SAFe Agilist (SA)
certification, matched in minutes from 15,000 CVs with the power of AISAFe Agilist holders understand Lean-Agile leadership, PI Planning, and how to coordinate teams around value delivery at scale. Find vetted freelancers with the SAFe Agilist certification fast and with precision.
Meet FRATCH SAFe Agilist (SA)
Michael H.
Last position:
Interim Head of IT / Transformation Manager at A German medium-sized industrial distributor, B2B e-commerce
Agile Transformation: introducing agile principles and transforming traditional IT departments into Scrum and Kanban teams
IT Operating Model: redesigning the IT organization and introducing modern delivery structures and roles
Flight Levels: building up Flight Levels practices within IT to align strategy, coordination and operational execution
Leadership & Coaching: recruiting Agile Coaches and coaching Scrum Masters and IT leaders
ERP Operations: acting as Interim Product Owner for the existing ERP landscape and ensuring business continuity
ERP Transformation: reorganizing and supporting the ERP migration as a Project Manager; Phase 1 (financial accounting) live since October 2025
Operational Core (ERP): establishing dedicated teams for ERP Support, Feature Development, and ERP Migration
Modern Workplace: initiating the transition towards a Microsoft 365-based cloud workplace environment
Integration: establishing a dedicated team to drive integration and connectivity initiatives
Warehouse Operations: building a cross-functional team to support logistics and warehouse-related capabilities
Maintenance & Operations (M&O): introducing a dedicated team for system engineering, security, stable operations and continuous improvement
AI Initiatives: identifying and promoting practical Artificial Intelligence use cases across the IT department
As Interim Head of IT for a German medium-sized industrial distributor, I am responsible for 31 IT employees and lead the digital and organizational transformation, reporting directly to executive leadership. I took over an IT department with almost no basic structures – no clear roles, processes, documentation or ticket system – and with significant technical debt that tied up most of its capacity. Introduced agile principles and ways of working in the IT organization and transformed the traditionally structured IT department into cross-functional Scrum and Kanban teams focused on transparency, collaboration, and customer value delivery.
Redesigned the entire IT organization by establishing a modern operating model, introducing new roles such as Product Owner, Scrum Master and Solution Architect and strengthening the organization through strategic hiring and targeted capability development. Recruited and onboarded Agile Coaches to accelerate the transformation and personally managed and coached Scrum Masters as well as IT department leaders to foster servant leadership, self-management and a culture of continuous improvement.
Aligned IT-internal planning across eight teams to three Flight Levels based on Klaus Leopold (strategy, coordination, team), laying the foundation for later company-wide portfolio management. Consolidated the backlog of more than 10 workstreams and prioritized it by business value and cost of delay. Introduced a ticketing system to increase transparency and enable data-driven decision-making, flow-based work management, and greater accountability at all levels.
Established and supported multiple cross-functional teams, including the Operational Core (ERP) domain with dedicated streams for Support, Feature Development and ERP Migration, as well as teams responsible for Warehouse Operations, Maintenance & Operations (M&O) including system engineering and security, Modern Workplace, Data Quality and integration initiatives. Worked closely with Agile Coaches to support team development, remove impediments, and continuously improve delivery effectiveness.
Acted as Interim Product Owner for the operation and enhancement of the existing ERP landscape while supporting the ERP migration as a Project Manager. Reorganized the project organization and had the already negotiated contract with the implementation partner realigned with a focus on approach and overall responsibility; Phase 1 (financial accounting) has been live since October 2025. Collaborated with the selected implementation partner to design and establish the project organization and target operating model for the ERP transformation, introducing agile delivery structures and ways of working. Facilitated the alignment between business, IT and the external vendor and played a key role in negotiating the contractual framework and delivery model to ensure a sustainable foundation for the transformation program.
Initiated the strategic modernization of the workplace environment through the adoption of Microsoft 365 cloud capabilities, establishing the foundation for enhanced collaboration, scalability and future digital services.
Launched AI initiatives to identify practical business use cases and promote the responsible adoption of Artificial Intelligence across the IT department. Encouraged self-management and empowered teams to take ownership of decisions, delivery and continuous improvement.
