Scrum Master

Paracon; Wes-Kaap; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

Paracon is seeking an IT Scrum Master who embodies the Lean-Agile philosophy to lead an Agile team. This role is not about being a mini Project Manager; you will coach and protect a self-organizing team while ensuring alignment with wider corporate objectives.

The ideal candidate will have proven experience as a Scrum Master, strong skills in JIRA and Confluence, and an understanding of the insurance industry. Join a dynamic team focused on optimizing delivery and fostering collaboration.

Qualifications

• Experience working as a Scrum Master within an enterprise environment.
• Insurance industry experience is highly advantageous.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Model Agile behaviors and mentor the team.
• Facilitate all core Agile ceremonies.
• Assist the team in achieving predictable delivery goals.
• Identify and eliminate blockers.
• Protect the team from shifting priorities.
• Foster a collaborative culture.

Skills

Solid Scrum Framework Expertise

Proven Facilitation Skills

Coaching & Conflict Resolution

Technical Literacy

High proficiency in JIRA and Confluence

Job description

The Project Delivery Centre (PDC) is a dedicated centre of excellence for strategic project execution and governance. We establish standardized project management frameworks, methodologies, and structures to ensure our group-wide initiatives align with strategic objectives, land on time, and meet the highest quality standards. As a hub for collaboration, risk management, and resource optimization, the PDC is where top-tier project delivery resources come to thrive.

We are looking for a true, team-based Servant Leader who lives and breathes the Lean-Agile philosophy.

As an IT Scrum Master at our company, you are not a "mini" Project Manager or a Team Lead; you are the Agile team’s Gatekeeper. You will coach, support, and foster a self-organizing, multi-skilled Agile team, protecting them from uncontrolled influxes of work while working closely with Project/Programme Managers to align execution with wider corporate timeframes.

Key Responsibilities

• Lean-Agile Leadership & Coaching: Model Agile behaviors. Mentor the team to embrace core Agile values, reinforce technical discipline, and challenge old development norms.
• Ceremony Facilitation: Own and facilitate all core Agile ceremonies, including Product Backlog Grooming, Daily Stand-ups, Scrum-of-Scrums (SoS), Sprint Planning 1 & 2, End-of-Sprint (EoS) Demos, and Retrospectives.
• Delivery & Flow Optimization: Assist the team in achieving predictable delivery goals, establishing normalized User Story (US) estimations, and sizing larger release features, themes, and epics.
• Impediment Removal: Actively identify, address, and eliminate blockers—including navigating external dependencies and scaling challenges outside the team’s immediate control.
• Stakeholder Alignment & Protection: Protect the team from shifting priorities while supporting the Product Owner with scope management, quality, and backlog refinement.
• Team Dynamics & Growth: Foster a collaborative culture. Help the team manage interpersonal conflicts and opportunities for growth, establishing robust Definitions of Done (DoD).

Experience & Core Competencies

• Solid Scrum Framework Expertise: Comprehensive understanding of the core principles, events, and artifacts of Scrum.
• Proven Facilitation Skills: Independent capability to lead Scrum ceremonies efficiently while dynamically adjusting them to the team's lifecycle maturity.
• Coaching & Conflict Resolution: Proven experience mentoring teams on Agile theory, navigating difficult team dynamics constructively, and instilling accountability.
• Technical Literacy: A strong grasp of the fundamentals of iterative/incremental development, software development lifecycles, and DevOps best practices.
• High proficiency in JIRA and Confluence.

Qualifications & Industry Experience

• Demonstrated experience working as a Scrum Master within an enterprise environment.
• Insurance industry experience is highly advantageous.
• Exceptional oral and written communication skills.