Manager of Application Development (Agile) 5510

Manager of Application Development (Agile Transformation)

Chicago, IL

Our client is seeking a Manager, Application Development to lead Agile delivery capabilities across a large and diverse application portfolio. This is a highly visible leadership role responsible for driving delivery excellence, Agile maturity, business analysis practices, and collaboration across technology and business teams.

The successful candidate will lead a team of Scrum Masters and Business Systems Analysts supporting multiple software delivery teams and a broad portfolio of business-critical applications. This individual will play a key role in improving delivery predictability, strengthening stakeholder alignment, enhancing Agile practices, and ensuring technology solutions effectively support business objectives.

This position requires a leader who combines strong software delivery expertise with outstanding relationship-building skills, enabling them to partner effectively with business stakeholders, product owners, engineering teams, architecture, cybersecurity, infrastructure, compliance, and executive leadership.

Key Responsibilities

Agile Delivery Leadership

• Lead and develop Scrum Masters and Business Systems Analysts supporting multiple Agile delivery teams.
• Drive consistent Agile practices across teams, including Scrum, Kanban, backlog management, planning, estimation, and continuous improvement.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, transparency, and delivery excellence.
• Remove impediments, manage dependencies, and help teams deliver business value predictably and efficiently.
• Partner with technology and business leaders to improve planning, prioritization, and stakeholder alignment.

Delivery Excellence & Agile Maturity

• Own and evolve the organization's Agile delivery framework, standards, and best practices.
• Establish and track key delivery metrics, team health indicators, and performance measures.
• Use delivery insights and data to improve forecasting, capacity planning, prioritization, and execution.
• Advance Agile maturity and evaluate opportunities to scale Agile practices across the organization.
• Serve as the leader responsible for Agile planning and delivery governance through Azure DevOps.
• Establish standards for backlog management, reporting, dashboards, work item structure, and delivery tracking.
• Improve visibility into delivery progress, team performance, risks, dependencies, and business outcomes.
• Enable data-driven decision-making through meaningful Agile metrics and reporting.

Business Partnership & Stakeholder Engagement

• Build trusted relationships with business leaders and stakeholders.
• Partner with Product Owners and technology teams to align delivery priorities with strategic objectives.
• Facilitate discussions around trade-offs, capacity, scope, timing, dependencies, and business value.
• Communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior leadership.

Talent Development

• Hire, mentor, and develop high-performing Agile delivery professionals.
• Establish clear expectations and career development opportunities for Scrum Masters and Business Systems Analysts.
• Foster a culture focused on continuous learning, collaboration, and leadership development.

Qualifications

Required Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in software delivery, application development, Agile delivery, business analysis, or related technology leadership roles.
• 3+ years of experience leading teams or delivery functions.
• Demonstrated success leading Agile delivery across multiple software development teams.
• Experience managing or coaching Scrum Masters, Business Systems Analysts, Product Owners, or related Agile roles.
• Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle, including requirements, development, testing, release management, and production support.
• Experience building delivery metrics, Agile reporting, and continuous improvement programs.
• Strong stakeholder management and business partnership skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with enterprise Agile transformation or scaled Agile environments.
• Hands‑on experience with Microsoft Azure DevOps.
• Agile certifications such as CSM, PSM, PMI-ACP, SAFe, or PMP.
• Experience within highly regulated industries, including financial services, insurance, healthcare, or similar environments.

What Success Looks Like

• Improved delivery predictability, transparency, and stakeholder confidence.
• Strong Agile practices consistently applied across teams.
• Enhanced collaboration between business and technology stakeholders.
• Well-developed Scrum Master and Business Systems Analyst capabilities.
• Clear visibility into delivery performance, risks, priorities, and business outcomes.
• A culture of continuous improvement and delivery excellence.