Scrum Master

My client based in Cape Town is currently looking for a Scrum Master to join their team on a contract basis.

IT / FINANCE

Responsibilities

• Lead, coach and support Agile teams in applying Scrum principles, practices and values.
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Backlog Refinement, Sprint Reviews, Retrospectives and Scrum-of-Scrums.
• Promote team ownership, collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.
• Support the team in achieving sprint goals, delivery commitments, quality standards and predictable velocity.
• Identify, manage and remove impediments that affect team performance and delivery.
• Protect the team from unplanned work, uncontrolled changes and conflicting priorities.
• Work closely with Product Owners to manage backlog priorities, scope and delivery expectations.
• Collaborate with Project Managers, Programme Managers and stakeholders to align team delivery with wider programme objectives and timelines.
• Monitor sprint progress, team capacity, delivery flow and performance metrics to improve predictability.
• Facilitate estimation of user stories, features, epics and release deliverables.
• Promote adherence to the Definition of Done, technical discipline and agreed quality standards.
• Support effective management of dependencies, risks, resource constraints and escalations.
• Encourage continuous improvement in team dynamics, processes, efficiency and delivery quality.
• Facilitate conflict resolution and escalate people-related challenges to the appropriate line management.
• Support the sequencing and coordination of technical enabler work with planned delivery activities.
• Contribute to consistent project delivery practices and governance within the Project Delivery Centre (PDC).

Qualifications & Experience

• AI, Data Ingestion and Data Warehouse Experience
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Information Technology, Computer Science, Project Management or a related field (advantageous).
• Extensive experience as a Scrum Master within Agile software development or IT project delivery environments.
• Strong understanding of Scrum, Agile principles, Lean-Agile practices and iterative software development.
• Proven experience coaching and supporting self-organising, multi-skilled Agile teams.
• Experience facilitating Scrum ceremonies, managing sprint delivery and improving team performance.
• Experience identifying and removing impediments, managing dependencies and resolving team conflicts.
• Experience working with Product Owners, Project Managers, Programme Managers and business stakeholders.
• Experience using JIRA and Confluence for Agile delivery, tracking and reporting.
• Good understanding of software development lifecycles, DevOps practices and technical delivery processes.
• Preferable experience in AI-related projects, data ingestion and data warehouse environments.
• Insurance industry experience would be advantageous.
• Experience working within structured project governance and enterprise delivery environments would be beneficial.

Competencies

• Agile & Scrum Expertise: Strong knowledge of Scrum frameworks, Agile principles, Lean-Agile practices and iterative delivery.
• Leadership & Coaching: Ability to guide, mentor and empower teams through servant leadership.
• Facilitation: Excellent ability to facilitate Scrum ceremonies, workshops and collaborative discussions.
• Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to engage technical teams and business stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to build effective working relationships and align expectations across teams and stakeholders.
• Problem-Solving: Proactive in identifying, analysing and resolving delivery challenges and impediments.
• Conflict Resolution: Ability to manage team disagreements constructively and promote a positive team environment.
• Delivery Focus: Strong focus on sprint goals, delivery predictability, quality, velocity and continuous improvement.
• Planning & Prioritisation: Ability to support backlog management, estimation, dependency coordination and delivery sequencing.
• Analytical Thinking: Ability to interpret delivery metrics, identify trends and recommend improvements.
• Adaptability: Ability to respond to changing priorities while protecting team focus and delivery commitments.
• Technical Awareness: Good understanding of software development, DevOps and technical delivery processes, with the ability to engage effectively with technical teams.
• Governance & Accountability: Ability to work within established project delivery frameworks, reporting structures and governance requirements.

If you are ready for the next exciting step in your career, and would like to apply, please send us your updated CV to review

Desired Skills:

• Agile coaching
• Scrum Coaching
• Scrum Management
• Project Management Agile
• Scrum