Senior Scrum Master

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas; Kansas; Hybrid; USD 96,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

401(k) plan matching up to 5%

Health & fitness benefits

Job summary

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is seeking a Senior ScrumMaster to coach and guide teams in delivering high-quality software using BCBSKS processes. You will partner with product owners, development teams, and stakeholders to drive continuous improvement and predictable delivery.

This role reports to the Team Lead Project Management and can work remotely, hybrid, or onsite in Kansas/Missouri. Ideal candidates have 4+ years as a Scrum Master, strong facilitation skills, and CSM/PSM

Qualifications

• Proven experience facilitating Agile ceremonies and coaching teams.
• Strong collaboration with product owners, PMO and BRP teams.
• Experience with estimation, prioritization and capacity planning.
• Ability to drive continuous improvement through retrospectives.

Responsibilities

• Lead Daily Scrum, Sprint Planning, Backlog Grooming, Sprint Review and Retrospectives.
• Coordinate with PMO and BRP to align team processes with milestones.
• Coach teams on BCBSKS standard work management and requirements expression.
• Identify and remove obstacles to ensure timely delivery of value.
• Promote self-organizing teams and effective stakeholder communication.
• Monitor metrics and provide data-driven insights to leadership.
• Represent team challenges in Scrum Master Community of Practice and PMO meetings.

Skills

Scrum Master experience

Facilitation

Agile ceremonies

Team coaching

Stakeholder management

Data-driven decision making

Conflict resolution

Dependability

Rally planning tool

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Bachelor's degree in CS/IS/Engineering or related field (preferred)

In lieu of degree, +5 years relevant experience

Certified Scrum Master (CSM/PSM or equivalent)

Tools

Rally

Job description

• Make a Positive Impact: Your work will directly contribute to the health and well-being of Kansans.
• Family Comes First: Total rewards package that promotes the idea of family first for all employees. Paid vacation and sick leave with paid maternity and paternity available immediately upon hire
• Professional Growth Opportunities: Advance your career with ongoing training and development programs.
• Dynamic Work Environment: Collaborate with a team of passionate and driven individuals in a work environment that promotes flexibility.
• Trust and Stability: Work for one of the most trusted companies in Kansas with over 80 years of commitment, compassion and community.
• Inclusive Work Environment: We pride ourselves on fostering a workplace where everyone is valued and respected.
• Base compensation is only one component of your competitive Total Rewards package
• Incentive pay program (EPIP)
• 6 weeks paid parental leave for new mothers and fathers
• Fertility/Adoption assistance
• 2 weeks paid caregiver leave
• 401(k) plan matching up to 5%
• Health & fitness benefits, discounts and resources

Job Summary

The Senior ScrumMaster (SSM) is a dedicated facilitator and servant leader, coaching and guiding technical and non-technical teams in the successful delivery of quality solutions related to project and non-project work utilizing Blue Cross Blues Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS)-standard processes. The SSM will play a critical role in leading and mentoring teams, facilitating agile practices and fostering a collaborative environment to deliver high-quality software solutions. This individual will work closely with product owners, development teams, and stakeholders to ensure that BCBSKS processes are effectively applied, and continuous improvements are made. This position reports to the Team Lead Project Management.

Work Location

This position is eligible to work remotely, hybrid or onsite in accordance with our Telecommuting Policy. Applicants must reside in Kansas or Missouri or be willing to relocate as a condition of employment.

What you'll do

• Daily Scrum, Backlog Grooming, Sprint Review, Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospective, and 12 -week cycle planning; Responsible for regularly representing team process challenges in the Scrum Master Community of Practice meetings; Ensure events are effective and productive.
• Collaborates with the Project Management Office (PMO) Team Lead, Manager, and Big Room Planning (BRP) manager to assure team-level processes remain in sync with BRP and PMO processes to meet defined milestones, priorities, and organizational objectives while working with other SMs to share knowledge and drive improvement across the team.
• Coach new and existing team members (including Product Owners) on BCBSKS standard work management processes, including requirements expression, estimation, prioritization/sequencing, and capacity planning.
• Promote a mindset of continuous improvement and learning.
• Identify and remove obstacles that hinder progress.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement through regular retrospectives and feedback loops, and help teams implement actionable improvements to enhance processes and performance.
• Cultivate a collaborative and self-organizing team environment, promoting mutual respect, trust, and accountability within the team by ensuring effective collaboration with team members, leadership, ScrumMaster team, and PMO on managing stakeholder expectations, and continuous improvement opportunities; coordinate with other teams and support the efforts of the teams in the organization to improve communication and relationships with other teams continuously.
• Monitor team performance metrics to ensure the team is on track to meet goals by providing transparent, data-driven insights to leadership and stakeholders regarding team progress and challenges and producing accurate team reporting for use during iteration planning and review utilizing along with team leadership communication by collecting data from Rally, our agile software work management tool.
• Responsible for regularly representing team process challenges in the Scrum Master Community of Practice and PMO meetings

What you'll need

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in computer science, information systems, business administration, engineering or related field. preferred
• In lieu of degree, an additional 5 years of relevant experience required

Experience

• Minimum 4 years' experience ScrumMaster experience required
• Experience with business analysis, system design, programming, and testing techniques preferred

Licenses and Certifications

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM, PSM, or equivalent) required

Travel

• Minimal travel (0-10%) Big Room Planning 4X per year

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Expertise in iterative planning and execution techniques (i.e.: Agile (Scrum, SAFe, and Kanban), Waterfall, Lean, etc.), including strong understanding of testing methodologies, deployment management, production defects and support processes.
• Excellent servant leadership abilities to effectively facilitate Agile ceremonies: Standups, Backlog Grooming, Sprint Review, Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospective, and 12 -week cycle planning supporting multiple teams concurrently.
• High level of emotional intelligence, with the ability to lead diverse teams and resolve conflict effectively through excellent ability to encourage the team to be self-organizing, fostering autonomy while providing guidance when necessary.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at all levels; excellent ability to facilitate discussions and manage conflict; actively listens to the needs of the team and stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work independently, cross-functionally, and collaboratively to effectively solve problems, drive continuous improvement, while maintaining focus on delivering business value.
• Strong understanding of statistical and analytical problem solving and research skills with the ability to assess complex information easily, with an understanding of key metrics to use data to guide decisions.
• Excellent organization, time management, negotiation, delegation, and decision-making abilities to properly support multiple teams and help the team stay organized with clear goals and timelines.
• Ability to remove impediments and keep teams focused on delivering value.

Compensation

$96,240 - $114,300

Exempt, Grade IT&S 16

• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas offers excellent competitive compensation with the goal of retaining and growing talented team members. The compensation range for this role is a good faith estimate, it is estimated based on what a successful candidate might be paid. All offers presented to candidates are carefully reviewed to ensure fair, equitable pay by offering competitive wages that align with the individual's skills, education, experience, and training. The range may vary above or below the stated amounts.

Our Commitment to Connection and Belonging

At Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, we are committed to fostering a culture of connection and belonging, where mutual respect is at the foundation of our workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, belief, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation, and related medical conditions), national origin, age, physical or mental disability, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information (including characteristics and testing), military or veteran status, family or parental status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.