[Hiring] Senior Scrum Master @The AES Group

Role Description

This position contributes to client success by building and leading high performing Agile scrum teams on Global Technology projects ranging from basic platform enhancements to complex enterprise product implementations and upgrades.

As a servant leader, the senior scrum master partners closely with IT and business stakeholders on project planning, forms and leads the scrum team, champions continuous improvement, and partners with the project manager in the responsive delivery of solutions.

The senior scrum master plays a key role in contributing to the emergence of a healthy, effective Agile Practice and serves as a mentor and coach for project and portfolio teams.

Summary of Key Responsibilities

• Develops a clear understanding of projects within the program portfolio, leads scrum teams with a clear understanding of business and IT context, and develops an understanding of cross-program portfolio synergies and dependencies.
• Drives the Agile-driven segments of complex, cross-functional, enterprise projects, leading multiple high performing, and often globally distributed teams.
• Works independently, without the need for day-to-day guidance.
• Runs multiple scrum teams simultaneously.
• In partnership with the product owner, mentors/coaches scrum teams on user story sizing and acceptance criteria definition, facilitates the definition of minimal viable product, and leads continuous refinement and prioritization of the product backlog.
• Establishes the scrum framework for the project and secures scrum team and management team working agreements.
• Drives development of the release and sprint roadmaps.
• Leads sprint planning and task definition, sprint execution, impediment removal and tracking, sprint review, and retrospectives.
• Partners with project and release managers in production deployment activities.
• Ensures that Agile-related project reporting, such as burndowns and status updates, are relevant, transparent, and add value.

Qualifications

• Minimum of eight years' experience as a scrum master in an IT or software development setting.
• Scrum Master Certification required.
• Experience leading Agile scrum teams on complex, integrated platforms preferred.
• Bachelor's Degree required; Master's Degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Business Administration, or Management preferred.
• Product Owner and SAFe Certifications are a plus.

Requirements

• Leads by example – with confidence, a positive attitude, patience, honesty and integrity, and a strong sense of commitment.
• Ability to 'read the room', to know what is possible and what is not, and to know how to navigate strategic planning discussions and scrum ceremonies efficiently and effectively.
• Deeply collaborative leadership style.
• Ability to engage in difficult conversations that result in positive, actionable outcomes.
• Ability to navigate complex and diverse landscapes effectively.
• Seeks and provides honest, transparent feedback.
• Ability to build and lead high-performing project teams.
• Ability to set expectations and hold individuals and team members accountable to their commitments.
• Drives decision-making that favors compromise and alignment over consensus-building.
• Good facilitation skills; ability to adapt approach to different types of engagements.
• Good written and verbal communication.

Acumen and Learning Agility

• Deep understanding of Agile scrum and other Agile methodologies.
• Proven success and experience with transitioning teams from waterfall to scrum in an enterprise IT environment.
• Deep knowledge and appreciation of Agile practices and principles, principally scrum, and experience advocating these practices and principles across cross-functional organizations.
• Clear understanding of IT program and portfolio management practices.
• Clear understanding of standards and practices for IT project lifecycle management activities and deliverables.
• Clear understanding of the technical activities executed in an IT project, including:
  • Solution analysis and design
  • Enterprise, solution, and infrastructure architecture
  • Systems integration
  • Data conversion and migration
  • Environment management and build processes
  • Deployment planning and execution
• Clear expertise in at least one industry standard Agile-scrum tool.
• Advanced skills in the MS Office Product Suite, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.