Stavros V.
Last position:
Senior Executive Consultant - AI and Enterprise Transformation at Schneider Electric
Build the business value case for a global Talent Acquisition transformation covering talent attraction, shared specialist capabilities, process standardization, AI-enabled automation and the future HR operating model.
- Led the value-case workstream and aligned Finance, HR, Digital and workstream leaders on scope, assumptions, investment requirements and decision criteria.
- Built low, base and high scenarios linking adoption, productivity, workforce capacity, cost and service outcomes; identified double-digit FTE-equivalent capacity and multi-million-euro modeled value potential.
- Assessed AI and automation across scheduling, sourcing and candidate qualification, separating released capacity, avoided cost, qualitative benefits and standalone investment needs.
- Produced executive dashboards, a value-driver tree and a traceable calculation guide; reconciled cross-workstream inputs into the storyline used for the investment decision.
Pedro C.
Last position:
Senior Project Manager (previously Cloud Project Manager) at IBM Client Innovation Center (formerly Nordcloud)
- Led a migration team of several squads for a Public Sector client (on-prem to AWS & Azure), incl. lift-and-shift and database modernisation to PostgreSQL.
- Led AWS/Azure discovery & assessment of 80+ applications and 400+ environments, delivering the wave plan.
Marco S.
Last position:
IT Interim Manager & Digitalization Consultant at paarprojekt GmbH
- Project management and consulting services with a focus on IT interim management: digitalization of corporate management, including processes and applications
- Assessment of the entire IT infrastructure, including applications, core processes and contracts, including cost optimization
- Evaluation and implementation of solutions to promote digitalization in the company in the areas of property management, CRM, invoice review and approval processes, smart metering, DMS and time tracking
- Digitization of file folders and introduction of SharePoint and Microsoft Teams as central document and communication platforms
- Design and delivery of an AI workshop, including the rollout of AI tools to increase efficiency and transparency in key business processes
- Preparation of training materials and delivery of user training for newly introduced digital processes and solutions
Marko A.
Last position:
Program Lead | Agile Transformation Coach at EnBW
Technologies: Azure DevOps, Jira, Confluence, Office 365 (Teams, PowerPoint, Copilot, Excel, SharePoint, Forms, OneNote, PowerAutomate, Word), DataDog, Conceptboard, Python, AWS, Claude, Perplexity Methodology: Scrum
- Steering and supporting the organization in introducing Scrum and a SAFe-inspired quarterly roadmap and portfolio planning at program level.
- Servant leadership for Scrum teams and managers to achieve quarterly goals and measurably increase value creation for internal and external customers.
- Designing and building efficient communication and collaboration structures between multiple development teams and central stakeholders in the organization.
- Moderating and facilitating cross-functional workshops and management meetings to align on shared goals.
- Coaching leaders, Product Owners, and development teams on agile values, role understanding, and scaled ways of working (Scrum, SAFe, Business Agility).
- Removing structural obstacles at team and organizational level through targeted impediment management and escalation processes.
- Enabling teams to become more self-organized, accountable, and end-to-end responsible along the value streams.
- Individual coaching of key people (Product Owners, Chapter Leads, Scrum Masters) to strengthen their impact in the transformation program.
- Organization-wide identification, planning, and implementation of process, structure, and tool improvements to sustainably increase efficiency, throughput, and value creation.
- Close support for Product Owners in stakeholder management, business value prioritization, product strategy, roadmap planning, and effective collaboration with development teams.
- Introducing, governing, and scaling Azure DevOps as the central project and product management tool, including coaching the organization on usage, reporting, and alignment at all levels.
Achievements:
- Clear increase in visibility, transparency, and perceived value creation of the development teams within the overall organization.
- Noticeable improvement in communication between development, business, and other stakeholders.
- Optimization of work processes, workflow, and backlog structures, which reduced lead times, sharpened priorities, and sustainably increased team effectiveness.
Philipp S.
