Scrum Master (Information Technology/Software/Remote)

Black Pen Recruitment; United States; Remote; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Black Pen Recruitment is seeking a seasoned Scrum Master to join a leading ICT services team for an international remote assignment. The role involves coordinating with an on-site IT group for the first assignment and delivering agile ceremonies across distributed teams within the EU.

Candidates should have SM2-level experience, strong facilitation, and a track record of improving velocity through data-driven practices; SAFe/Nexus/LeSS are assets.

Qualifications

• University degree and 8+ years IT experience.
• 3+ years as Scrum Master at SM2 level or above.
• Led at least 2 production teams through full sprint cycles.
• Proven data-driven improvement initiatives to boost velocity or reduce lead time.
• Experience with SAFe, Nexus or LeSS is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate agile ceremonies including daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, retrospectives, and planning.
• Keep meetings productive, on-topic, and within timebox.
• Collaborate with Product Owner to manage the backlog.
• Coach team on empiricism and value-based backlog slicing.
• Track flow metrics and guide data-driven improvement.
• Promote agile standards, tools, and best practices.
• Identify and resolve impediments to team progress.
• Support teams using Azure DevOps, Jira, and Confluence.
• Participate in learning opportunities and communities of practice.

Skills

SM2 Scrum Master

Data-driven improvement

Backlog management

Azure DevOps / Jira

Facilitation techniques

Scaled Agile (SAFe/Nexus/LeSS)

Education

University Degree

Tools

Azure DevOps

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Our client, a leading Software, Information and Communication Technologies company, operates internationally (Athens, Brussels, Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Stockholm, London, Nicosia, Hong-Kong, Valetta, etc). Our client is a renowned supplier of IT services to government institutions, multinational corporations, public administrations and multinational companies, research and academic institutes. Role Overview Our client currently has a vacancy for a Scrum Master to offer his/her services as an expert remotely within the EU. In the context of the first assignment, the successful candidate will be integrated in the team of the company that will closely cooperate with a major client’s IT team on site. Job Type: B2B Contract Workplace: Remote

Requirements

• University Degree and at least 8 years of IT professional experience
• Minimum of 3 of dedicated experience working as a Scrum Master at SM2 level or above
• Led at least 2 production teams through full sprint cycles (planning, review, retrospective, and refinement)
• Implemented data-driven continuous improvement initiatives, such as increasing team velocity or reducing lead time
• Experience coordinating cross-team work via Scrum-of-Scrums or PI Planning events
• Deep knowledge of the Scrum Guide and Agile Manifesto principles and values
• Good knowledge of facilitation techniques (e.g., Fist of Five, participatory decision‑making, Liberating Structures)
• Good knowledge of systems-thinking and process tailoring to fit complex or evolving environments
• Good knowledge of team motivation and stakeholder engagement techniques (e.g., information radiators, team empowerment models)
• Good knowledge of Agile metrics (velocity, cycle time, burn-up/down charts, cumulative flow diagrams) and the ability to build and interpret dashboards to support team performance and forecasting
• Tool proficiency in Azure DevOps (preferred) or Jira, particularly in backlog management, dashboards, and workflow configuration
• Possession of Scrum Master certifications: PSM II (or higher) and SAFe 5/6 Agilist
• Experience with one or more scaled Agile frameworks (SAFe, Nexus, LeSS, etc.) is considered as an asset
• Knowledge of integrating SAFe and Kanban approaches to optimize flow and delivery predictability is considered as an asset
• Excellent command of the English language

Responsibilities

• Organize and facilitate agile activities and ceremonies including daily stand-up meetings, sprint reviews, retrospectives, sprint and release planning, and product backlog refinement sessions
• Ensure that all meetings are positive, productive, stay on topic, and are kept within the timebox
• Collaborate closely with the product owner to manage the backlog
• Coach team and Product Owner on empiricism, value-based backlog slicing, and incremental delivery
• Track and radiate flow metrics (velocity, sprint burndown, iteration burn rate) and guide the team in data-driven improvement
• Champion and facilitate adoption of agile standards, tools, and best practices
• Proactively identify and resolve impediments to team progress
• Promote empowered, self-organising teams, shared vision, psychological safety, collaborative decisions (e.g., Fist-of-Five)
• Uphold Definition of Done, quality gates, and compliance with organisational standards
• Communicate with other SCRUM masters and product owners across the organization to ensure transparency into delivery progress, challenges, and risks
• Utilize team feedback and metrics (e.g., quality, delivery, cadence, etc.) to identify areas of opportunity and work with team to continuously improve
• Support the team in using agile planning and development tools (e.g. Azure DevOps, Confluence)
• Experiment with new practices and frameworks to improve team outcomes
• Actively participate in learning opportunities such as communities of practice or conferences to improve skills and better support the team
• Contribute to the advancement and improvement of agile practices within the organization