Agile Process SME (Scrum Master) - Contingent

Aretum

McLean (VA)

On-site

USD 90,000 - 120,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)

Retirement Plan (401k)

Paid Time Off

Family Leave

Job summary

Aretum is seeking an Agile Process SME (Scrum Master) to support a large-scale federal technology modernization program. You will coordinate all Scrum ceremonies, coach team members on Agile practices, and work closely with federal Product Owners. The ideal candidate needs a Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, an active Scrum certification, and at least 4 years of experience as a Scrum Master. The position is remote, with occasional travel expected based on project needs.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in a related field or 3 years of additional experience.
Active Scrum certification (CSM, PSM, or SSM).
Minimum 4 years of applicable experience as a Scrum Master.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and manage Scrum ceremonies.
Identify and resolve team-level impediments.
Maintain team-level Agile metrics.

Skills

Agile methodologies

Scrum Master

Jira

Confluence

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Active Scrum certification

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Job description

About Aretum

Aretum is a mission-driven organization committed to delivering innovative, technology-enabled solutions to our customers across defense, civilian, and homeland security sectors. Our teams work at the intersection of strategy, technology, and transformation, helping agencies solve their most critical challenges. We believe in investing in our people and creating a culture where collaboration, inclusion, and professional growth are at the forefront.

Job Summary

We are seeking an Agile ProcessSME (Scrum Master) to join our team supporting a large‑scale federal technology modernization program. As a team‑level Scrum Master, you will be fully embedded within a single Agile development team inside a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Agile Release Train, performing the traditional activities associated with Agile SAFe methodologies. You will coordinate, oversee, and manage all standard Scrum ceremonies for your team, document ceremony outputs, keep team metrics and status current without disrupting delivery, identify and remove impediments, and partner with the team’s federal Product Owner on backlog refinement and roadmap maintenance. You will coach your team on SAFe practices, collaborate with the senior program‑level Scrum Master and the other team‑level Scrum Masters across the Agile Release Train, and work closely with the Solution Architect, UX, Accessibility, and QA leads to align sprint goals. This role is scoped to standard Scrum Master services only; Business Analyst services are not included.

Due to the nature of our work as a federal consulting organization, employees may be expected to handle Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and must adhere to applicable safeguarding and compliance requirements.

Public Trust Eligibility Required.

Responsibilities

Perform traditional Agile SAFe activities at the team level within a single Agile development team.
Coordinate, oversee, and manage the standard Scrum ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Standup, Sprint Review, Retrospective, Backlog Refinement) and document outputs clearly and consistently.
Identify, surface, and drive resolution of team‑level impediments, escalating when necessary to the senior Scrum Master, Release Train Engineer, or program leadership.
Support the team’s participation in Program Increment (PI) Planning, including preparing the backlog, facilitating sessions, and documenting objectives, dependencies, and commitments.
Partner with the federal Product Owner and engineering team to maintain the 24‑month roadmap for the team’s Epic area, surfacing technical items and effort estimates alongside priorities.
Facilitate Sprint Planning to ensure stories are well understood, properly sized, and aligned to sprint goals; facilitate Retrospectives that produce concrete, tracked improvement actions.
Embed an Agile culture on the team using techniques from a wide range of Agile and Lean methods, remaining methodology‑aware rather than prescriptive.
Coach team members, the federal Product Owner, and adjacent stakeholders on roles, behaviors, structure, culture, Agile ceremonies, and practices.
Equip engineers and leads on the team with the skills and techniques to coach one another, supporting a self‑organizing, continuously improving team.
Maintain team‑level Agile metrics (velocity, commitment reliability, flow, defect rates) and keep project and team status accurate and current.
Contribute to weekly status reporting, including accomplishments, planned work, ticket numbers, and risks/issues with proposed solutions.
Coordinate with the senior program‑level Scrum Master and other team‑level Scrum Masters across the Agile Release Train to resolve cross‑team dependencies, align practices, and maintain consistency of ceremony quality, tooling, and reporting.
Collaborate closely with Tech Lead, UX, Accessibility, and QA leads to ensure priorities are aligned with sprint goals.
Maintain Jira and Confluence hygiene, board configuration, sprint setup, workflow states, Definition of Ready, and Definition of Done to keep work transparent and reportable.
Support onboarding of new team members and ensure consistent application of SAFe practices and reporting standards across the team.
Operate within the scope of standard Scrum Master services only; Business Analyst services are not included.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a related field (or 3 years of additional experience).
Active Scrum certification (e.g., Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)).
Minimum 4 years of applicable experience as a Scrum Master on delivery teams.
Hands‑on experience operating within a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environment, including participation in PI Planning as a team‑level Scrum Master.
Demonstrated experience facilitating the full set of standard Scrum ceremonies and documenting outputs consistently.
Hands‑on proficiency with Jira and Confluence for Agile delivery, including board and sprint configuration, workflow setup, dashboards, and reporting.
Demonstrated ability to identify and remove impediments, tracking them to resolution and escalating when needed.
Experience partnering with a Product Owner on backlog refinement, prioritization, and roadmap maintenance, including preparing backlogs for upcoming PI planning.
Experience maintaining team‑level Agile metrics (velocity, commitment reliability, flow, defect rates) and producing clear, accurate status updates for program leadership.
Experience coordinating cross‑team dependencies within a multi‑team Agile environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to coach technical teams, engage federal stakeholders, and communicate Agile concepts clearly to technical and non‑technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience supporting federal government clients.
SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) certification specifically, in addition to any base Scrum certification.
Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A‑CSM), Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP‑SM), or Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II).
Experience supporting a team within an Agile Release Train that includes multiple synchronized Scrum teams.
Experience coaching software engineering teams specifically (backend, frontend, QA, UX).
Experience with Kanban practices and supporting teams that operate Scrum/Kanban hybrids or pure Kanban within a broader SAFe environment.
Experience facilitating Retrospective formats beyond the default template and driving continuous improvement actions to completion.
Experience supporting federal Product Owners and collaborating with federal UX and QA leads to align cross‑discipline priorities with sprint goals.

Travel Requirements

This is a remote position; however, occasional travel may be required based on project needs, client meetings, team collaboration events, or training sessions. Travel is expected to be less than 10% and will be communicated in advance whenever possible.

EEO Statement

Aretum is committed to fostering a workplace rooted in excellence, integrity, and equal opportunity for all. We adhere to merit‑based hiring practices, ensuring that all employment decisions are made based on qualifications, skills, and ability to perform the job, without preference or consideration of factors unrelated to job performance. As an Equal Opportunity Employer, Aretum complies with all applicable federal, state, and local employment laws. We are proud to support our nation’s veterans and military families, providing career opportunities that honor their service and experience. If you require reasonable accommodation during the hiring process due to a disability, please contact hr@aretum.com for assistance. Equal Opportunity Employer / Veterans / Disabled.

U.S. Work Authorization

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or currently authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis. This position supports a federal government contract and requires the ability to obtain and maintain a Public Trust or Suitability Determination, depending on the agency’s background investigation requirements. Sponsorship is not available.

Benefits