Full Job Description
Scrum Master
Job Description:
The Tech Applications Services team supports, enhances and develops IT systems that serve various financial purposes. The systems run on a variety of platforms including distributed components, web front ends, databases, Windows and Linux servers and middleware technologies.
Provide high energy Agile facilitation for 3-5 cross functional development teams delivering financial / payment capabilities across mainframe, distributed, and cloud platforms in a large Government environment. Conduct scrum ceremonies and teach Agile best practice. Make the process engaging, value-focused, and predictable.
Scope: Guide multiple development teams to maintain clear sprint goals, manage cross team dependencies, and continuously improve delivery flow and team engagement.
Core Requirements:
• Minimum of eight (8) years' relevant experience.
• 5+ years Scrum Master / Agile facilitation (2+ years with multiple concurrent development teams).
• Ability to quickly grasp business and technical requirements, understand or learn technical jargon and government acronyms, produce communication for all levels of the organization.
• Proficient with VersionOne / Agility (or comparable tool) for boards, dependencies, impediments, and lightweight rollup reporting.
• Proven ability to keep ceremonies purposeful, timeboxed, and engaging (planning, daily, refinement, review, retro).
• Demonstrated success by reducing carryover, aging blockers, and decision latency without adding heavy process.
• Ability to coach backlog readiness (thin vertical slices, clear acceptance criteria, limited WIP).
• Hold teams accountable to sizing activities to ensure project ends dates can be projected.
• Manage over and under talkers in ceremonies.
• Ability to schedule, track, and manage meetings.
Key Responsibilities:
• Facilitate core Agile events and lightweight cross-team syncs; maintain sprint goal clarity.
• Make Agile "feel useful" via energetic, varied, participatory ceremonies (not rote compliance).
• Track and drive resolution of impediments (environment, integration, data, approvals) across platforms.
• Coordinate cross-team and cross-platform dependencies (batch windows vs deployment timing, integration points).
• Maintain visible radiators: sprint goals, impediment log, experiment tracker, simple metrics (goal attainment %, carryover, blocker aging).
• Coach Product Owners / Client and tech leads on prioritization, slicing, and readiness.
• Drive 1-2 small improvement experiments per team per sprint; follow through to closure.
• Foster psychological safety, inclusive participation, and sustainable pace.
Engagement / Culture:
• Uses creative retros (rotating formats) and lightweight recognition of small wins.
• Introduces tasteful micro-gamification (e.g., blocker bust streaks) to energize without distracting.
• Encourages rotating spokespeople and silent ideation rounds to amplify quieter voices.
Success Indicators:
• Sprint goals achieved &Client;80-85% without overtime spikes.
• Declining trend in blocker aging and repeat impediments within first 2-3 months.
• Story/task carryover trending toward • &Client;70-80% of committed retro experiments implemented on schedule.
• Positive team pulse feedback on ceremony usefulness / energy.
Minimum Tool/Process Capability:
• VersionOne (boards, simple dashboards, dependency & impediment tracking).
• Basic understanding of CI/CD flow.
Preferred (Not Mandatory):
• CSM / PSM / A-CSM (higher certifications welcome but not required).
• Experience with informal scaling practices (Scrum of Scrums, quarterly alignment).
• Comfort with basic flow visuals (cycle time scatter, aging WIP snapshot).
Additional Required Skills/Experience:
o A minimum of eight (8) to twelve (12) years' relevant experience.
o A degree from an accredited College/University in the applicable field of services is required. If the individual's degree is not in the applicable field then four additional years of related experience is required.
o Typically performs all functional duties independently.
o Note: Special credentials (licenses and/or certifications) may be required at the Task Order level on a case-specific basis. "
Additional Provisions:
• All candidates must be a US Citizen or permanent status Green Card holder.
• Pass a client mandated clearance process to include drug screening, criminal history check and credit check.
• Cannot have more than 6 months travel outside the United States within the last five years. Military Service excluded. (Exception does not include military family members.)
