Scrum Master

Sanlam; Bellville; On-site; ZAR 500 000 - 800 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services organization in South Africa is seeking an experienced Scrum Master to support multiple agile squads, fostering collaboration and continuous improvement. The ideal candidate will have a strong Agile background with at least 4 years of experience in a similar role. This position emphasizes teamwork, coaching, and facilitation of Agile practices, contributing to a culture of agility within the organization. Competitive benefits and opportunities for growth are available.

Benefits

Growth and development opportunities

Diverse and inclusive workplace

Competitive benefits package

Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience as a Scrum Master, Agile Coach or delivery leader within an Agile/Scaled Agile Environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile Frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and how to apply them.
• Exceptional facilitation and coaching skills, able to create safe spaces for honest conversations.

Responsibilities

• Coach and guide two or more cross-functional squads within an Agile Release Train.
• Foster a high-performing team culture built on trust and accountability.
• Facilitate all Agile ceremonies/cadences purposefully.

Skills

Agile Principles knowledge

Coaching skills

Facilitation skills

Team collaboration

Emotional intelligence

Education

Relevant IT Qualification (IT Degree or Diploma)

Grade 12

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Miro

Job description

Who are we?

Sanlam Group Technology is responsible for the provision of a digitally enabled technology service as a group COE, drive business and transformation and provide group-wide digital and data architecture. We operate the various technology platforms and shared services, ensure Cyber and Information Security resilience, and act as technology governance and riskorchestrator for technology across Sanlam.

What will you do?

You’ll be supporting two or more squads within an established large-scale Agile Release Train (ART), working alongside other experienced Scrum Masters.

The Scrum Master is co-located with their squads and work closely with Product Owners, Developers, Testers, Business Stakeholders, and other Scrum Masters to drive alignment, flow, and continuous improvement.

Beyond the team, you’ll contribute to the broader Agile Community of practice and help strengthen delivery maturity, coach new team members and shape the culture of agility across the organisation.

What will make you successful in this role?

• Coach and guide two or more cross-functional squads within an established large-scale Agile Release Train.
• Foster a high-performing, empowered team culture built on trust, openness, and accountability.
• Facilitate all Agile ceremonies/cadences with purpose, ensuring they are engaging, outcome-driven, and aligned to team goals.
• Partner with Product Owners to maintain a healthy, prioritised backlog and deliver incremental value aligned to business objectives.
• Proactively identify and remove impediments that block/hinder the team's progress.
• Support ART-level ceremonies such as PI planning, PO Sync, Scrum Sync and Inspect & Adapt sessions.
• Collaborate with other Scrum Masters and the Release Train Engineer/s to improve flow and coordination across squads.
• Promote continuous improvement, helping teams reflect, adapt and evolve.

Qualification

• Grade 12
• Relevant IT Qualification (IT Degree or Diploma) will be advantageous
• Relevant Agile Certifications (CSM, A-CSM, CSP-SM, PSM I, PSM II, SSM, SASM, SA, ICP)

Experience

• 4+ years of experience as a Scrum Master, Agile Coach or delivery leader within an Agile/Scaled Agile Environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile Frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and the ability to apply them pragmatically.
• Exceptional facilitation and coaching skills, able to create safe spaces for honest conversations, learning and accountability.
• Proven ability to influence and build relationships across teams and leadership layers.
• Experience supporting PI planning and working within a large Agile Release Train or similar scaled structure.
• A passion for servant leadership and helping others succeed.
• Knowledge of:
  • The release process, SDLC
  • Jira and Confluence, Miro

Knowledge & Skills

• Deep understanding of Agile Principles, frameworks and practices (Scrum, Kanban, Lean)
• Understanding of Agile Metrics (velocity, cycle time, predictability, WIP) and how to use them to drive improvement rather than control.
• Empirical process control and how to foster a culture of transparency, inspection and adaptation.
• Product delivery lifecycle and how Agile interfaces with design, architecture, testing and release management.
• Agile Principles and various frameworks
• Reporting and Administration

Personal Attributes

Action orientated - Contributing through others
Plans and aligns - Contributing through others
Optimises work processes - Contributing through others
Decision quality - Contributing through others
Balances stakeholders - Contributing independently
Builds effective teams - Contributing independently
Collaborates - Contributing independently

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Core Competencies

• Being resilient - Contributing through others
• Collaborates - Contributing through others
• Cultivates innovation - Contributing through others
• Customer focus - Contributing through others
• Drives results - Contributing through others

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers.

Our commitment to transformation

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.