Agile Champion – Portfolio Management Team

Tēnei tūranga – About the role

The Digital Data and Insights group leads, connects and strengthens MBIE's core data and insights, digital and technology capabilities.

The Partnerships and Programmes branch was established to translate business strategy into action and is responsible for:

• Creating a central view of MBIE’s data and technology needs (by partnering with all business groups) enabling resources to be directed towards collective priorities.
• Development and execution of all MBIE business groups digital and technology strategies.
• Leading the delivery of MBIE’s digital programmes and projects.
• Digital product management for group specific digital products ensuring the product is up to date, well maintained and system changes for the business areas delivered.
• Serving as point of escalation for digital delivery and operational risks and issues for each business group.
• Leading the MBIE wide digital and non-digital Portfolio Management Office - supporting project managers, ensuring appropriate project controls are in place, and appropriate project level assurance is undertaken for all projects and coordinating / allocating resources for digital projects.
• Strategic partnering with MBIE’s Senior Leadership Team to maximise MBIE’s digital and technology enablement.
• Strategic advisor to the MBIE decision-making group that determines technology programme and project pipeline funding and priorities as well as reviewing portfolio performance.

The Agile Champion reports into the Head of Portfolio Management. This team supports MBIE to effectively lead projects, establish standards, lift capability, and provide a community of best practice with the focus being on:

• Oversight of approved projects including allocation of resourcing and oversight of stakeholder engagement frameworks, project performance, project and portfolio reporting, pipeline planning, risk and issue management.
• Improvement focus including project management waterfall and agile standards and practices, development of project management capability, risk, issue, benefits tracking and dependency management and undertaking post project reviews with a view to continuous improvement.

The Agile Champion is a new role within the Portfolio Management Team responsible for the design and execution of a strategy for the adoption of Agile across the organisation. This thought leader and mentor is responsible for guiding teams in Agile methodologies, promulgating best practices for the company and ensuring the ability to repeat success as Agile is rolled out further at MBIE. They provide hands-on support to team members, collaborating with people across widely varying levels and roles, leading teams toward further understanding and adopting Agile.  As a recognised leader within the group, the Agile Champion may have the opportunity to mentor, promoting the culture of excellence through delivery.

This includes:

• Leading the development and implementation of an agile roadmap across MBIE.
• Leading the establishment and continual improvement of an agile centre of excellence for all project and product management practises at MBIE.
• Identifying impediments to successful agile adoption and execution and working with stakeholders to effectively resolve them.
• Coaching individuals, teams and business leaders in the effective governance and delivery of agile practices.
• Promoting the Portfolio Management groups position as a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for all things project, programme, portfolio management (P3M) and product management.
• Driving the continual improvement of agile processes and practices.
• Carrying out health checks and audits to identify where agile is being used and how it is being applied.
• Contributing to a project management community of practice within the organisation.

Ngā herenga – Requirements of the role

Personal specifications

• 5+ years’ experience in agile scrum and coaching roles working directly with teams in project, programme and product delivery environments in both the public and private sectors.
• Professional qualification in project and programme management and agile approaches essential. IC Agile Coaching Certificate (ICP-ACC) or similar would be an advantage.
• The ability to be flexible with Agile methodologies and adopt hybrid models where appropriate.
• Previous experience working within and managing across different project delivery disciplines including waterfall projects and the use of agile delivery frameworks.
• Knowledge and wide experience across project management disciplines with a good understanding of contemporary best practice principles.
• Experience with Scrum, SAFe, Kanban, and other agile frameworks essential.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, able to engage successfully and credibly at multiple organisational levels.
• Experience coaching Senior Leaders, Product Managers, Product Owners, Project Managers and teams on the values, principles and agile ways of working.
• A team player, willing to contribute as necessary to deliver project outcomes of a high standard and to drive the increasing maturity of MBIE’s delivery functions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to create short and concise information for senior management.
• Must have the legal right to live and work in New Zealand.
• Required to drive (no).
• Police vetting (yes).

Takohanga tuhinga o mua – Key accountabilities and deliverables

Critical Areas of Success

• Ensure a best practice approach to project and programme management is taken by driving the development, implementation, promotion, and continuous improvement of appropriate methodologies.
• Support the PMO and Capability Managers to embed the use of the appropriate agile project and programme delivery frameworks with their respective Project Managers and teams
• Develop and embed an agile centre of excellence
• Implement and provide oversight of agile practices, processes, tools and metrics/KPIs to drive success and improvement.
• Collaborate with existing agile teams to ensure consistency and quality of practices and ensure these are deployed into teams adopting agile.
• Mentor and coach project managers, delivery teams and leaders to help them adopt the mindset and skills needed to deliver business change using agile methodologies
• Support and coach leaders, product owners and business groups to set-up value streams to deliver business change through agile practices
• Teach agile practices and techniques such as estimation, planning, story mapping that enable teams to achieve short cycle time and improve product quality.
• Help Agile teams learn techniques to self-organise and continuously improve practises
• Facilitate multi-team events like Scrum of Scrum, Big Room Planning, retrospectives.
• Contribute to effective agile governance through the evaluation of governance and the coaching of governance members on agile practises.
• Perform project audit to identify where agile is being used and where it could or should be adopted.
• Advise on the application of appropriate quality management techniques setting quality standards, reviewing project performance against those standards and revising standards as required.
• Ensure the application, integration and use of Te ao Māori and Te ao Māori practices in the work of the Branch and as such MBIE; tikanga, te reo and an appreciation of the Treaty of Waitangi, Te Tiriti and the Treaty Principles.
• Foster a customer-focused culture across the Branch.

