Scrum Master – Qualifications & Experience

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical, business, or related field, or equivalent professional experience.

• 5+ years working in Agile software development environments.

• 3+ years serving as a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, Delivery Lead, or similar role supporting software engineering teams.

• Deep, practical understanding of Scrum, Kanban, and iterative delivery models, including when and how to adapt frameworks to fit real-world constraints.

• Proven experience partnering with senior engineers, architects, and product leaders to deliver complex software solutions.

• Strong facilitation, communication, and conflict-resolution skills, with the ability to guide discussions toward outcomes and decisions.

• Comfortable operating in ambiguous environments, exercising sound judgment without relying on top-down direction.

• Hands-on experience with Agile tooling such as Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms (tool proficiency is secondary to driving outcomes).

• Demonstrated ability to analyze delivery metrics (e.g., velocity, burn-downs, flow metrics) and use them to drive continuous improvement.

• Strong servant-leadership mindset with the ability to protect teams, remove impediments, and foster self-organization.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Exposure to enterprise-scale software, SaaS platforms, or complex, multi-system environments.

• Background in software development, testing, or engineering disciplines.

• Experience coordinating across multiple teams or managing external dependencies.

• Familiarity with test-driven development, CI/CD practices, and modern software quality principles.

• Scrum Master or Agile certification (CSM, PSM, SAFe, etc.) preferred, but not a substitute for demonstrated, real-world experience.

Key Competencies

• Strong understanding of emergent requirements, backlog refinement, and iterative product discovery.

• Ability to coach teams and product owners on Agile principles while maintaining a healthy balance between delivery, quality, and sustainability.

• Proven capability to lead teams toward continuous improvement and predictable delivery.

• Situational awareness to know when to coach, when to facilitate, and when to challenge.

• Professional, collaborative approach to conflict resolution with a focus on trust, transparency, and win-win outcomes.

• Enthusiastic, positive influencer who empowers teams and contributes to a strong team culture.