Role: Scrum Master
Duration: 5 Months (Possibility for extension)
Location: Scarborough
Story Behind the Need
• Business group: Resource Management group is seeking an intermediate to expert level Scrum Master with a background in project management to be part of the CRM Program Project. The project is regarding a platform which is being built for bank’s contact center and requires the Scrum Master to assist in the project’s final phase of deployment. The Scrum Master will be responsible for Sprint Reports, communicating in dashboard how they are managing the delivery of user stories, risk, impediments and decisions, as well as monitoring the project from an agile perspective.
• Reason for request: Workload/Project
Candidate Value Proposition
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to work on a new product for bank and have the potential to transition into a full-time employee.
Typical Day in Role
1. As a ScrumMaster you will ensure the team enacts the agile principles, values and framework:
– Provide support to teams using a servant leadership style
– Coach the development team and help lead and insure the “agile mindset” is fully adopted and understood
– Inculcate core agile values of focus, commitment, respect, openness and courage into the team’s ground rules through leading by example
– Assess and coach the team to higher levels of performance, tracking acceleration metrics
– Guide the development team on how to integrate agile ceremonies and values into daily work.
– 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
– Engage with the team and technical SMEs to identify technical debt risks and develop approaches to remediate.
2. Implement and promote use of agile methodology within the team:
– Facilitate agile ceremonies including iteration planning, iteration review, retrospectives, and daily standups
– Create a forum for discussing vision, goals, and Product Backlog items amongst the team
– Apply techniques for effective workflow visualization and management (e.g. Kanban or Scrum Boards)
– 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
– Facilitate identifying and enacting improvement strategies to increase the productivity of the team and quality of deliverables
– 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
– Understand long-term product planning/ roadmap and help inform development teams to create quicker gains for the benefit of the end user
– Ensure that 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
– Compliance with bank policies and procedures for project delivery
3. Develop and nurture strong partnering relationships with Product Owner/Business Sponsor and stakeholders:
– Develop strong partnership with the Product Owner to gain strong understanding of objectives, sustain open dialogue to manage product backlog efficiently
– Influence a wide range of stakeholders (business, compliance, Legal, IT, etc.) to remove impediments and maximize team output
– 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:
– Lead and coach the organization in its agile adoption, sharing successes, artifacts, and experience to accelerate transition to new delivery models
– Communicate effectively across diverse audiences within and outside of the development team (Stakeholders, Executives), acting as a champion of the agile methodology
– Partner with Agile Coach and other agile teams to share findings, best practices, and resources to help mature the organization’s agility
Candidate Requirements/Must Have Skills:
1) Scrum Master experience – 3+ years
2) Strong Agile experience with standups, backlog planning and refinement – 3+ years
3) Hands on experience with Kanban Board, Confluence & Jira – 3+ years
4) Experience managing cross functional teams (POs, BAs, Developers, etc.)
5) Scrum Certified (CSM)
6) Ability to work overtime as needed and under pressure
Nice-To-Have Skills:
– Contact Center System deployment, CRM or PEGA experience
– Reporting and dashboarding experience
– Banking/FI experience (one of the Big 5 banks preferred)
Degrees or certifications:
• Bachelor's degree in a technical field such as computer science, computer engineering or related field required
Candidate Review & Selection
• 1 Step Process: 1 in-person panel interview with Hiring Manager, Portfolio Director & Product Owner
Additional Notes:
– Looking for someone who doesn’t require more than 2 weeks’ notice or can begin immediately
– Experience is key, past titles as Scrum Master is preferred, need hands on experience, less theory more practicality, quick learner, have ability to move around other programs, someone who stays for at least a year with the company, strong scrum background