Agile Coach – Transformation Office (Senior Consultant)
About Astellas:
At Astellas we are a progressive health partner, delivering value and outcomes where needed.
We pursue innovative science, focussing initially on the areas of greatest potential and then developing solutions where patient need is high, often in rare or under-served disease areas and in life-threatening or life-limiting diseases and conditions.
We work directly with patients, doctors and health care professionals on the front line to ensure patient and clinical needs are guiding our development activities at every stage.
Our global vision for Patient Centricity is to support the development of innovative health solutions through a deep understanding of the patient experience. At Astellas, Patient Centricity isn’t a buzzword - it’s a guiding principle for action. We believe all staff have a role to play in creating a patient-centric culture and integrating an awareness of the patient into our everyday working practices, regardless of our role, team or division.
We work closely with regulatory authorities and payers to find new ways to ensure access to new therapies. We deliver the latest insights and real-world evidence to inform the best decisions for patients and their care-givers, to ensure the medicines we develop continue to provide meaningful outcomes.
Beyond medicines, we support our stakeholder communities to drive initiatives that improve awareness, education, access and ultimately standards of care.
The Opportunity:
As Astellas embarks on an exciting global transformation journey, this is an opportunity to join a team of Transformation Specialists working on the most strategic initiatives across the company. As an Agile Coach at Astellas Pharma, you will play a pivotal role in transforming our organisation by fostering a culture of agility and innovation. You will empower teams across various departments to embrace agile methodologies, enhancing collaboration and efficiency. Your expertise will not only drive the adoption of agile practices but also contribute to our mission of improving lives through innovative healthcare solutions.
Your role includes supporting agile ways of working across the organisation (beyond IT), helping embed agile mindsets, practices, and behaviors within cross-functional business teams. As part of the broader Transformation Office, the consultant may also support other change and execution-related workstreams as agile capabilities mature. You will report to the Transformation Managing Principal, who reports to the Global Head of the Transformation Office. The position is based in Central Warsaw, Poland.
Hybrid Working:
At Astellas we recognise that our employees enjoy having balance between their professional and home lives. We are proud of our hybrid approach which empowers you to have flexibility on whether to work from home or in the office.
Key Responsibilities:
- Leading significant workstreams of a large strategic initiative or small strategic initiatives, managing all resources involved (people and non-payroll budget).
- Collaborate with diverse stakeholders at all levels to foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.
- Guide and mentor teams in adopting agile principles and practices, ensuring alignment with organisational goals.
- Support change management initiatives by helping teams navigate the challenges of transitioning to agile ways of working.
- Assist in identifying and implementing additional transformation initiatives beyond agile coaching. Facilitate workshops and training sessions to promote collaboration and effective communication among team members.
Essential Knowledge & Experience:
- Significant transformation execution experience including hands-on experience as an agile coach driving adoption across business teams (not limited to IT).
- Proven and extensive experience in embedding Agile practices (e.g., Scrum, Kanban) within business teams by guiding them in adopting agile principles, facilitating key ceremonies, and supporting continuous improvement.
- Strong coaching and facilitation skills to guide diverse stakeholders at all levels in adopting agile ways of working. Will be experienced in facilitating agile ceremonies, retrospectives, planning sessions, and team health checks.
- Supported agile coaching efforts across business functions to enable mindset shifts and sustainable agile adoption. Contributed flexibly to broader transformation work (e.g., execution, change management) beyond agile coaching, depending on the evolving needs of the organisation.
- Experience in change management and overcoming resistance to change.
Education:
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Management, or equivalent.
Preferred Experience:
- Certified or experienced in agile methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe. Familiarity with tools and certifications related to agile methodologies. Knowledge of emerging technologies and digital transformation trends is highly desirable.
- Ability to shift from agile-specific roles to other transformation assignments as business needs evolve.
- Ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt to a rapidly changing business environment.
- Knowledge of Pharmaceutical industry and delivery of global transformation initiatives within pharmaceutical companies.
- Additional skills in transformation initiatives beyond agile coaching.
Additional Information:
- This is a permanent full-time position.
- This position is based in Central Warsaw, Poland.
- This position follows our hybrid working model. Role requires a blend of home and a minimum of 3 days per week in our Central Warsaw office. Flexibility may be required in line with business need. Candidates must be located within a commutable distance of the office.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
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