Squad Lead

It is a hugely exciting time to join the DnA tribe as we start to expand our Data and Analytics capabilities across the organisation. We have built and launched a leading cloud-based data platform for Admiral, and we have initiatives working across Pricing, Fraud, Telematics, Customer Contact, Claims, Digital, and more to roll out these capabilities and add significant business value.  

If you are driven by Data, have great ideas about the future of data in Admiral, and want to help us become a data first company, this job may be for you.  

We are looking for an analytical thinker who can research insights, develop our strategy, and design and develop the implementation of our data strategy. You will be a talented, enthusiastic individual with the ability to develop people and build skills, capabilities, and knowledge across the squad.  

The DnA tribe is made up of 15 engineering squads, across 3 areas; Tooling & Applications, Data Hub, and Data Decisions and Integrations. We are looking for experienced Squad Leads to drive improvements within our Agile squads, support our Product Owners and ensure we can continue to deliver high quality solutions to the business at pace. 

About you

We are looking for someone enthusiastic with strong communication skills and a desire to drive things forward. The successful applicant will be able to think creatively around a brief and willing to challenge as necessary. You should have experience leading a scrum team in regular, incremental deployments and be confident supporting a Product Owner and Development Team. You will be aware of processes/methodologies to increase velocity and be confident in analysing metrics and suggesting improvements to benefit the team.

We work in an Agile framework and are looking for someone who can work independently, has good teamwork skills, and can deliver to agreed timelines in a fast-paced and changing environment.

Accountabilities 

• Accountable for maximising Squad’s ability to deliver Sprint goals and contribute to Tribe OKRs. 
• Accountable for Squad level ceremonies integrity, consistency, and effectiveness driving Squad value. 
• Accountable to both the Squad as a whole and each individual Squad member performing as a servant leader. 
• Accountable for supporting the Squad to live the following values: productivity, quality, transparency, and openness over internal politics in everything it does. 
• Supporting effective culture, collaboration, and creating the optimum environment for the team to succeed.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for ensuring Squad level ceremonies like Daily Scrums, Sprint Planning, Retrospectives, Sprint Review, etc. are effective, positive & productive.  
• Responsible for the effective and consistent operational performance for the scrum process as the Scrum Master.
• Responsible for identifying, tracking, removing, and escalating both blockers and impediments at Squad level to maintain both pace and flow of value. 
• Responsible for ensuring compliance to Guardrails and Squad level activities. 
• Responsible for owning and managing risks, issues, and dependencies at Squad level. 
• Responsible for managing and resolving intra-Squad dependencies by working with other Squad Leads within the Tribe. 
• Responsible for both timely and effective tracking and reporting on Squad’s progress against Sprint goals to Tribe Leadership. 
• Responsible for managing Squad capacity, utilisation, and velocity. Actively engages with other Squad Leads in the Tribe and Tribe leadership to discuss resourcing and utilisation strategies. 
• Responsible for providing Chapter Lead with relevant input for each Squad member supporting each Squad member’s development and performance needs. 

Key interactions

• Coaches Squad team members in Lean-Agile practices and mindsets. 
• Support Product Owner(s) with Squad backlog management. 
• Collaborates and consults with other Squad Leads in the Tribe to manage resourcing and dependencies. 
• Supports Tribe leadership in optimising value flow for the Tribe. 
• Works with the Chapter Lead to assist in the development of capability.

Knowledge and Experience Required

• Active Squad Lead or Scrum Master experience for 3 years operating with software development team that was applying scrum mastery techniques, lean agile principles, and practices resulting in effective ROI. 
• Experience operating within heavily regulated environments including external regulated consumer products and service offerings. 
• Knowledge and experience in the use of tools such as: Jira, Confluence, etc.
• Knowledge and experience of Agile development techniques like: User Stories, Continuous Integration, ATDD - Acceptance Test Driven Development, TDD - Test-driven development, Continuous Testing, Pairing, and Automated Testing. 
• Knowledge and experience of using Kanban Boards including the production of effective and timely squad performance monitoring reporting. 
• Knowledge and experience with operating with an embedded SDLC process underpinned by Lean Agile practices. 
• Project management fundamentals with the ability to apply principles, tools, and techniques to develop/plan, manage or execute projects to ensure successful completion. 

Professional Training Requirements

• SAFe® 5 Agilist certification. 
• Agile Management Foundation. 
• Scrum Master certification (CSM Certified Scrum Master, PSM – Professional Scrum Master). 

Our Commitment to You

At Admiral, we are committed to being a diverse and inclusive workplace. Admiral is proud to be an equal opportunities employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other legally protected status.

All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment.

Salary, Benefits and Work-Life Balance

We do not have a set salary for this position, as it will be dependent on the successful candidate’s experience. We are happy to see CVs from all candidates who meet the requirements and will be happy to discuss the remuneration package.

At Admiral, we are proud to be a diverse business where we put our people and customers first. We have great benefits to ensure employees have a great work-life balance; it's one of the reasons we’re consistently voted one of the Sunday Times Best Big Companies to Work For in the UK. We want you to have an element of freedom to define a working lifestyle that supports this, so accommodate flexible hours wherever possible.

All colleagues will receive 33 days holiday (including banks holidays) when they join us, and this will increase with length of service, up to a maximum of 38 days (including banks holidays). You also have the option to buy or sell up to five days of annual leave in addition to your allocation.

You can also view some of our other key benefits here.

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