Value Stream Director (Remote)

Resp & Qualifications

PURPOSE:
CareFirst is undertaking a digital transformation which requires enterprise agility paired with the retooling of our technology stack to speed delivery and expand our reach. The IT Product Management organization is leading this charge by advancing our Scaled Agile (SAFe) ways of working across the organization. To drive this transformation, the Director, Value Stream leads a team of solution and product managers to define the value stream’s vision and roadmap for achieving its mission and objectives & key results (OKRs). Collaborates with product strategy team, agile transformation office and other value stream leaders to define portfolio strategy, vision and OKRs. Removes impediments from underlying programs and teams. A servant leader and ambassador for the value stream, oversees multiple capabilities roadmaps with epics, manages epic progress, risks, issues and dependencies. Provides strategic leadership, people management and tactical input on the planning and execution of information technology work in the value stream. Manages 3rd parties that support the value stream and leads financial planning and budgeting for the value stream.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Leads team responsible for analyzing, designing, developing and supporting all software application systems across the value stream. Develop and coordinate value stream and product-level roadmaps collaborating with infrastructure and security functions to ensure all goals are in sync and cross department dependencies are managed. Acts as the delivery leader and driver of business outcomes as it relates to business value for the value stream; manages the execution plan to deliver committed objectives.  Embrace and incubate emerging technology and open-source products across all platforms. Work to modernize our existing tech stacks as well as managing technical debt. Participate and support the CI/CD efforts for the value stream.  Develops scalable software solutions through management of a team of software engineers. Responsible for strategic design, implementation, integration, testing, validation, documentation, review, maintenance, and accessibility of resources which enable effective and reliable data analytics, data visualization, and business intelligence. Provides expertise and mentoring in IT area of specialty to ensure optimal functionality of teams in assigned department. Responsible for strategic design, implementation, integration, automated testing, validation, documentation, review, maintenance and accessibility of resources which enable effective and reliable data analytics, data visualization, and business intelligence.

• Understands the portfolio vision and specific requirements and budget for multiple product teams within the value stream.  Reports value produced by the value stream back to executive leadership.  Applies knowledge of general business functions and systems to develop IT strategies, operational plans, and standards to support achievement of department, business and corporate goals.  Responsible for partnership with internal and external stakeholders to ensure high quality delivery of information technology solutions.

• Develop staff through coaching, timely performance feedback, and assessments. Ensure a constantly rising bar of technical excellence and professional growth.  Ensure team members understand individual commitments as well as team and company goals, helping the teams achieve Sprint completion and release dates. Ensures that the team(s) has the right skills and capability to deliver; addresses gaps through reskilling and/or hiring.  Ensure retention of top talent and identify methods for keeping high performers engaged and growing.

• Drive improvements to the shared development and deployment model for releases. Work within and across teams to design, develop, test, implement, and support technical solutions across full-stack development tools and technologies. Responsible for building scalable, cost-effective, and robust strategies in support of the overall achievement of corporate, business, and department goals. Partner with architects, product leaders, and software engineers to drive implementation of new applications. Manages people, projects, and products supporting department goals to improve company efficiency, compliance, profitability, and stakeholder satisfaction.

• Develop the value stream vision, mission and OKRs that aligns with portfolio and enterprise strategy

• Co-lead with the Business Leaders to prioritize epics based on business value inputs in WSJF calculation, and feedback from the customers

• Collaborate with Strategic Portfolio Leader (SPL), enterprise architects (EA) and VMO leader to ensure roadmap and execution timelines align to Enterprise Architecture Roadmap (EAR)

• Facilitate VS360 forum for reviewing in progress epics in value stream, steward the new epics through each stage of value stream kanban system

• Address escalated risks, issues, and dependencies within and outside the value stream

• Review value stream performance health through OKRs and related business metrics

• Enhance transparency and trust into the intake and prioritization process using value stream kanban

• Address escalated vendor contractual and delivery issues bubbled up from programs and teams

• Partner closely with LACE (Lean Agile Center of Excellence) to identify and implement process improvement opportunities across the entire value stream

• Foster an atmosphere of psychological safety and trust

• Risk management, and compliance per Carefirst policies and procedures for their value stream

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:
This position manages 10-15 people.

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education Level: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field OR in lieu of a Bachelor's degree, an additional 4 years of relevant work experience is required in addition to the required work experience.

Licenses/Certifications: SAFe Agilist, SAFe POPM, SAFe SM certifications.

Experience: 10+ years Related professional experience AND 3 years Management experience.

Preferred Qualifications: Master's degree.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Ability to prioritize projects and allocate resources based on organizational goals.
• Ability to establish relationships and credibility with engineers.
• Ability to cultivate a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
• Proficient understanding of distributed computing principles.
• Oversees execution of assigned IT area project delivery.
• Provides leadership in developing business and enterprise level IT strategies for medium to long-term Initiatives.
• Responsibility for overall risk assessment decisions to ensure global compliance with security, regulations, and statutory requirements.
• Represents the department in corporate initiatives and external professional meetings.
• Effective leadership skills including change management, people development, strategic thinking and influencing.
• Ability to translate high level departmental objectives into individual team member objectives and drive organization change.
• Knowledge & experience with successful value streams, continuous delivery improvement mindset, Lean Agile / Scaled Agile or agreed upon agile methodology.
• Knowledge & experience supporting DevSecOps, Test Automation, and CI/CD efforts.
• Experience with various delivery methodologies.
• Knowledge and understanding of software development life cycle (SDLC).
• Excellent communication skills both written and verbal.
• Ability to recognize, analyze, and solve a variety of problems.
• Proficient in presenting information to various stakeholders.

Travel Requirements:
Estimate Amount: 2-3 days per month.

Department

Department:eBusiness Solutions

Equal Employment Opportunity

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield is an Equal Opportunity (EEO) employer.  It is the policy of the Company to provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, protected veteran or disabled status, or genetic information.

Hire Range Disclaimer

Actual salary will be based on relevant job experience and work history.

Where To Apply

Please visit our website to apply: www.carefirst.com/careers

Federal Disc/Physical Demand

Note:  The incumbent is required to immediately disclose any debarment, exclusion, or other event that makes him/her ineligible to perform work directly or indirectly on Federal health care programs.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The associate is primarily seated while performing the duties of the position.  Occasional walking or standing is required.  The hands are regularly used to write, type, key and handle or feel small controls and objects.  The associate must frequently talk and hear.  Weights up to 25 pounds are occasionally lifted.

Sponsorship in US

Must be eligible to work in the U.S. without Sponsorship.

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