Thought Leadership

• Create a centre of expertise and promote the role of project management in business and technology change.
• Use professional expertise and experience to assist and advise on suitable practices and approaches for team members to utlise in their assignments.
• Ensure advice given reflects the broader strategies and objectives of DDI and MBIE.

Quality

• Work with the broader Portfolio Management team to develop and implement integrated and fit for purpose agile project management practices and standards, and ensure teams adheres to these.
• Identify areas for ongoing improvement and contribute to the planning and delivery of the necessary changes.
• Ensure that agile project and product management artefacts are of the highest quality, clear, succinct and meaningful to a business management audience.

Relationship Management - Work collaboratively with others to support the achievement of MBIE outcomes 

• Develop strong trust-based relationships with key stakeholders, both personally and throughout the project management practice.
• Proactively communicate with stakeholders, both formally and informally, keeping them fully informed, managing expectations and addressing concerns.
• Actively look for opportunities and synergies with internal and external stakeholders that focus on and meet customer needs. 
• Use a one organisation perspective when contributing to internal forums and governance bodies.
• Represent whole-of-Ministry views and protect its reputation in external interactions. 

Self Management

• Role model collaborative and collegial behaviours.
• Works under broad direction. Work is often self-initiated.
• Is fully responsible for meeting allocated technical and/or project/supervisory objectives.
• Seeks opportunities for skills development, formal and informal.
• Actively participate in the broader Portfolio Management team, accepting ownership of initiatives and activities that benefit the group as a whole.

Wellbeing, health and safety

• Displays commitment through actively supporting all safety and wellbeing initiatives.
• Ensures own and others safety at all times.
• Complies with relevant safety and wellbeing policies, procedures, safe systems of work and event reporting.
• Reports all incidents/accidents, including near misses in a timely fashion.
• Is involved in health and safety through participation and consultation.

Tō tūranga i roto i te Manatū – Your place in the Ministry

The Agile Champion position reports into the Head of Portfolio Management within the Partnerships and Programmes branch. The branch sits within the Digital Data and insights group.

More information about MBIE’s structure

To mātou aronga – What we do for Aotearoa New Zealand

Hīkina Whakatutuki is the te reo Māori name for the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Hīkina means to uplift. Whakatutuki means to move forward, to make successful. Our name speaks to our purpose, Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All.

To Grow Aotearoa New Zealand for All, we put people at the heart of our mahi. Based on the principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi / The Treaty of Waitangi, we are committed to upholding authentic partnerships with Māori.

As agile public service leaders, we use our breadth and experience to navigate the ever-changing world. We are service providers, policy makers, investors and regulators. We engage with diverse communities, businesses and regions. Our work touches on the daily lives of New Zealanders. We grow opportunities (Puāwai), guard and protect (Kaihāpai) and innovate and navigate towards a better future (Auaha).

Ngā matatau – Our competencies

Cultivates innovation We create new and better ways for the organisation to be successful by challenging the status quo generating new and creative ideas and translating them into workable solutions.

Nimble learning We are curious and actively learn through experimentation when tackling new problems by learning as we go when facing new situations and challenges.

Customer focus We build strong customer relationships and deliver customer-centric solutions by listening and gaining insights into the needs of the communities we serve and actively seeking and responding to feedback.

Decision quality We make quality and timely decisions that shape the future for our communities and keep the organisation moving forward by relying on an appropriate mix of analysis, wisdom, experience, and judgement to make valid and reliable decisions.

Action oriented We step up, taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with purpose, urgency and discipline by taking responsibility, ownership and action on challenges, and being accountable for the results.

Collaborates We connect, working together to build partnerships with our communities, working collaboratively to meet shared objectives by gaining trust and support of others; actively seeking the views, experiences, and opinions of others and by working co-operatively with others across MBIE, the public sector and external stakeholder groups.

Te Tiriti o Waitangi

As an agency of the public service, MBIE has a responsibility to contribute to the Crown meeting its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi (Te Tiriti). Meeting our commitment to Te Tiriti will contribute towards us realising the overall aims of Te Ara Amiorangi – Our Path, Our Direction, and achieve the outcome of Growing New Zealand for All. The principles of Te Tiriti - including partnership, good faith, and active protection – are at the core of our work. MBIE is committed to delivering on our obligations as a Treaty partner with authenticity and integrity and to enable Māori interests. We are committed to ensuring that MBIE is well placed to meet our obligations under the Public Service Act 2020 (Te Ao Tūmatanui) to support the Crown in strengthening the Māori/Crown Relationship under the Treaty and to build MBIE’s capability, capacity and cultural intelligence to deliver this.

Mahi i roto i te Ratonga Tūmatanui – Working in the public service

Ka mahitahi mātou o te ratonga tūmatanui kia hei painga mō ngā tāngata o Aotearoa i āianei, ā, hei ngā rā ki tua hoki. He kawenga tino whaitake tā mātou hei tautoko i te Karauna i runga i āna hononga ki a ngāi Māori i raro i te Tiriti o Waitangi. Ka tautoko mātou i te kāwanatanga manapori. Ka whakakotahingia mātou e te wairua whakarato ki ō mātou hapori, ā, e arahina ana mātou e ngā mātāpono me ngā tikanga matua o te ratonga tūmatanui i roto i ā mātou mahi.

In the public service we work collectively to make a meaningful difference for New Zealanders now and in the future. We have an important role in supporting the Crown in its relationships with Māori under the Treaty of Waitangi. We support democratic government. We are unified by a spirit of service to our communities and guided by the core principles and values of the public service in our work.

What does it mean to work in Aotearoa New Zealand’s Public Service?(external link) — Te Kawa Mataaho The Public Service Commission