Squad Lead IA

Ownership & Accountability 

• Take full responsibility for the squad’s business and/or technical outcomes including product/solution/service lifecycle, costs, benefits, and business impact; 
• Take decisions when needed and remove roadblocks, actively steering the squad to achieve its goals; 
• Drive a high-performance culture by empowering the team to solve problems proactively rather than just managing tasks; 
• Continuously review business requirements, market or technical needs, and customer feedback to ensure alignment with the overall products / solutions or services vision.  
• Translate business needs into actionable squad strategies, ensuring the team is working on products / solutions or services that meet customer needs, platform mission and business objectives; 
• Stay up to date with market or technical trends and industry developments to identify opportunities for growth and improvement and integrate them into products / solutions or services discussions. 

Manage Squad Backlogs & Roadmaps 

• Own the execution and delivery of squad objectives (from ABR/QBR process), ensuring work translates into measurable business value; 
• Shift focus from feature delivery to value creation, ensuring all squad efforts contribute to METRO’s strategic goals; 
• Regularly measure squad success based on business impact, not just delivery timelines; 
• Responsible for managing and prioritizing the squad's product/solution/service backlog and ensuring that epics/user stories are created (well) and aligned with the overall business strategy;  
• Have a good understanding of Agile/Lean Methodologies in order to effectively develop and continuously update detailed roadmaps that outline the planned work for the squad, ensuring alignment with strategic goals as agreed on with the Platform Lead. 

Foster Cross-Functional Team Culture 

• Act as a servant leader— empowering, coaching, mentoring, and unblocking the team to maximize efficiency; 
• Promote cross-functional collaboration between squad members from business, tech, and country; 
• Offer ongoing functional leadership to squad members, providing the guidance and support necessary to deliver high-quality products / solutions and services. 

Own Stakeholder Engagement and Dependency Resolution 

• Actively align with Platform Leads, Skill Chapter Leads, and other Squads to drive seamless collaboration; 
• Take ownership of dependencies and risks, solving cross-team challenges before they impact delivery; 
• Act as the primary point of contact for stakeholders, gathering feedback and managing expectations to ensure alignment with product goals; 
• Identify and resolve dependencies with other Squads, ensuring joint impact on METRO’s business goals. 

People Management  

• Act as the disciplinary line manager for some squad members (Business Experts);  
• Conduct regular performance reviews to ensure continuous development, professional growth and alignment with organizational objectives; 
• Lead the hiring process for new Business Experts in their squad, ensuring that the right talent is onboarded to meet platform and organizational needs;  
• Take responsibility for the ongoing career development of Business Experts in their squad, identifying training and learning opportunities that help them grow in their skills and roles; 
• Facilitate career progression paths for the Business Experts in their squad, empowering them to reach their full potential within the organization.