Lead Agile Delivery- Merchandising Capabilities (P3081) - Cincinnati

The Merchandising Capabilities team uses data science, technology, and AI to help Kroger merchants make better, faster decisions across pricing, promotions, assortment, and space optimization. Our portfolio spans multiple products, platforms, and cross-functional teams working together to deliver capabilities that shape how merchandising decisions are made across the enterprise.

As our teams increasingly leverage AI-enabled planning, documentation, and delivery practices, we have an opportunity to further elevate how we execute across the portfolio. We are looking for a leader who can strengthen delivery excellence across multiple teams while helping the organization translate strategic priorities into successful outcomes.

As Lead Agile Delivery, you will serve as both a delivery leader and a strategic execution partner for the Merchandising Capabilities portfolio.

You will support multiple cross-functional product, engineering, and data science teams while helping leadership drive alignment, execution, and organizational effectiveness across a complex portfolio of initiatives. This role is accountable for delivery excellence, enabling teams and leaders to execute with clarity, transparency, and focus.

While Product leaders define strategy, priorities, and outcomes, this role ensures the organization has the operating mechanisms, delivery discipline, visibility, and coordination required to successfully execute against those priorities.

Success in this role requires equal strength in Agile delivery leadership, cross-functional influence, strategic planning, and operational execution. You will operate comfortably at both the team and portfolio level, coaching product teams on empowered team practices that help them connect discovery, delivery, decisions, and measurement to meaningful outcomes while improving efficiency across how work gets planned and executed.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Enable successful delivery across 4+ cross-functional product, engineering, and data science teams.
• Establish, evolve, and coach Agile ways of working and empowered product team practices that improve flow, predictability, quality, outcome orientation, and team effectiveness.
• Create visibility into delivery health, capacity, dependencies, risks, and progress against commitments.
• Drive cross-team alignment by proactively managing dependencies, execution risks, and organizational bottlenecks.
• Partner with leadership to facilitate annual planning, quarterly planning, OKRs, and portfolio execution processes.
• Translate strategic priorities into executable plans, governance mechanisms, operating rhythms, and measurable milestones.
• Maintain portfolio artifacts including roadmaps, strategic plans, decision logs, and execution tracking.
• Monitor progress against strategic initiatives, surfacing risks, tradeoffs, dependencies, and execution considerations.
• Serve as a trusted operating partner to the leadership team, helping turn decisions into action and outcomes.
• Continuously improve organizational effectiveness through data-driven insights, modern delivery practices, and AI-enabled ways of working.

QUALIFICATIONS, SKILLS, AND EXPERIENCE:

• At least 6 years of experience working with software or data development teams in a delivery, scrum master, or agile leadership capacity.
• Demonstrated willingness and ability to adapt or reinvent delivery frameworks to meet the demands of fast-moving, AI-adjacent environments.
• Demonstrated early adoption and practical use of AI tooling in a professional setting.
• Proven ability to operate across multiple teams sharing a broader context, balancing product team needs with program-level alignment.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder management skills – particularly with technical leads and product managers.
• High emotional intelligence; ability to build trust, influence without authority, and drive toward shared understanding.
• Comfortable operating in ambiguity and evolving environments; does not rely on rigid process as a crutch.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

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