Certified Scrum Master/Coach

Job Title: Certified Scrum Master
Location: US-San Diego, California
Employment Type: Contract to Hire

Job Summary:
The Certified Scrum Master will lead Agile teams in the successful execution of projects by facilitating Scrum ceremonies, promoting Agile principles, and ensuring continuous improvement. This hands-on role requires expertise in Agile project methodologies, a strong understanding of Scrum frameworks, and the ability to coach teams to deliver value efficiently. The ideal candidate is a servant leader with excellent communication skills and a proven track record of guiding cross-functional teams to meet business objectives.
Key Responsibilities:

• Facilitate Scrum ceremonies, including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring effective collaboration and alignment.
• Coach and mentor team members, product owners, and stakeholders on Agile principles, Scrum practices, and continuous improvement.
• Remove impediments and shield the team from external distractions to maintain focus on sprint goals and deliverables.
• Collaborate with product owners to refine and prioritize the product backlog, ensuring clarity and alignment with business objectives.
• Foster a culture of transparency, trust, and accountability within the team, promoting self-organization and empowerment.
• Track and report team progress using Agile metrics (e.g., velocity, burndown charts) to stakeholders, ensuring visibility and informed decision-making.
• Drive continuous improvement by identifying opportunities to enhance team performance, processes, and delivery outcomes.
• Ensure adherence to Agile best practices and organizational standards while tailoring approaches to suit team and project needs.
• Support organizational change management by championing Agile adoption and collaborating with other Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches.
• Stay current with Agile trends, tools, and methodologies to bring innovative practices to the team.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM I/II), or equivalent Agile certification (e.g., SAFe Scrum Master, PMI-ACP).
• 5+ years of experience as a Scrum Master or Agile Coach in a software development, IT, or business transformation environment.
• Proven experience leading at least 2 full Agile project lifecycles, from inception to delivery, in a Scrum Master role.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, etc.) and their practical application in diverse team settings.
• Hands-on experience with Agile tools such as Jira, Trello, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms for backlog management and reporting.
• Exceptional facilitation, conflict resolution, and interpersonal skills to manage diverse teams and stakeholders.
• Ability to coach teams to adopt test-driven development, continuous integration, and other Agile engineering practices.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas clearly to technical and non-technical audiences.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing team challenges.