Senior Scrum Master - Columbus, OH (Hybrid) - Blue Star Partners LLC

Title: Senior Scrum Master

Location: Columbus, OH (Hybrid - Twice a Week)

Contract: 9 Months, possible extension

Rate: $60 - $70/hr

Qualifications:

7+ years of technology project delivery experience and 2+ years of experience as a practicing Scrum Master with: 

•Knowledge and demonstration of agile values, principles, and the Scrum framework 

•Experience demonstrating and coaching others in the areas of servant leadership, facilitation, situational awareness, conflict resolution, continuous improvement, empowerment, and transparency 

•Knowledge and application of Lean concepts and principles 

•Knowledge of forecasting team budget burn and project budget spend 

•Knowledge of release planning and forecasting, aligning delivery expectations with all stakeholders 

•The ability to apply a wide variety of patterns and techniques to enhance agile frameworks (for example: Burn down and burn up techniques, various Retrospective formats, team Daily Scrum patterns, etc.) 

•Demonstrated commitment to personal continuous improvement, utilizing self-directed learning and other techniques 

•Excellent communication skills with experience engaging personnel at all levels of the organization 

•Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification from scrum.org" Bachelor’s Degree in Information Systems Management and/or Business Administration

Responsibilities:

Iteration Lead – Role Description

PURPOSE:

The Iteration Lead is responsible for promoting and supporting Iterative development for plan-driven efforts following the NiSource Iterative Framework. The Iteration Lead will work closely with the Product Owner, Project Manager, and other team leads to ensure that all project objectives are met. The Iteration Lead is a servant-leader to the team and helps those outside the Team understand how to interact with the team. They are responsible for facilitating events as requested or needed and help the team achieve quality and value with every delivery. The Iteration Lead serves the team and Product Owner by ensuring that goals, scope, and delivery practices are understood by everyone on the team. They help the team understand the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items. They ensure the Product Owner knows how to arrange the Product Backlog to maximum value and find techniques for effective Product Backlog management.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Facilitate delivering value

• Assessing the maturity of the team and coaching the team to higher levels of maturity, at a pace that is sustainable for the team and organization

• Oversees iterative process, coaches the team, and facilitates transparent & adaptive team culture

• Facilitates Daily Huddle, Iteration Review, and planning meetings in a way that ensures full team engagement

• Supporting and educating the Product Owner, especially on refining & maintaining the Product Backlog and building and maintaining the Roadmap

• Assists in removing impediments to the team’s success, such as cultural barriers or logistical challenges, supporting the Product Owner, and ensuring that the team’s progress and successes are highly visible to all stakeholders

• Facilitates communication and collaboration inside and outside the team

• Shields the team from external interference and ensures the team is fully functional and productive

• Creates a trusting and psychologically safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of punishment

• Helps to guide and coach the team on the Iterative Delivery framework practices and events

• Help to manage and optimize a continuous flow of work across the team

• Embrace and model a culture that promotes an empowered team environment

• Acts a servant leader to support their team and the Product Owner

• Influence the team, leaders, and others around the team to embrace agile and lean thinking and ways of working

KEY ACTIVITIES/ DELIVERABLES:

• Successful delivery of the project

• Development of team members

• Manage work visibility of progress within JIRA

• Interacting with individuals on and offshore and from all levels of the organization

• Assist Project Management with Governance and ITIL Change Management practices

• Ensure accurate time reporting adhering to the budget

SELECTION CRITERIA:

Required

• Minimum of 3 years of experience being an Iteration Lead / Scrum Master / RTE or Project Management experience

• Bachelor’s degree in IT, Computer Science, or a relevant discipline or experience

• Passion for innovation and “can do” attitude

• Able to build a sense of trust and rapport that creates a comfortable & effective workplace

• Able to resolve conflicts within the team before they become an issue, i.e. a strong mediator

• Ability to coach team on agile practices and ensures adherence to the Iterative framework to deliver maximum business value on time

• Strong communication skills with ability to communicate complex messages and teach new concepts

• Experience in scheduling and coordinating meetings, identifying risks/dependencies/impediments, and coordinating resources and handling multiple priorities required

• Brings a high-energy and passionate outlook to the job and can influence those around them

• Experience with a large software implementation effort

• JIRA expertise

Preferred

• Ability to promote innovative thinking and self-improvement within the team

• Past developer experience is a plus

• Experience in agile or iterative development, with specific Scrum Master or similar experience, preferred

• Experience working in utilities

• Experience with agile scaled frameworks, including certification

• Scrum Master certification

• PMP certification