Scrum Master

Mindworx Consulting and Academy; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 850,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading consulting firm in South Africa is seeking a Scrum Master to coordinate Agile teams in delivering value. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in the Scrum Master role, excellent communication skills, and a strong understanding of Agile methodologies. This contract position requires the ability to mentor teams and promote self-organization. Join a dedicated team in the financial services sector and contribute to successful project delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience applying Agile methodologies in software development.
• Strong communication and mentoring skills.
• Ability to coach multiple teams effectively.

Responsibilities

• Facilitating Scrum events and helping teams self-organize.
• Removing impediments for the Scrum teams.
• Monitoring and tracking team velocity and progress.

Skills

Scrum principles

Agile techniques

Coaching skills

Communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Education

Experience in Scrum Master role (2+ years)

Project Management or Development Team Lead experience

Job description

The Scrum Master is responsible for coordinating the delivery of value through the Agile Release Train, assisting teams in meeting their delivery goals, and mentoring team members in Scrum practices. He / She will spend much of their time helping other team members communicate, coordinate and cooperate; generally assisting the team(s) in meeting their delivery goals. He / She is a servant leader who helps teams self‑organise, self‑manage and delivers via effective Agile practices. He / She supports and enforces the rules of the Scrum process and other rules that the team has agreed upon. He / She also helps the team(s) coordinate with other teams regarding release planning and communicates status to management as needed. The scrum master is expected to be able to mentor both product management (as needed) and development teams in the application of the scrum framework effectively as a part of this position. Part motivational speaker, part coach and manager, the scrum master roles involves monitoring and resolving any issues that may arise throughout the course of development.

Responsibilities

• Strongly serving and supporting the Product Owner and Development Team
• Providing all support to the team using a servant leadership style and leading by example
• Guiding and Coaching the Scrum Team and organization on how to use Agile/Scrum practices and values
• Guiding and Coaching both the Scrum Team and the Development team on how to get the most out of self‑organization
• Assessing the Scrum Maturity of the team and organization and coaching the team to higher levels of maturity
• Removing impediments or guiding the team to remove impediments
• Building a trusting and safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, retribution, or being judged
• Facilitating getting the work done without coercion, assigning, or dictating the work
• Facilitating discussion, decision making, and conflict resolution
• Assisting with internal and external communication, improving transparency, and radiating information
• Supporting and educating the Product Owner(s), especially with respect to refining and managing the product backlog
• Organise and facilitate sprint planning, reviews, retrospectives, daily stand‑ups, release planning, product showcases and other scrum related meetings
• Facilitate sprint retrospective meetings, creating an environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, retribution or judgement
• Identify and manage risks early identification and management of issues and delays
• Recommend improvements and assist in changes to best practice
• Track and communicate team velocity and sprint/release progress
• Manage multiple scrum teams
• Facilitating SCRUM events for the team
• Helping the team to make decisions
• Continuing learning regarding everything Agile
• Encouraging the use of Agile Engineering Practices within the development team
• Challenge team with Agile management innovations
• Exchanging constantly with other Scrum masters in the organisation
• Helping the team to get rid of impediments
• Suggesting new metrics for the team as catalysts for change
• Reflecting Agile and Scrum values to the team

Qualifications and experience

• Experience playing the Scrum Master role for at least two years for a software development team that was diligently applying Scrum principles, practices, and theory
• Knowledge and/or experience with widely successful Agile techniques: User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing, Agile Games
• Familiarity with modern software engineering techniques such as Continuous integration, build, deliver, test‑driven development and other automated acceptance testing techniques
• Applicable knowledge of the technologies used by the team
• Experience applying a wide variety of well documented patterns and techniques for filling in the intentional gaps left in the Scrum approach
• Previous Project Management or Development Team Lead experience
• Excellent communication and mentoring skills
• Excellent presentation and facilitation, coaching and mentorship skills
• Ability to effectively coach multiple teams with varying degree of complexity and time lines
• Organise and facilitate sprint planning, daily scrum meetings, retrospectives, release planning, demos, and other related meetings
• Oversee project estimations, the development and tracking of integrated project plans and the development of project deliverables in order to meet project objectives
• Champion and embody the Scrum way‑of‑life across the development teams
• A proven track record in software project delivery at an enterprise level in an agile environment
• Understand and know how to use standard project management tools and techniques to schedule, plan and track project and team performance
• A deep understanding of investment and life products
• A deep understanding of South African Investment Platforms and platform operations
• An understanding of financial sector regulation as it relates to investment platforms

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Contract

Job function

Information Technology

Industries

Financial Services and Investment Banking