Scrum Master

Cognizant; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant in the United Kingdom seeks a seasoned Scrum Master to enable cross-functional teams to deliver valuable outcomes predictably. You will act as a servant leader, facilitate Scrum and SAFe ceremonies, remove impediments, and coach teams toward self-management.

You will coordinate PI Planning, manage risks and dependencies across the Agile Release Train, and work with the Product Owner to maintain a ready backlog aligned with business value.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Scrum Master supporting multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Strong practical knowledge of Scrum, agile, and Lean with SAFe or scaled agile experience.
• Ability to facilitate complex discussions, resolve conflicts, and influence without formal authority.
• Experience preparing teams for PI Planning and managing risks across an Agile Release Train.

Responsibilities

• Lead and optimize Scrum events (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Review, Retrospective).
• Coordinate PI Planning activities and cross-team dependencies.
• Coach teams and stakeholders in Scrum, SAFe, and Lean principles.
• Promote engineering excellence, DevOps, and a reliable Continuous Delivery Pipeline.

Skills

Scrum Master

Agile/Lean

Facilitation

PI Planning

Coaching

Jira

Azure DevOps

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

Tools

Jira

Azure DevOps

Job description

About the Client

Our client is a leading global consulting organisation delivering complex digital, data, cloud, and infrastructure programmes across multiple industries. The client is committed to building high-performing agile delivery teams that consistently deliver value predictably and sustainably, powered by Scrum, SAFe, and Lean ways of working.

Role Purpose

The Scrum Master enables one or more cross-functional teams to deliver valuable outcomes predictably and sustainably. Acting as a servant leader, facilitator, and agile coach, the role establishes effective Scrum and SAFe ways of working, removes impediments, strengthens collaboration, and helps teams become self-managing and continuously improve.

Key Accountabilities

• The Scrum Master will take ownership of team facilitation, leading effective Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Retrospective, and backlog refinement sessions. They will ensure each event remains focused, inclusive, timeboxed, and outcome-led, driving disciplined agile ceremonies that deliver measurable value.
• A key aspect of the role will be Program Increment (PI) Planning. The Scrum Master will prepare teams for PI Planning, facilitate team breakouts, support the creation of clear PI objectives, and coordinate plans, risks, and dependencies across the Agile Release Train.
• The role also includes shaping delivery flow - helping teams establish realistic Sprint Goals, manage work in progress, improve predictability, and maintain focus on delivering value that meets the agreed Definition of Done.
• Impediment management is central to the role. The Scrum Master will identify, track, and remove delivery blockers, escalating systemic issues promptly and coordinating resolution with the Release Train Engineer, Product Owner, architects, and other teams.
• Through agile coaching, the Scrum Master will coach team members and the client's stakeholders in Scrum, SAFe, Lean, and agile principles - building capability in self-management, cross-functionality, transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
• A strong product partnership with the Product Owner is essential. The Scrum Master will work closely with the Product Owner to maintain a clear, prioritised, and ready backlog, improve story quality, and align delivery with product goals and business value.
• The Scrum Master will drive continuous improvement by translating retrospective insights and delivery data into practical improvements, tracking agreed actions, and embedding learning across future iterations.
• Dependency and risk management will require the Scrum Master to make cross-team dependencies, risks, and assumptions visible, and drive timely actions with clear ownership.
• Through stakeholder engagement, the Scrum Master will provide concise and transparent updates on progress, outcomes, risks, and delivery confidence - without creating unnecessary administration for the team.
• Finally, the Scrum Master will champion engineering excellence, promoting quality, DevOps practices, automation, and movement towards a reliable Continuous Delivery Pipeline.

Essential Skills and Experience

• Proven experience as a Scrum Master supporting one or more multidisciplinary delivery teams.
• Strong practical knowledge of Scrum, agile, and Lean principles, with experience working in a SAFe or other scaled agile environment.
• Demonstrated ability to facilitate complex discussions, resolve conflict, and influence without formal authority.
• Experience preparing teams for PI Planning and managing risks, dependencies, and objectives across an Agile Release Train.
• Strong coaching skills and a track record of improving team maturity, accountability, and delivery flow.
• Experience using Jira, Azure DevOps, or equivalent tools for backlog management, delivery tracking, and reporting.
• Ability to interpret delivery measures such as throughput, cycle time, velocity, predictability, and cumulative flow - without using metrics to assess individuals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working with distributed, offshore, or multi-vendor teams.

Desirable Qualifications

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or equivalent certification.
• SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, or SAFe Agilist certification.
• Experience in digital, data, cloud, infrastructure, or regulated industry delivery.
• Working knowledge of Kanban, DevOps, continuous integration, and continuous delivery.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent relevant professional experience.

Key Behaviours

• Servant leadership and a team-first mindset.
• Calm, pragmatic, and confident in ambiguous environments.
• Curious, objective, and willing to challenge constructively.
• Inclusive and skilled at creating psychological safety.
• Outcome-focused, organised, and accountable for follow-through.

Measures of Success

• Teams consistently achieve clear Sprint and PI objectives with improving delivery confidence.
• Impediments and dependencies are visible, owned, and resolved promptly.
• Agile events produce decisions, alignment, and actionable outcomes.
• Quality, flow, and predictability improve over time.
• Teams demonstrate stronger self-management, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Product Owners and the client's stakeholders have clear visibility of value, progress, and risk.

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