12 month contract- Hybrid position – Cape Town Based

 We are seeking an experienced Scrum Master to be part of the clients Project Delivery Centre (PDC), a dedicated unit responsible for overseeing the successful delivery and governance of strategic projects across the 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.

2. IT Scrum Master Role.

• The SCRUM Master (SM) is a team-based servant leader, who coaches, supports and coerces the Agile philosophy, practices and process. (The SM is not a “mini” Project Manager nor a Team Lead.)
• 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.

3. Scrum Master Responsibilities.

• Exhibits Lean-Agile leadership and behaviours mind set. Coaches the team to embrace core Agile values, reinforcing Agile principles and practices.
•  Functions as the Agile team’s facilitator and is constantly engaged in challenging the old norms of development.
•  Assists the team achieve in collaboration, delivery of velocity & Sprint goals, quality, estimation (predictability) and flow. Guides the team in establishing normalised US estimating and larger release features, themes and epic estimations.
•  SM is not expected to drive technological decisions nor its external delivery, but is required to understand the scope, quality & delivery framework of any upcoming enabler work sequencing them with the team’s delivery.
•  Facilitates Agile ceremonies, including: Product Backlog Grooming, Daily Stand-up, Scrum-of-Scrums (SoS), Sprint Planning 1 & 2, Team End-of-Sprint (EoS) Demo and Retrospective. o Eliminates impediments. Many blockers will be beyond the team’s control or authority demanding support from people outside the team. The SM actively addresses these issues so that the team can remain focused on achieving the objectives of the Release and Sprint.
•  Fosters a culture of delivery, quality and efficiency improvements, technical discipline, expertise by supporting relevant communities of practice and facilitating Definition of Done (DoD) for User Stories (US), Sprint and Release.
•  Focuses on continuous improving team dynamics, efficiencies and performance. Helps the team manage intrapersonal conflicts, challenges, and opportunities for growth. Escalates people problems to line management as appropriate.

4. 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 o Experienced in the fundamentals of iterative and incremental development
• Good understanding of software development and DevOps best practice o Proficiency in JIRA and Confluence
•  Ideally Insurance Experience
•  Requires excellent oral and written communication skills

 5. Scrum Master Experience.

• 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 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.
• 3. 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 any blockers, whether they are related to process, resources, or external dependencies.

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