Senior Scrum Master

Kestra Financial, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay and benefits

401(k) and health insurance

Tuition reimbursement

Growth and training opportunities

Job summary

Kestra Financial, Inc. seeks an experienced Senior Scrum Master to support our Data, Analytics & AI Platform. You will partner with multiple Scrum/Kanban teams to improve efficiency, predictability, and collaboration across data, analytics, and AI initiatives.

You will align teams around consistent practices and drive continuous improvement. You will coach teams, Product Owners, and stakeholders on Agile principles, lead release planning, and use metrics to steer delivery improvements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ Scrum Master experience.
• 3-5 years’ experience with data domain projects (Cloud data platforms, Databricks) and data tooling.
• 10+ years of overall technology industry experience.
• Certified Scrum Master (preferred).
• Strong understanding of SDLC and Agile methods including Scrum and Kanban.
• Experience with Jira or similar issue-tracking tools; Jira Service Management desired.
• Experience with distributed teams across multiple time zones.
• Experience with data lifecycle & pipelines (ingestion → transformation → consumption).
• Understanding of batch vs streaming vs near-real-time delivery.
• Awareness of data quality, lineage, governance dependencies.
• Exposure to analytics and AI/ML workflows is a plus.
• Experience in the financial industry and basic financial concepts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies: sprint planning, daily standups, backlog refinement, retrospectives, release planning.
• Partner with Product Owners for backlog management, prioritization, and value-driven delivery.
• Identify and remove impediments, risks, and organizational barriers.
• Coordinate dependencies and collaboration across distributed teams and time zones.
• Coach teams, Product Owners, and stakeholders on Agile principles and self-organization.
• Provide leadership within the Scrum Master team.
• Promote accountability, transparency, collaboration, and continuous learning.
• Lead release planning and delivery processes to enable focus on priorities.
• Use Agile metrics to identify trends and drive improvements.
• Promote engineering best practices: predictable delivery, automation, and technical debt management.
• Stay current with industry practices and experiment with new techniques.

Skills

Scrum Master

Data domain

Cloud data platforms

Databricks

Profisee

Jira

Distributed teams

Analytics/AI

Finance domain

Communication

Tools

Jira Service Management

Job description

Explore Life at Kestra

Kestra Holdings Website: https://www.kestrafinancial.com/

Kestra Holdings offers industry-leading wealth management platforms for independent wealth management professionals nationwide. Kestra is dedicated to empowering independent financial professionals—including traditional and hybrid RIAs—to grow their businesses and deliver exceptional client service. We combine advanced business management technology with personalized consulting to provide unmatched scale, efficiency, and support. Our advisor-focused culture is built on innovation and advocacy, enabling advisors to offer comprehensive securities and investment advisory solutions to their clients.

Lead with Purpose. Partner with Impact.

Kestra is seeking a talented, experienced Senior Scrum Master to support our Data, Analytics & AI Platform group. In this role, you will partner with multiple Scrum and/or Kanban teams to strengthen efficiency, predictability, and collaboration across dynamic Data, Analytics, and AI initiatives. As part of Kestra’s Scrum Master team, you will apply your experience and Agile expertise to help align teams and Scrum Masters around consistent practices, improve delivery effectiveness, and drive continuous improvement.

What you’ll Do:

• Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily standups, backlog refinement, retrospectives, and release planning.
• Partner with Product Owners to maintain healthy backlog management, prioritization, and value-driven delivery.
• Identify, remove, and upscale impediments, risks, and organizational barriers that impact team performance and delivery.
• Coordinate dependencies, issue resolution, and collaboration across distributed teams and multiple time zones.
• Coach teams, Product Owners, and stakeholders on Agile principles, Scrum practices, continuous improvement, and self-organization.
• Provide leadership and coaching within our Scrum Master team.
• Foster a culture of accountability, transparency, collaboration, healthy communication, and continuous learning.
• Lead and continuously improve release planning and delivery processes, enabling engineering teams to focus on execution and Product Owners to focus on business priorities.
• Use Agile metrics and performance data to identify trends, measure team effectiveness, and drive corrective actions and process improvements.
• Promote engineering best practices, including predictable delivery, automation, continuous delivery, technical debt management, and product sustainability.
• Stay current with industry practices; experiment with new techniques to improve teams’ Agile maturity and effectiveness.
• Uphold Kestra’s core values (Make it Happen, One Team, Serve) in daily interactions and delivery commitments.

What You Bring:

• Must have 5+ years’ Scrum Master experience.
• Must have 3-5 years’ experience working with teams in a data domain, ideally with experience in Cloud-based data platforms, e.g. Databricks, and master data management tools, e.g. Profisee.
• Must have 10+ years of overall technology industry experience.
• Certified Scrum Master (preferred).
• Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle and Agile methodologies, including Scrum and Kanban (and experience operating as a Scrum Master in both frameworks).
• Strong experience with Jira, or a similar issue-tracking tool. Experience with Jira Service Management is desired.
• Experience with distributed teams across multiple time zones and resolving the challenges this can present.
• Experience with data lifecycle & pipelines (ingestion → transformation → consumption).
• Understanding of batch vs streaming vs near-real-time delivery.
• Awareness of data quality, lineage, and governance dependencies.
• Exposure to analytics and AI/ML workflows is a plus, including supporting teams delivering data science and machine learning use cases.
• Experience working in the financial industry and awareness of basic financial concepts.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.

Internal Application Policy:

• Internal applicants must be in good standing and have a minimum of 1 year of service with Kestra.
• Internal applicants must also have a minimum of 1 year service in current role unless approved by EVP.

Benefits to support you:

• Competitive pay and benefits with a large employer (over 1600 employees nationwide)
• 401(k), health insurance, and a competitive benefits package
• Work in a supportive, collaborative environment committed to professional excellence
• Help clients navigate meaningful financial decisions with confidence
• Opportunities for training, development, and long-term growth within the firm
• Tuition reimbursement for qualified expenses

Kestra Values:

Our Mission is Powering Financial Independence, enabling the growth and success of investing clients and the advisors who serve them. We do that by living our values: Serve, Make it Happen, and One team.

Explore Life at Kestra

Kestra Holdings Website: https://www.kestrafinancial.com/

Careers Portal: https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/kestra/KESTRACAREERSITE

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kestra-financial

Disclosure

• You acknowledge that if hired, Kestra Financial, Inc. may, obtain and use background information concerning your credit, character, general reputation, personal characteristics, work habits, performance and experience for evaluation for your potential employment.
• It is the policy of Kestra Financial to ensure equal employment opportunity without discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, identity or expression, age, disability, marital status, citizenship, national origin, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law. Kestra Financial prohibits any such discrimination or harassment.