Last position:
Equity Portfolio Manager - Digital Wealth Management at Interactive Brokers LLC
- Solely responsible for two portfolios totaling USD 1 million with an average monthly performance of 2%
- Responsible for the investment strategy, specializing in US equities and ETFs (exchanges: NASDAQ and NYSE)
- Market, trend, data, and technical chart analysis
- Risk management – diversification, daily/weekly risk mitigation measures (rebalancing) to ensure optimal portfolio profitability
Kathrin S.
Last position:
Requirements Engineer at Governikus GmbH & Co. KG
- Impact: Structured requirements analysis and quality assurance as a foundation for the further development of a software solution.
- Analysis, documentation, and coordination of requirements. Conducting stakeholder analyses, interviews, and workshops to gather and validate requirements. Conducting requirements reviews and working closely with business departments and development teams.
Techniques & Tools: Requirements Engineering, Stakeholder Management, Workshop Facilitation, System Context Modeling, Requirements Reviews, Quality Scenarios, Miro, Jira, Confluence
Jerry B.
Last position:
Owner at DIGIPM Consulting e.U.
From 02/2023 to 05/2024: IT interim manager within an international construction chemicals group headquartered in Germany as Global TSA Manager in a carve-out project responsible for the IT workstream.
End-to-end management of an international IT carve-out and TSA program, including transition of five service providers, governance and operating structures, service continuity, provider performance, SLA/KPI and cost management, SIAM and supplier management, security services, operational readiness, and transition into stable operations.
From 06/2024: IT consulting in project management and IT service management areas, providing PM/PMO coaching and support.
Markus F.
Last position:
Logistics Expert/Coach at RAPID Technic AG
- Coaching, developing fundamentals and leading technical aspects in logistics transformation
- Extending SAP WM functionalities
- Efficiency measures in shuttle warehouse technology
- Setting up logistics operations reporting
- Comprehensive inventory planning and execution
- Preparing the technical and commercial foundations for cooperation with external logistics service providers
- Recommendations for the future process and organizational structure
Ole H.
Last position:
Senior IT Project Manager at Rail-Flow GmbH
The client operates a SaaS platform for managing rail and intermodal transport (Rail-Flow Transport Management Platform).
For two of its customers, it was looking for a 3-month project management replacement. Both customers offer rail and intermodal transport services. Implementation progress differs: one customer is already live and wanted its Phase 2 enhancements implemented; the other customer is implementing its MVP and entering an intensive testing phase.
As part of the assignment, project management was taken over, including management of the internal development team (offshore Turkey).
- Took over complete project management for 2 customer projects, including the roles of Product Owner and Co-Scrum Master
- Managed agile implementation teams consisting of business analysts, implementation consultants, developers (offshore) and QA staff
- Ensured compliance with and further development of project governance
- Planning and rollout management: creation and maintenance of project and rollout plans as well as coordination of role assignments with the client’s management
- Requirements and change management: management of contractual requirements, bugs and changes
- Customer and project communication: organization and moderation of status meetings and steering committees
- Identification of project risks, initiation of countermeasures and escalation
- Ensured correct and timely invoicing for project services together with Finance
Methods: Scheduling (forward- and backward-based), including milestone planning, structured interviews, multi-project management (in English)
Tools / Technologies: Jira, Confluence / Atlas, Claude (Skills, Artifacts), MS Outlook
Stephan J.
Last position:
Interim Project Management Office Advisor at Noske-Kaeser Equans
Project management and process harmonization between the French parent company (Equans Group, Axima Marine) and the German production company (Noske Kaeser) for maritime cooling and air conditioning systems.
Stefan L.
Last position:
Senior Manager, Project Manager, Auditor and Consultant at Laager Consulting GmbH
Many years of experience in application development, ICT infrastructures, systems management, hardware and software, telecommunications, ICT strategies, business models, database management, data center consolidations, support and call center setup
Since 1999 independent consultant and project manager: ICT strategies and governance, processes, audits, security, infrastructure (including cloud, DevOps and tools), data and output management, organizational restructurings, business project management and consulting in various industries
Generalist with analytical skills, strong communicator at all hierarchy levels, deployable as manager, coach, project manager or consultant
Felix B.
