Scrum Master

Sanderson Government & Defence; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 92,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence is seeking an experienced Scrum Master to join a high-profile programme delivering complex technology solutions within a secure environment. The role is in Reading, hybrid with 1-2 days in the office, and offers a 6-month contract at up to £500 per day Inside IR35.

Responsibilities include facilitating Scrum ceremonies, coaching Agile teams, removing blockers, and working with Product Owners and technical teams to ensure successful sprint outcomes.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as Scrum Master in Agile environments.
• Strong Scrum knowledge and Agile practice.
• Experience facilitating multiple Scrum ceremonies.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication.
• Able to identify and remove blockers to maintain delivery momentum.
• Experience on complex government or enterprise programmes.
• Active SC Clearance is essential.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Scrum ceremonies: Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Planning, Reviews, Retrospectives.
• Coach Agile teams to improve ways of working and delivery.
• Remove impediments to maintain momentum and delivery.
• Collaborate with Product Owners, Delivery Managers and technical teams for sprint outcomes.
• Promote transparency and continuous improvement across the programme.
• Track delivery metrics and report sprint progress.
• Support dependency management and stakeholder communication.
• Champion Agile practices and high-performing teams.

Skills

Scrum Master

Agile methodologies

Stakeholder management

Facilitate ceremonies

Blocker removal

Government programmes

SC Clearance

Azure DevOps

Jira

Tools

Azure DevOps

Jira

Job description

Scrum Master (SC Clearance Required)

Location: Reading (Hybrid - 1-2 days per week in the office)
Contract: 6 Months
Rate: Up to £500 per day (Inside IR35)
Security Clearance: Active SC Clearance is ESSENTIAL

We are seeking an experienced Scrum Master to join a high-profile programme delivering complex technology solutions within a secure environment. This is an exciting opportunity to work with cross-functional Agile teams, driving delivery and continuous improvement on a long-term transformation programme.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate Scrum ceremonies including Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Planning, Reviews and Retrospectives.
• Coach and support Agile teams to adopt and continuously improve Agile ways of working.
• Remove impediments and help teams maintain delivery momentum.
• Work closely with Product Owners, Delivery Managers and technical teams to ensure successful sprint outcomes.
• Promote collaboration, transparency and continuous improvement across the programme.
• Track delivery metrics and report on sprint progress and team performance.
• Support dependency management and stakeholder communication.
• Champion Agile best practices and foster a high-performing team culture.

Essential Skills & Experience

• Proven experience working as a Scrum Master within Agile delivery environments.
• Strong understanding of Scrum principles and Agile methodologies.
• Experience facilitating Agile ceremonies across multiple delivery teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Ability to identify and remove blockers while driving continuous improvement.
• Experience working on complex enterprise or government programmes.
• Active SC Clearance (Security Check) - ESSENTIAL.

Desirable

• Scrum Master certification (CSM, PSM or equivalent).
• Experience working within public sector, defence or other secure environments.
• Familiarity with Azure DevOps, Jira or similar Agile tooling.

What's on Offer?

• 6-month initial contract with potential extension.
• Up to £500 per day (Inside IR35).
• Hybrid working with 1-2 days per week in the Reading office.
• Opportunity to contribute to a major transformation programme within a collaborative Agile environment.

If you hold active SC clearance and are an experienced Scrum Master looking for your next contract opportunity, we'd love to hear from you.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.