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Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework

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Agile coach

Find out what an agile coach in government does and the skills you need to do the role at each level.

Published 28 August 2026

What an agile coach does

An agile coach is an expert in Agile and Lean practices. They support the development of an agile culture and mindset that enables more effective delivery across the organisation.

In this role, you will:

  • influence delivery strategy and plans for transforming the organisation
  • provide consultancy in Agile and Lean practices
  • coach and mentor people across professions, functions and all levels of the organisation
  • influence the organisation to improve ways of working and delivery efficiency
  • advocate for agile values, principles, and mindset across the organisation

Agile coach role levels

There are 2 agile coach role levels, from senior agile coach to lead agile coach.

The typical responsibilities and skills for each role level are described in the sections below. You can use this to identify the skills you need to progress in your career, or simply to learn more about each role in the Government Digital and Data profession.

1. Senior agile coach

A senior agile coach works with individuals, teams and groups to help them improve their delivery outcomes.

At this role level, you will:

  • provide coaching to both individuals and teams
  • work with teams to review and implement new ways of working that deliver fast, incremental value
  • support lead agile coaches working with senior leaders or multiple teams
Skill Description

Agile and Lean practices

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean good practices
  • create and tailor the right approach for a team, challenging, evaluating and iterating the approach through the life cycle
  • experiment with new and innovative ways of working to improve delivery across the organisation
  • act as a recognised expert and advocate for Agile and Lean approaches

Coaching in an agile environment

Level: practitioner

Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • coach individuals, agile teams and groups to improve delivery, collaboration and decision‑making
  • use coaching techniques such as listening, questioning and feedback to help others generate their own solutions
  • balance coaching practice with organisational governance and delivery constraints
  • model inclusive behaviours, psychological safety and continuous learning

Community collaboration

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level
  • coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community

Consultancy

Level: working

Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • provide advice, guidance and recommendations based on your specialist knowledge and experience
  • propose methodologies to follow and approaches to implementation
  • frame problems so they can easily be understood, and troubleshoot where required, to support the business in operating more effectively

Making a process work

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • identify and challenge organisational processes of increasing complexity and those processes that are unnecessarily complicated
  • add value and can coach the organisation to inspect and adapt processes
  • guide teams through the implementation of a new process

Team dynamics and collaboration

Level: practitioner

Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • identify problems or issues in the team dynamic and rectify them
  • identify issues through Agile ‘health checks’ with the team, and help to stimulate the right responses
  • engage in varying types of feedback, choosing the right type at the appropriate time and ensuring the discussion and decision stick
  • accelerate the team development cycle

2. Lead agile coach

A lead agile coach works with leadership on improving high-risk or complex areas. They may support and co-ordinate multiple senior agile coaches.

At this role level, you will:

  • work across the organisation to improve its systems, leadership and culture
  • coach senior leaders, teams and other coaches in new delivery methods within the organisation
  • create and tailor new ways of working that support the delivery of fast, incremental value
  • evolve practice standards alongside heads of profession
  • challenge current delivery practices across the organisation, for example by applying systems thinking
Skill Description

Agile and Lean practices

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean good practices
  • create and tailor the right approach for a team, challenging, evaluating and iterating the approach through the life cycle
  • experiment with new and innovative ways of working to improve delivery across the organisation
  • act as a recognised expert and advocate for Agile and Lean approaches

Coaching in an agile environment

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • coach senior leaders and leadership teams to improve organisational effectiveness
  • apply systemic coaching to influence culture, leadership and ways of working
  • identify and address systemic barriers to agile delivery and decision-making
  • align coaching with strategy, priorities and public value outcomes
  • role-model ethical, inclusive and reflective coaching at scale

Community collaboration

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • solve and unblock issues between teams or departments at the highest level
  • coach the organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution, while also building and growing the community

Consultancy

Level: practitioner

Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • provide advice and recommendations to stakeholders based on your significant specialist knowledge and experience
  • lead the definition of guidance and inform how the organisation approaches delivery or uses digital and data skills more effectively

Making a process work

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • identify and challenge organisational processes of increasing complexity and those processes that are unnecessarily complicated
  • add value and can coach the organisation to inspect and adapt processes
  • guide teams through the implementation of a new process

Team dynamics and collaboration

Level: expert

Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels

You can:

  • change organisational structures to fixable and sustainable designs
  • lead on strategy for an entire organisation, joining up business needs with innovative analysis
  • make and justify decisions characterised by high levels of risk, impact and complexity
  • effectively build consensus between organisations (private or public) or highly independent and diverse stakeholders
  • solve and unblock issues within teams or departments at the highest level
  • understand the psychology of a team and have strong mediation skills
  • coach an organisation on team dynamics and conflict resolution
Role Shared skills
Delivery manager

Agile and Lean practices

Making a process work

Team dynamics and collaboration

Programme delivery manager

Community collaboration

Making a process work

Agile and Lean practices

Accessibility specialist

Consultancy

Business architect

Consultancy

Command and control centre manager

Community collaboration

Updates

Published 28 August 2026

Last updated 28 August 2026