Squad Leader

Company:

Description:

THE ROLE & YOUR MISSION

Our scaled Agile Delivery Methodology transforms our IT teams into cohorts of Pods and Squads. Suppose a Squad is defined as the smallest number of people required to deliver product functionality to market. In that case, a Pod is the smallest number of Squads needed to provide a complex product or collection of integrated products to market. Pods exist to create Products and services that deliver on business-focused Missions. We in Product Delivery Engineering are on a mission: to transform how our Mercer business and IT teams work together to unlock the benefits of rapidly delivering quality, secure software to market by empowered teams. We will do this by rolling out our Agile at Scale Delivery model. You will guide one or more Squads and will be responsible for their delivery of working software through to production.

Role Overview:

We are looking for a highly motivated, experienced Squad Leader with an enthusiasm for all aspects of product development who knows how to work with a team of highly skilled engineers. Our goal is to create an environment where continuous improvement of the development process is in focus, and everyone's common goal is to deliver outstanding software as fast as possible. You will be a proven expert in Agile / Scrum / Lean software development methodologies, a guardian of the delivery team's development processes, and driven by delivering value. The squad lead will be an excellent communicator and facilitator and will not be afraid to raise issues and drive change to remove impediments from the delivery team.

We will rely on you to:

• Run the software delivery for your Squad, ensuring there are smooth and efficient processes for getting software through from requirements to working in production.

• Identify and work to eliminate blockers.

• Responsible for ensuring your Squad is motivated, collaborative, efficient and empowered.

• e2e Delivery of working software for 1 or more products or solutions into production

• You will have an Enterprise mindset able to foster collaboration, break down silos, identify and work to remove blockers.

• You will intimately know the processes and practices required for successful and sustainable delivery. Our primary delivery methodologies are Scrum and Kanban

• You will be proficient at creating highly performing teams and take a hands-on approach where required.

• Hands on experience of a range of squad-based roles is an advantage.

• Good understanding of Software Development, Architecture, Test Engineering and Security best practices in an Agile environment is a plus.

• Pods support the entire lifecycle of a product, and we operate on the philosophy that the work comes to the team. You will need to consider tech debt, obsolescence, security and modernization.

• Ensure our Agile governance and ceremonies are in place and effective.

• Plan product releases.

• Our standard metrics are visible and actively being used to drive making choices.

• Own the Continuous Improvement backlog for your Squad. This is the critical mechanism by which we deliver improvements for the following: time to market, efficiency and quality.

• You will provide coaching and support to your Squad, ensuring that they operate well as a team and foster a culture of ownership and respect.

YOUR EXPERIENCE AND VALUES:

What you need to have:

• Experience and track record of successful delivery in complex enterprise platforms or multi-product technological landscape. We also have significant security processes and legislative requirements to protect our customers and their data.

• Previous experience as a Scrum Master preferred

• Strong knowledge and understanding of Agile principles and methodologies.

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or similar certification preferred.

• A metrics-driven approach to delivery evaluation and driving out systems and processes that help define and report on the metrics we believe to be important.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills. As we work to transform Mercer IT and Business into a truly Agile organization, you will need to influence and coach senior executives, many of whom will be new to Agile.

• Pods and squads are distributed globally and utilize a mix of permanent and partner staff who work remotely, so experience in working with and motivating distributed teams is vital.

• You will be collaborative, Inquisitive, and interested in technology and best practices.

Technical skills or qualifications required:

• Experience in a wide range of Technology roles is desirable, ideally with some form of development engineering or business analysis/product owner background.

• Rounded and holistic understanding of Agile Methodologies.

OUR BENEFITS & CULTURE:

• An opportunity to work in a fast-growing, innovative company with lots of room for progression and career growth.

• A fail-friendly environment that encourages learning and initiative.

• A yearly budget and the opportunity to build your flexible benefits package (up to 20% of your annual salary);

• 30+ days off (25 legal days off, 1 extra day off on your birthday, public holiday replacement days, extra buy/sell from your benefits budget).

• Performance Bonus scheme

• Matching charity contributions, charity days off, and the Pay it Forward charity challenge.

• Core benefits - Pension, Life and Medical Insurance, Meal Vouchers, Travel Insurance.

• We champion flexible working, and our mission is to help you find YOUR work-life balance, whether that's standard working, flextime working or working from home.

As a company, we are committed to hybrid work, which includes the flexibility of working remotely and the collaboration, connections, and professional development benefits of working together in the office. Our teams will jointly identify at least one “anchor day” per week on which the full team will be together in person. This unwavering policy is carefully crafted to enhance team unity, inspire creativity, and foster meaningful interactions between our colleagues, to help build our culture and local communities.

Darwin is part of Mercer Marsh Benefits (MMB), a 7,000-person-strong community of specialists in health, benefits, and employee wellbeing. This affords us a massive opportunity to impact the lives of tens of millions of people around the world. Darwin is changing benefits for good in eight of the top ten technology companies in the world and has a wealth of clients across diverse sectors. More than 4 million people are already using our platform.

Darwin™ is a market-leading and specialized global platform that requires specific training and accreditation for consultants to be proficient in delivering programs and projects. Darwin is changing Benefits for Good. Our unique and innovative SaaS (Software as a Service) platform has transformed the employee benefits industry. We are fast-paced, ambitious, people-focused, and on a journey to innovate and develop products that truly impact people’s lives and the market in which we operate.

Here at Darwin, we don’t just get the job done, we go the extra mile. We strive to achieve one extra degree in all we do. We can do this because we have amazing people who do awesome things.

Wherever we are in the world we inspire connections and take great care to make working at Darwin a rewarding and meaningful career experience.

#MMCTECH2024