Last position:
Digital Consultant and Solution Manager at Vorwerk SE & Co. KG
Introduction of a new digital product to the Chinese market as part of a global growth strategy.
Point of contact and coordinating interface between central product management, local Chinese teams and international stakeholders.
Management of the entire program to coordinate complex digital projects.
Successful market launch of a digital product in China (including successful certification for the Chinese market).
Balancing local requirements with global priorities while taking tax and regulatory requirements into account.
Introduction of a new way of working to improve collaboration and coordination across locations.
Development and implementation of a scaling strategy for the digital business model in China.
Use of Jira, Confluence, Miro, Scrum, agile working, SAFe.
Project language: English.
Kelly G.
Last position:
Chief Adaptability Officer (Interim or Freelance) at Self-employed
Building the practice that treats adaptive capability as a strategic asset, not a consulting engagement. Working with C-suite leaders at European and global organizations to build the internal capability to evolve continuously – faster, with less dependency on outside help.
- Delivering the Adaptive Capability Diagnostic: a structured engagement that scores organizations across 6 dimensions and produces a clear roadmap for building transformation capability.
- Advising executives on transformation portfolio management: which initiatives to run simultaneously, how to sequence them, and how to build the governance to sustain all of it.
- Speaking at industry events including executive roundtables, conferences, webinars, and podcasts on building organizational adaptability at scale.
Mehmet Ü.
Last position:
Director and Senior Project Manager at Peak Suisse
- Managing and steering consulting and implementation projects in the financial services sector
- Responsible for project scope, budget, and resources
- Coordinating with clients and stakeholders in Zug and Zurich
Discover over 15,000 top freelancers
SAFe Agilist (SA) statistics
Aggregated from the professional profiles of matched freelancers.
Experience
21 years
Position duration
2.9 years
Positions per freelancer
12
Top business areas
Project Management, Information Technology, Product Development
Top industries
Information Technology, Professional Services, Manufacturing
Certification focus areas
Project Management, Product Development, Information Technology
Bachelor's degree or higher
94%
Master's degree or higher
73%
Doctorate
9%
Certifications per freelancer
7
Most common languages
German, English, French
Speak two or more languages
99%
Based on our profile pool as of 20 Oct 2026.
Daily rate distribution
The chart shows how the daily rates of experts holding this certification are distributed, based on recent contracts on our platform. Each bar covers a rate range — its height shows the share of experts charging within that range.
Average rates for SAFe Agilist (SA)
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 20 Oct 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
SAFe Agilist (SA) experts industry focus
See which industries our matched freelancers work in most often — every figure is calculated live from the freelancers on FRATCH.
- Information Technology (82%)
- Professional Services (68%)
- Manufacturing (46%)
- Automotive (45%)
- Banking and Finance (40%)
- Telecommunication (32%)
- Energy (30%)
- Government and Administration (29%)
Please note that freelancers can work across multiple industries, so percentages overlap.
About the certification
What SAFe Agilist means
The SAFe Agilist certification shows that a professional understands the Scaled Agile Framework and can work in large, complex environments where many teams must align on one product or program. It is often seen as a sign that the person can help teams move from local delivery to coordinated, business-driven flow.
What it validates
- Lean-Agile thinking and the language of SAFe
- How to support delivery across multiple teams and value streams
- How planning, alignment, and feedback loops work in scaled environments
- How to help leaders, teams, and stakeholders work with shared priorities
- How to improve flow without losing focus on quality or customer value
Who holds it
You usually find SAFe Agilist holders in agile transformation roles, product leadership, delivery management, and senior Scrum or team-coaching roles. Many have worked with cross-functional teams, portfolio or program coordination, and change efforts inside enterprises that need more structure than a single-team agile setup.
Core knowledge areas
A freelancer with this certification should be familiar with the habits and practices that make scaled agile delivery work in real organizations.
- Agile Release Trains and program-level coordination
- PI Planning and dependency management
- Roles, events, and artifacts in SAFe
- Lean portfolio and flow concepts
- Continuous improvement across teams
Why it matters for companies
For companies, the certification signals that a freelancer can speak the same language as delivery leaders, product owners, and transformation teams. In Germany and other enterprise-heavy markets, it is especially useful when several teams need to align across business units, time zones, or hybrid working setups.
