Scrum Master

We are seeking an experienced and proactive Scrum Master to guide application development teams in adopting and continuously improving Agile and Scrum practices. The ideal candidate will act as a servant-leader and coach, removing impediments, facilitating key Scrum ceremonies, and fostering a collaborative environment that enables the team to deliver high-quality software on time and within scope.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, and Sprint Retrospectives, ensuring they are productive and time-boxed.
• Coach the development team, Business Analysts, and stakeholders on Agile principles, Scrum framework, and best practices.
• Identify, track, and remove impediments or blockers that hinder team progress and sprint goals.
• Shield the team from external interruptions and distractions during the sprint.
• Collaborate closely with the Business Analysts to maintain a well-groomed, prioritized product backlog.
• Track and communicate sprint progress using tools such as burndown charts, velocity reports, and Kanban/Scrum boards (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps).
• Promote self-organization and cross-functional collaboration within the development team.
• Drive continuous improvement by facilitating retrospectives and implementing actionable feedback.
• Support release planning and coordinate with other Scrum Masters in scaled Agile environments (e.g., SAFe, LeSS).
• Report on team performance, sprint outcomes, and delivery risks to senior management and stakeholders.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and continuous learning within the team.
• Assist in managing dependencies across multiple teams/projects when working in a multi-team or program environment.
• Support onboarding of new team members into Agile practices and team norms.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 58 years of experience in software/application development environments, with at least 2+ years working as a Scrum Master.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, or LeSS).
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM I/II), or SAFe Scrum Master certification preferred.
• Hands-on experience with Agile project management tools (Jira, Azure DevOps, Trello, Rally, or similar).
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and application development processes.
• Excellent facilitation, coaching, and conflict-resolution skills.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence without direct authority.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work with cross-functional, distributed teams.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices and CI/CD pipelines is a plus.
• Basic understanding of technical concepts (APIs, databases, testing practices) to communicate effectively with developers and technical stakeholders.

Preferred Attributes

• Experience working with Business Analysts on backlog refinement and release planning.
• Exposure to scaled Agile frameworks in multi-team/program settings.
• Prior experience in client-facing or consulting environments.
• Strong data-driven mindset comfortable presenting metrics like velocity, cycle time, and sprint burndown to leadership.
• A proactive, empathetic, and adaptable approach to team facilitation.