Scrum Master + Agile Coach is, responsible for fostering agile principles and practices across multiple teams. This individual will act as a leader, guiding and coaching development teams, product owners, and other stakeholders to optimize their performance, improve collaboration, and deliver high-quality solutions efficiently. Beyond team-level Scrum Master responsibilities, this role involves coaching at various organizational levels, championing agile methodologies, and contributing to the continuous improvement of agile maturity.
Key Responsibilities:
- Serve as the Scrum Master for 1-6 agile development squads, ensuring adherence to Scrum principles and practices.
- Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies (e.g., Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective) effectively and efficiently.
- Remove impediments to the team''s progress, both internal and external, proactively identifying and addressing issues.
- Coach the Development Team on self-organization, cross-functionality, and continuous improvement.
- Work closely with the Product Owner to ensure a healthy and refined product backlog.
- Protect the team from outside interruptions and distractions.
- Support the team in achieving their sprint goals and release objectives.
- Facilitate effective communication and collaboration within the team and with external stakeholders.
- Coach individuals, teams, and managers on agile principles, values, practices, and frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban, Lean, SAFe).
- Assess the agile maturity of teams and the organization, and coach them to higher levels of maturity, at a pace that is sustainable and appropriate for the enterprise.
- Help teams and stakeholders understand and implement agile metrics for continuous improvement and transparency.
- Mentor other Scrum Masters and agile practitioners within Highmark, sharing best practices and fostering a community of practice.
- Facilitate organizational change and adoption of agile practices beyond the team level, addressing systemic impediments.
- Conduct workshops, training sessions, and brown-bag lunches on agile topics.
- Promote a culture of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
- Act as a change agent, influencing and educating stakeholders at various levels of the organization on agile benefits and challenges.
- Contribute to the development and evolution of Highmark''s agile playbook, standards, and guidelines.
- Participate in the Agile Center of Excellence (CoE) or similar groups to drive consistent agile adoption and improvement.
- Identify opportunities for process improvements and efficiency gains within the agile delivery model.
- Stay current with industry trends and best practices in agile development and coaching.
Qualifications:
- Education: Bachelor''s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field. Master''s degree preferred.
Experience:
- 9+ years of experience working in an agile environment, with at least 3 years as a dedicated Scrum Master.
- 2+ years of experience in an Agile Coach role, coaching multiple teams and stakeholders at various organizational levels.
- Experience working in large-scale, complex organizations, preferably within the healthcare or insurance industry.
- Proven experience in facilitating large groups, resolving conflicts, and driving consensus.
- Experience with scaled agile frameworks (e.g., SAFe, LeSS, DaD) is highly desirable.
- Certifications (Required/Preferred):
- Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) required.
- Advanced Scrum Master certification (CSM II, A-CSM, PSM II) preferred.
- Agile Coach certifications (e.g., ICAgile Certified Agile Coach - ACC, SAFe Release Train Engineer - RTE, SAFe Agilist - SA) highly preferred.
- PMP or other project management certifications a plus.
Skills:
- Deep understanding of agile principles, values, and a variety of agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, XP, Lean).
- Handon Experience on GITlab platform
- Excellent servant leadership, facilitation, situational awareness, conflict resolution, continual improvement, empowerment, and transparency skills.
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills (verbal, written, and presentation) to effectively interact with all levels of the organization.
- Ability to coach and mentor effectively, adapting style to individual and team needs.
- Proficiency with agile lifecycle management tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, Rally).
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify and resolve complex issues.
