Scrum Master JHB / CPT

The Scrum Master role is within the 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 strategic objectives, are delivered on time, within budget, and meet quality standards. 

2. IT Scrum Master Role

• The Scrum Master (SM) is a team -based servant leader who coaches, supports, and reinforces Agile philosophy, practices, and processes. The SM is not a “mini” Project Manager nor a Team Lead.
  
• The SM acts as the Agile team’s gatekeeper, working closely with the Project Manager and/or Programme Manager, project stakeholders, and third parties to protect the team from uncontrolled work injection and shifting priorities.
  
• The SM collaborates with the Project Manager and/or Programme Manager to ensure alignment with broader programme delivery frameworks and timelines.
  
• The SM’s primary objective is to assist the self -organising, multi -skilled Agile team in achieving delivery goals through effective collaboration, team ownership, and consistent velocity awareness.
  
• The SM is responsible for helping the team identify and eliminate impediments or escalate them where necessary.
  
• The SM supports the Product Owner and facilitates strong intra -team collaboration regarding priorities, quality, and scope.
  

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate Lean -Agile leadership behaviours and mindset.
  
• Coach the team to embrace Agile values, principles, and best practices.
  
• Function as the Agile team facilitator, continuously challenging outdated development norms.
  
• Assist the team in achieving collaboration, Sprint goals, velocity targets, quality standards, estimation predictability, and workflow optimisation.
  
• Guide the team in establishing normalized User Story estimation and larger release feature, theme, and epic estimations.
  
• Understand the scope, quality, and delivery framework of upcoming enabler work and assist with sequencing activities alongside delivery.
  
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies, including:
  
  • Product Backlog Grooming
    
  • Daily Stand -ups
    
  • Scrum of Scrums (SoS)
    
  • Sprint Planning 1 & 2
    
  • End -of -Sprint Demos
    
  • Retrospectives
    
• Eliminate impediments and resolve blockers that may be beyond the team’s authority or control.
  
• Foster a culture of delivery excellence, quality improvement, efficiency, and technical discipline.
  
• Support communities of practice and facilitate Definition of Done (DoD) standards for User Stories, Sprints, and Releases.
  
• Continuously improve team dynamics, efficiencies, and overall performance.
  
• Assist with managing interpersonal conflicts, challenges, and growth opportunities within the team.
  
• Escalate people -related issues to line management where appropriate
  
• Exceptional understanding of Agile philosophy and SCRUM methodologies.
  
• Proven ability to coach teams and stakeholders in Agile SCRUM theory, rules, and practices.
  
• Strong understanding of iterative and incremental software development.
  
• Good understanding of software development and DevOps best practices.
  
• Proficiency in Jira and Confluence.
  
• Insurance industry experience would be advantageous.
  
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  

Scrum Framework Experience

• Strong understanding of Scrum principles, ceremonies, and artifacts.
  
• Ability to facilitate Scrum events effectively while adapting to team needs.
  

Leadership and Coaching

• Experience mentoring Agile teams and driving continuous improvement.
  
• Strong conflict resolution and problem -solving skills.
  
• Demonstrated servant leadership approach that promotes accountability, collaboration, and empowerment.
  

Stakeholder Engagement

• Comfortable engaging with Product Owners, managers, and business stakeholders.
  
• Effective at facilitating communication between technical teams and external stakeholders.
  
• Proven ability to identify and remove delivery impediments related to processes, resources, or dependencies.