Scrum Master
Typical Day in Role:
1. As a Scrum Master you will ensure the team enacts the agile principles, values and framework:
o Provide support to teams using a servant leadership style
o Coach the development team and help lead and insure the “agile mindset” is fully adopted and understood
o Inculcate core agile values of focus, commitment, respect, openness and courage into the team’s ground rules through leading by example
o Assess and coach the team to higher levels of performance, tracking acceleration metrics
o Guide the development team on how to integrate agile ceremonies and values into daily work
o Encourage an environment where open communication and collaborative problem solving can pave the way for faster removal of any impediments and where the impact of mistakes can be minimized through early detection, making them into learning opportunities
o Facilitate the discussion with the team and technical SMEs to identify technical debt risks and develop approaches to remediate
o Manage the deliveries and releases
2. Implement and promote use of agile methodology within the team:
o Facilitate agile ceremonies including iteration planning, iteration review, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups
o Create a forum for discussing vision, goals, and Product Backlog items amongst the team
o Apply techniques for effective workflow visualization and management (e.g. Kanban or Scrum Boards)
o Identify, manage, and help mitigate issues and risks, with particular emphasis on timely removal of impediments for the team and/or directing obstacles to appropriate owners for quick resolution
o Facilitate identifying and enacting improvement strategies to increase the productivity of the team and quality of deliverables
o Ensure team execution and delivery to committed sprint work- maintaining the momentum of the initiative and upholding a sustainable pace of delivery; track agile metrics to provide statistical proof of momentum and sustainability
o Understand long-term product planning/ roadmap and influence PO to have a discussion with development teams to create quicker gains for the benefit of the end user
o Works with PO to ensure proper lightweight documentation (captured in artifacts such as program vision statement, program backlog, program roadmap, release plan, sprint backlog, and increments) is prioritized and added to the team’s backlog of work
o Compliance with policies and procedures for project delivery
3. Develop and nurture strong partnering relationships with Product Owner/Business Sponsor and stakeholders:
o Develop strong partnership with the Product Owner to gain strong understanding of objectives, sustain open dialogue to manage product backlog efficiently
o Influence a wide range of stakeholders (business, compliance, Legal, IT, etc.) to remove impediments and maximize team output
o Support and educate the Product Owner on agile principles and practices to preserve the team from external pressures which may inhibit its productivity
4. Contribute to building organizational capability and expertise on agile adoption:
o Lead and coach the team in its agile adoption, sharing successes, artifacts, and experience to accelerate transition to new delivery models
o Communicate effectively across diverse audiences within and outside of the development team (Stakeholders, Executives)
o Partner with Agile Coach and Scrum Masters to share findings, best practices, and resources to help mature the organization’s agility
Candidate Requirements/Must-Have skills:
1. 5-7+ years of IT experience
2. 5+ years of Scrum Master experience in a recent project/initiative within a true agile environment
3. Experience coordinating and/or leading large cross-functional/cross-regional teams on major organizational projects, preferably in an agile work environment
Nice-To-Have Skills:
• Experience with Jira highly preferred
• Prior Project Management experience
• Scrum Master Certification (CSM) or other Scrum Master certification
• KMP I (Kanban Systems Design) certification
• Less, Safe, Scrum@Scale Certification
Soft Skills:
• Excellent written, presentation, and verbal communication skills to be able to work well with technical peers and business stakeholders at different levels within the organization
• Strong decision making, forward thinking and creative problem-solving skills to anticipate and respond quickly to technological/market influences
• Ability to work as part of a team, as well as work independently with minimal direction
Best vs. Average Candidate:
• The ideal candidate would meet all the must-have and nice-to-have requirements, while also possessing strong communication skills to interact effectively with senior management
Education:
• Post-secondary degree in a technical field such as computer science, computer engineering or related IT field required