Senior Scrum Master

Key Responsibilities

• Coach & Facilitate: Guide the team on Scrum and the Agile Manifesto; facilitate core ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, reviews, retrospectives) in a hands-off style—asking questions and facilitating rather than directing or doing the work.
• Empower & Enable: Build self-managing teams, creating a safe environment that allows teams to fail and improve, driving toward self-sufficiency within a few months.
• Partner with Product: Work in a co-empowering relationship with the Product Owner, coaching them on agile boundaries, backlog ordering, and creating value.
• Metrics & Improvement: Own agile metrics to surface insights that drive continuous improvement; use data evidence to push back constructively on unrealistic delivery dates and protect team flow.
• Stakeholder Management: Manage stakeholders under executive scrutiny, operating confidently within defined escalation pathways to ensure concerns are heard at the right level.
• Continuous Improvement: Stay with teams for the long term, driving sustained focus on maturity and supporting other Scrum Masters across the organization.

Minimum Qualifications

• Agile Expertise: Strong command of the Scrum Guide and Agile Manifesto; practitioners must be operating at or close to an agile-coach level (not early-career).
• Pure Scrum Master Role: This is a non-hybrid role; we are looking for dedicated Scrum Masters, not combined roles (e.g., SM/Business Analyst).
• Coaching & Influence: Proven experience in coaching and facilitating without authority; comfortable letting teams find their own pace.
• Metrics Analysis: In-depth knowledge of agile metrics; ability to interpret data to drive improvement and protect team flow.
• Scaling Experience: Fluency in scaling options (e.g., scrum-of-scrums) and the judgement to apply them proportionately as the estate grows.
• Stakeholder Management: Confidence in managing stakeholders under scrutiny and escalating concerns effectively.

Additional Experience

• Workshop Facilitation: Experience in designing and running workshops, mindset exercises, and games for new and existing teams.
• Emotional Intelligence: Ability to read team health through behavior, tone, and human interaction.
• Missionary Mindset: Demonstrable track record of helping teams move from 'cost-centre' mindsets to high-performing, mission-driven teams.