, Australian permanent resident or currently hold a visa with ongoing work rights in Australia. Employer visa sponsorship is not available for this position.

 To view the full position advertisement and details of the application process, please click on the APPLY button where you will be
redirected to the Southern Cross University website.   

Closing Date: 11.30pm AEST, 14 July 2024

Southern Cross University is committed to ensuring that the University reflects the rich diversity across the region in which the University’s campuses are located.

While SCU supports remote working, our expectation is that you will be available to attend the Lismore and / or Gold Coast campus as required.

The University encourages applications from people of all ages, women, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander people, people living with disabilities, people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds and people who openly identify as LGBTQI+.

We encourage applications from people with disability and will provide adjustments to the recruitment process upon request.