Scrum Master

Job Description: Scrum Master

Location: Cape Town (Hybrid) Department: Technology & Digital Transformation

About Us

We are a leading global insurance provider committed to securing the future for our customers. As we undergo a significant digital transformation, we are embracing agile methodologies to enhance our responsiveness, drive innovation, and deliver exceptional value. We are looking for a passionate and experienced Scrum Master to join our dynamic team and help shape the future of insurance technology.

The Role

As a Scrum Master, you will be a crucial servant leader and coach for one or more of our agile development teams. Your primary mission is to foster a culture of self-organisation, continuous improvement, and collaboration, ensuring the team can perform at its highest level. You will guide the team in delivering high-quality solutions for complex business domains, such as claims processing, underwriting, or policy administration, while skillfully navigating the unique regulatory, data security, and technical landscape of the insurance industry. This role is not just about facilitating events; it's about being a change agent who elevates team performance and contributes to our broader agile transformation.

Key Responsibilities

• Facilitate Agile Ceremonies: Organise and lead all Scrum events, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, and Sprint Retrospectives, ensuring they are productive, inclusive, and achieve their stated objectives.
• Servant Leadership & Coaching: Coach team members on Agile principles, Scrum practices, and a DevOps mindset. Foster a trusting and safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, with an emphasis on learning, growth, and collective ownership.
• Impediment Removal: Proactively identify, track, and remove impediments that hinder the team's progress. Shield the team from external distractions and interruptions to maintain focus on sprint goals and delivery commitments.
• Foster a High-Performing Team Environment: Nurture a collaborative, transparent, and accountable team culture, excelling in both co-located and distributed work environments. Encourage open communication and effective conflict resolution to build a cohesive and motivated unit.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with the Product Owner to ensure effective product backlog management, refinement, and clear articulation of backlog items. Facilitate communication between the team and other stakeholders to ensure alignment and transparency.
• Drive Continuous Improvement: Champion a continuous improvement mindset within the team. Utilize data and metrics (e.g., velocity, cycle time, quality trends) to help the team inspect its performance and adapt its processes for greater efficiency, quality, and alignment with business outcomes.
• Compliance and Governance: Guide the team in seamlessly integrating industry-specific compliance, data security, and regulatory requirements (e.g., GDPR, data sovereignty) into the agile workflow, ensuring solutions are both innovative and auditable.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 3+ years of experience in a dedicated Scrum Master role for a software development team operating in a complex environment.
• In-depth knowledge and practical application of agile frameworks, particularly Scrum and Kanban.
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM I / PSM II), or equivalent industry-recognised certification.
• Expert proficiency with agile project management and collaboration tools, specifically Jira and Confluence.
• Exceptional skills in facilitation, communication, mentoring, and conflict resolution.
• Demonstrable experience applying servant leadership principles to guide, support, and empower a team.
• A proven track record of removing impediments and helping teams become self-organising and high-performing.

Desired Qualifications & Experience

• Experience working within a regulated industry, preferably insurance, banking, or financial services.
• Knowledge of and experience with scaled agile frameworks such as SAFe or LeSS.
• Experience with projects involving the modernisation of legacy systems and migration to cloud-based architectures (e.g., AWS, Azure).
• A solid understanding of DevOps principles and the role of CI/CD pipelines in agile delivery.
• Familiarity with modern insurtech trends and technologies, such as AI-driven underwriting or predictive analytics.
• A degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field.

If you are an experienced Scrum Master dedicated to the principles of servant leadership and continuous improvement, we invite you to apply and help us build the future of insurance.