SCRUM Master x 2 - 1 Year Contract

Progressive IT Resourcing; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology recruitment agency in Johannesburg is seeking an experienced Scrum Master to coach Agile teams. The Scrum Master will facilitate collaboration between the team and stakeholders, ensuring Agile principles are adhered to. The ideal candidate should possess exceptional knowledge of Agile philosophy, experience with Scrum framework, and proficiency in JIRA and Confluence. This role is essential for driving project success and team cohesion.

Qualifications

• Exceptional knowledge of Agile philosophy and demonstrated ability to lead and coach in SCRUM.
• Good understanding of software development and DevOps best practices.
• Solid understanding of Scrum principles and practices.

Responsibilities

• Coach and support the Agile team in SCRUM practices.
• Align with Project Manager to mitigate uncontrolled work injection.
• Facilitate team collaboration and remove impediments.

Skills

Agile philosophy

Coaching

Scrum framework

JIRA

Confluence

Leadership

Tools

JIRA

Confluence

Job description

Overview

The Scrum Master role is within the Project Delivery Centre (PDC), a dedicated unit responsible for overseeing the successful delivery and governance of strategic projects across the Company group. Its primary purpose is to ensure that key initiatives align with the group’s strategic objectives, are delivered on time, within budget, and meet quality standards. The PDC establishes standardized project management frameworks, methodologies, and governance structures to provide consistency and oversight throughout the lifecycle of each project. It facilitates collaboration between departments, manages risks, ensures proper resource allocation, and monitors progress through robust reporting and performance metrics. The PDC is a centre of excellence for all Project Management delivery resources.

IT Scrum Master Role.

Scrum Master Responsibilities

• The SCRUM Master (SM) is a team-based servant leader who coaches, supports and coheres the Agile philosophy, practices and process.
• The SM is the Agile team’s Gatekeeper who consistently works and aligns to the Project Manager and / or Programme Manager, project stakeholders and other third parties, protecting the team from uncontrolled injection of work and changing priorities.
• The SM will extend his / her role, working with the Project Manager and / or Programme Manager to enable alignment to the wider programme delivery framework and timeframes.
• The SM’s primary objective is to assist the self-organising, multi-skilled Agile team to achieve its delivery goals through effective collaboration, team ownership and being consistently velocity conscience.
• The SM is further responsible to help the team identify and eliminate impediments or escalate as appropriate.
• The SM supports the Product Owner in his / her efforts and facilitates a vigorous intra-team dynamic and collaboration with respect to priorities, quality and scope.

Scrum Master Skills

• Exceptional knowledge of Agile philosophy with a demonstrated ability to lead and coach the team and business in Agile SCRUM theory, rules and practices; experienced in the fundamentals of iterative and incremental development.
• Good understanding of software development and DevOps best practice; proficiency in JIRA and Confluence.
• Ideally Insurance Experience — Requires excellent oral and written communication skills.

Experience and Framework

• Experience with Scrum Framework — Solid understanding of Scrum: familiar with the core principles, events, and artifacts of Scrum (Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, Sprint Retrospectives, Backlog Refinement).
• Facilitation skills: capable of leading Scrum ceremonies effectively and efficiently without needing guidance, while also adjusting them to the team’s needs when necessary.

Leadership and Coaching

• Leadership and Coaching Abilities : Team coaching: able to mentor the team on Scrum principles and practices, helping them continuously improve their understanding and application of Scrum.
• Conflict resolution: skilled at identifying and addressing conflicts or dysfunctions within the team, with experience in navigating difficult situations constructively.
• Servant leadership: encourages a mindset of service to the team, promoting collaboration, empowerment, and accountability.

Stakeholder Interaction

• Stakeholder communication: comfortable working with product owners, managers, and other stakeholders to facilitate clear communication between the team and the outside world.
• Removing impediments: actively identifies and removes blockers, whether related to process, resources, or external dependencies.