Coach, Performance Improvement and Project Turnaround

Job Description

• A financial sector organization is seeking a senior coach to work on complex projects and programs, often experiencing deviations (delays, cost overruns, quality or alignment issues). The role reports to the Delivery Management Director and combines coaching on practices, turnaround, and methodological structuring.
  
• The client is seeking a senior member of the Delivery Management team, positioned as a strategic expert who intervenes in floundering projects and programs to stabilize and turn them around. The recurring keywords (turnaround, diagnosis, root causes, ambiguous contexts, politically sensitive) indicate that the core of the role is crisis intervention, not traditional Agile coaching.
  
• The ideal candidate combines three hats: delivery practices coach (Agile, Waterfall, Lean, hybrid environments), project turnaround specialist capable of quickly providing a structured diagnosis, and methodological structuring expert comfortable working with both an Agile backlog and a detailed, traditional WBS.
  
• The emphasis on business analysis (BABOK, requirements, use cases, acceptance criteria) and WBS validation indicates that the client wants someone who delves into the specifics of deliverables, not just a coach who focuses on presentation. Pure Agile coaches without turnaround experience, PMs who simply execute without transforming practices, and transformation consultants who remain at the strategic level without hands-on coaching should be excluded.
  
• The role requires influencing without direct authority within a large organization, suggesting a profile with prior experience in similarly sized institutions.
  

Main Responsibilities

• Conduct structured diagnostics on struggling projects and identify root causes (organizational, human, technical, or governance-related).
  
• Propose concrete and measurable action plans to stabilize and improve execution.
  
• Support teams in evolving their delivery practices (Agile, Waterfall, Lean, hybrid environments).
  
• Structure and validate Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) to ensure a clear and deliverable-oriented breakdown.
  
• Support the optimization of the harmonized delivery framework (Jira, Confluence) and strengthen governance and performance monitoring.
  
• Facilitate workshops and support managers in decision-making under uncertainty.
  

Requirements

REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum 8 years of experience, including significant experience in complex environments or transformations | Required experience | All requirements
  
• Demonstrated experience in turning around complex projects (diagnosis, action plans, crisis management) | Required experience | All requirements
  
• Proficiency in Agile (Scrum, SAFe), Lean, DevOps, and traditional methodologies, hybrid environments | List of examples | Sufficient majority
  
• Ability to structure and validate a deliverable-oriented WBS, integrating Agile backlogs and traditional WBSs | Required experience | All requirements
  
• Proficiency in Jira and Confluence, structuring delivery environments | Required | All requirements
  
• Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline | Required | All requirements
  
• Excellent command of French, spoken and written | Required | All requirements
  

DESIRED

• Understanding of business analysis practices (BABOK or equivalent): requirements, backlog, use cases, acceptance criteria | One option is sufficient | Sufficient alternative coverage
  
• Experience in facilitating workshops, field coaching, and mentoring managers | List of examples | Sufficient majority
  
• Experience in change management and performance governance (indicators, metrics, information radiators) | List of examples | Sufficient majority
  
• ASSET
  
• OKR, PMP, PMI-ACP, SAFe SPC certifications or equivalent | One option is sufficient | Sufficient Alternative Coverage
  
• Lean Six Sigma Certification (Black Belt) | One option is sufficient | Sufficient Alternative Coverage
  
• Note: Certifications are considered "a significant asset" by the client. They are not disqualifying, but a candidate without any certifications is at a disadvantage compared to the competition when submitting only one CV.
  

WHAT WE DON'T WANT

• Pure Agile Coach (Senior Scrum Master, Squad Coach) without documented experience in turning around struggling projects
  
• Project manager who delivers projects but has never transformed an organization's practices.
  
• Transformation consultant who remains at the strategic level without providing on-the-ground support to teams.
  
• Profile solely focused on Agile methodologies, unable to work in a waterfall model or structure a detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
  
• Candidate without experience in large organizations or politically sensitive environments.
  
• Less than 8 years of experience.