A SAFe Agilist is rarely hired for isolated task work alone. The role is more often about coaching, facilitation, planning support, and helping teams stay aligned during change.
Best fit project types
- Agile transformation and scale-up initiatives
- PI Planning preparation and facilitation
- Team-of-teams coordination
- Program delivery in large enterprises
- Leadership coaching around Lean-Agile ways of working
Frequently asked questions
The facts hiring teams ask for most often when it comes to SAFe Agilist (SA).
A SAFe Agilist (SA) has shown practical understanding of the Scaled Agile Framework and how to apply it in a multi-team setting. It points to knowledge of Lean-Agile principles, coordination, and planning at scale rather than only team-level agile practice. For companies, that usually means the freelancer can help create alignment where many groups depend on each other.
People often use SAFe Agilist and Leading SAFe in the same search context, but they are not identical phrases. Leading SAFe is the training path commonly associated with the certification, while SAFe Agilist is the credential name people put on a profile. When you see either term, you are usually dealing with the same scaled-agile knowledge base.
SAFe Agilist (SA) is a good fit for people who work with several agile teams and need to align delivery, planning, and leadership. It is common among scrum masters, release train roles, agile coaches, product professionals, and managers involved in transformation work. If your work stays within one small team, the certification may be more than you need.
Preparation for SAFe Agilist usually involves learning the framework structure, key roles, planning events, and the Lean-Agile mindset behind them. Most candidates benefit from guided study and exposure to real scaled delivery situations, because the certification is more about understanding how the parts fit together than memorizing terms. Experience with complex delivery environments helps a lot.
You do not need to be a senior transformation leader to earn SAFe Agilist (SA), but some practical exposure to agile work is helpful. The certification makes more sense if you already understand Scrum, Kanban, or cross-team delivery challenges. Without that context, the framework can feel abstract.
A SAFe Agilist focuses on scaling agile across many teams, while a Scrum Master certification usually focuses on one team and the Scrum framework. SAFe asks more from the holder on planning across dependencies, coordinating with leaders, and supporting enterprise change. Scrum credentials are often narrower; SAFe is broader and more organizational.
The SAFe Agilist (SA) credential is tied to the current version of the framework, so professionals need to stay current as SAFe evolves. In practice, that means continuing education, keeping up with new guidance from Scaled Agile, and refreshing knowledge when the framework changes. Companies should look for candidates who can explain the current practices, not just the name of the certificate.
SAFe Agilist is most relevant in large organizations with many dependent teams, especially in technology, financial services, telecom, healthcare, and other enterprise settings. It matters most when a company is running complex product development, portfolio coordination, or an agile transformation. It is also useful in hybrid and remote setups where structured alignment is essential.
The average hourly rate for freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA) is 114 €, which corresponds to a daily rate of about 913 € based on an 8-hour working day.
Of the freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA), 94% hold at least a Bachelor's degree, 73% hold at least a Master's degree, and 9% hold a doctorate.
On average, freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA) have 21 years of professional experience, with a single engagement typically lasting around 2.9 years.
The most common languages among freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA) are German (100%), English (98%), and French (21%).
The most common industries among freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA) are Information Technology (82%), Professional Services (68%), and Manufacturing (46%).
The most common business areas among freelancers with SAFe Agilist (SA) are Project Management (95%), Information Technology (93%), and Product Development (74%).
FRATCH SAFe Agilist (SA) main locations
Our freelancers and interim experts are at home all over Germany — available on-site in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and every major business hub, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Berlin 
Hamburg 
Munich 
Cologne 
Frankfurt 
Stuttgart In Austria our freelancers and interim experts support companies from Vienna to Graz — on-site where your project needs them, or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Vienna Graz Across Switzerland our specialists are active in Zurich, Geneva, Basel and Bern — working on-site or fully remote. Choose a city to discover matched specialists, local market insights and up-to-date availability.
Zurich Geneva Basel Bern Countries:
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FRATCH CEO
