Scrum Master

SUMMARY:
Job Description:

• The purpose of the Scrum Master is to coordinate the delivery of value through the operational level of the Agile Release Train. 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 deliver 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 role involves monitoring and resolving any issues that may arise throughout the course of development

POSITION INFO:
Experience/Requirements:

• Scrum Master certification
• 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(example: numerous Burndown techniques, numerous
• Retrospective formats, handling bugs
• 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 degrees of complexity and timelines
• 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 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.

• 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, at a pace that is sustainable and comfortable for the team and organization
• Removing impediments or guiding the team to remove impediments by finding the right personnel to remove the impediment
• Building a trusting and safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, retribution, or being judged, with an emphasis on healing and problem-solving
• 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 (aka grooming) 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 judgment, with an emphasis on problem-solving and improvement
• Facilitating discussions, decision making, and conflict resolution, and ensuring clear communication between all members of the Scrum team
• 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 (visit user groups, attend conferences, read books, write blogs, etc.)
• Encouraging the use of Agile Engineering Practices within the development team (this is a huge field to spend a Scrum Master’s time in, including e.g. one click releases, continuous delivery, feature flags, and many more)
• Challenge team with Agile management innovations (e.g., FedEx Days)
• Exchanging constantly with other Scrum masters in the organisation (through community of practice)
• 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