SCRUM MASTER

Duties & Responsibilities

• Guides and coach the Scrum Team on how to use Agile practices and principles to deliver high quality products and services to our customers.
• Gets team to a high performing level by recognizing areas of strength and improvement and employing appropriate coaching and development techniques.
• Responsible for ensuring Scrum is understood and the team adheres to Scrum theory, practice, and guidelines.
• Covers the Scrum team in self-organization, cross-functional skillset, domain knowledge and communicates effectively, both internally and externally working within the Scrum team.
• Works with Scrum Team, as well as internal and external stakeholders, to influence and drive decision making and support organizational project or product teams.
• Resolves team impediments with other Scrum Masters to increase the effectiveness of the application of Scrum in the organization.
• Works with Agile coaches and other Scrum Masters to grow within the role.
• Contributes to the advancement and improvement of Agile practices within the organization.
• Facilitates and supports all scrum events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
• Acts as a leader who coaches and supports Agile teams assigned to mainly Business as Usual (BAU) work and to a lesser degree, important department initiatives and applicable portions of corporate projects and initiatives.

Minimum Requirements

• Prior experience on a scrum team
• Knowledge of scrum and agile techniques
• Strong communication, interpersonal and mentoring skills
• Technical knowledge of complex enterprise IT systems
• Able to work with and lead a team
• Experience communicating effectively, both oral and written, with technical, non-technical, and executive-level customers.
• Knowledge in risk assessment methodologies.
• Experience with cloud-based environments and technologies is preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex concepts in a clear, concise manner.
• Strong problem-solving skills, proactive attitude towards identifying potential issues and implementing solutions.
• The ability to organize and motivate a project team.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience coaching teams through Agile adoption and transformation.
• Certifications such as PSM, PSPO, CSM, SAFe, PMI-ACP, PMP, or ITIL.
• Familiarity with ITIL, PMBOK, Scrum Guide, Kanban, and Agile best practices.
• Experience in regulated, compliance-driven, or governance-heavy environments.
• Data visualization and reporting experience (Power BI or similar dashboarding tools).
• Planning and managing IT projects

Competencies

• Agile Coaching & Facilitation
• Impediment Resolution & Risk Assessment
• Communication & Facilitation
• Continuous Improvement & Process Optimization
• Mentorship & Coaching
• Program & Project Management
• Innovation & Process Improvement
• Stakeholder Collaboration

Education and Certifications

• Master's degree preferable but professional experience is Permitted:
• Bachelor's degree and 4 years of product or project development experience, and 3 years of project development experience on an Agile Team or an equivalent combination of education and work experience
• At least one of the following Agile certifications:
• Agile Scrum Master
• Agile Project Manager
• Agile Scrum Professional

Clearance Level

• Public Trust

Work Location

• Remote work authorized; travel may be required to client location in Alexandria, VA.

Hours of Operation

• Business Hours: 8:00 am EST - 4:30 pm EST.

Reporting Structure (Optional but Recommended)

• Reports to: USPTO Program Manager