Scrum Master | Req#4630

Description

IgniteAction is seeking a dedicated and certified Scrum Master to facilitate and guide cross-functional development teams. In this role, you will be the champion of Agile principles, helping the team self-organize, optimize their delivery velocity, and continuously improve. You will work closely with Product Owners to manage the backlog in Jira (which requires strong Jira experience) and ensure smooth communication, while actively removing blockers to shield the team from external distractions.

The ideal candidate is a servant-leader with exceptional communication skills, a deep understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), and a proven track record of scaling Agile practices in fast-paced environments.

Core Responsibilities

Team Facilitation & Agile Coaching

• Facilitate all standard Scrum ceremonies, including Daily Standups, Sprint Planning, Backlog Refinement, and Sprint Retrospectives.
• Coach team members in Agile values, Scrum practices, and self-organization to maximize productivity and collaboration.
• Proactively identify, track, and remove impediments or blockers affecting the team’s progress.
• Shield the development team from external interferences and distractions to maintain focus on sprint goals.

Product Owner & Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with Product Owners to ensure the product backlog is healthy, well-refined, and prioritized.
• Assist the Product Owner in defining clear user stories, acceptance criteria, and mapping out release plans.
• Bridge the communication gap between technical development teams and non-technical stakeholders.

Metrics, Delivery & Continuous Improvement

• Track and communicate team metrics (e.g., velocity, burn-down/burn-up charts, cumulative flow) to improve predictability and capacity planning.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement through actionable, data-driven retro sessions.
• Promote a transparent environment by keeping project management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence) accurate and up-to-date.

Technical & Professional Requirements

Education & Certifications

• Required: First-level Scrum Master certification (e.g., CSM from Scrum Alliance, PSM I from Scrum.org).
• Preferred: Advanced certifications (e.g., A-CSM, PSM II, PMI-ACP, or SAFe Scrum Master).
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Administration, or a related field (or equivalent practical experience).

Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience acting as a dedicated Scrum Master for software development or engineering teams.
• Strong experience working within modern application development environments (e.g., cloud-native, microservices, CI/CD pipelines).
• Proven experience navigating and configuring Agile project management tools, with an expert-level grasp of Jira and Confluence.

Soft Skills & Core Competencies

• Servant Leadership: A natural inclination to serve and support the team first, guiding them without relying on authoritative command-and-control.
• Conflict Resolution: Strong emotional intelligence with the ability to navigate interpersonal dynamics, facilitate difficult conversations, and build consensus.
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, tailored to both deep-tech engineers and executive business leaders.
• Adaptability: Comfort dealing with ambiguity and shifting priorities in an iterative delivery cycle.

Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-Haves)

• Experience working with teams focused on the Pega platform.
• Knowledge of other Agile/Lean frameworks, such as Kanban or Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
• Background as a software developer, QA engineer, or business analyst, providing a deeper understanding of technical execution challenges.