Agile Scrum Master Consultant - Commercial Insurance

You have a clear vision of where your career can go. And we have the leadership to help you get there. At CNA, we strive to create a culture in which people know they matter and are part of something important, ensuring the abilities of all employees are used to their fullest potential.
CNA seeks to offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package to our employees that helps them - and their family members - achieve their physical, financial, emotional and social wellbeing goals.
For a detailed look at CNA's benefits, check out our Candidate Guide .
JOB DESCRIPTION:
The Agile Scrum Master Consultant provides consulting and project support for self-organized teams using the Agile Scrum methodology to deliver IT and business solutions for CNA. In this role, you will also be responsible for organizing and facilitating project planning, daily scrum, sprint reviews, retrospectives, sprint and release planning as needed by the scrum teams. You will be a recognized subject matter expert on Agile processes, tools, best practices, existing standards with hands-on exposure to multiple versions of Agile (Scrum, Kanban, XP).
The ideal candidate will have commercial insurance experience working within the cloud, policy administration experience (preferable Guidewire Policy Center) as well as proficiency in Jira, Confluence and Excel.
This hybrid role is located in Chicago, IL and will require that the selected candidate reside within a commutable distance to the downtown office.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Performs a combination of duties in accordance with departmental guidelines:

• Serves, leads, coaches, and supports multiple Agile Scrum Teams on complex initiatives, with teams consisting of internal & external (onshore and offshore) as well as business and technical resources in the delivery of IT and business products and solutions. Responsible for product delivery.
• Facilitates Scrum ceremonies and agile practices (such as daily standups, sprint review meetings, retrospective meetings, cross-team coordination, and etc.), alongside the product owner, ensuring that Scrum Teams adhere to the Scrum values of courage, focus, commitment, respect and openness in delivering IT solutions.
• Identifies and resolves delivery impediments to optimize delivery flow. Appropriately leads resolution of complex impediments and escalates impediments that cannot be resolved to senior leadership. Manages risks and issues and acts to ensure they do not recur.
• Fosters an environment of continuous improvement / learning and drives substantial improvement to the team (e.g., via the retrospective process). Guides team members in achieving maturity in Agile principles and Scrum practices, developing a proven track record of driving consistent velocity and velocity increases on mature teams. Proactively monitors and assesses team health and project needs..
• Serves as recognized Agile subject matter expert, thought leader, and mentor with extensive knowledge of Agile processes, tools, best practices, and standards. Provides guidance to more junior Scrum Masters on Agile
• Reviews and provides feedback on potential new tools / processes in the Agile space and is a visible champion for adopting them once ratified. Contributes to maturing Agile at CNA through proactively bringing suggestions to COE / COPs
• Creates a strong team environment, with high team morale and cohesion
• Supports the Product Owner in managing backlog and guides the Product Owner / Scrum Team in prioritization, including maintaining relevant metrics. Maintains strong relationships within their Agile team, particularly with the Product Owner. Coordinates interactions within and outside the Scrum Team. Builds a trusting and safe environment within the team, Product Owners, and other stakeholders. Facilitates and manages conflict resolution within the team and key stakeholders; escalates more serious conflicts to leadership.
• Promotes practices that ensure delivery of quality products, ensuring that transparency is maintained around delivery progress, quality and schedule.

May perform additional duties as assigned.
Reporting Relationship
Typically, Director or above
Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Prior experience with Agile Scrum methodology in a Scrum Master role.
• Solid experience acting as a servant -leader with strong coaching and mentoring skills; ability to get work done without assigning out / dictating tasks.
• Experience on teams delivering modern software for enterprises using Agile methodologies.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively with peers and team members.
• Excellent personal organizational skills and prior experience using Agile management tools such as Jira
• Proven track record of experience applying App. Dev. best practices on an initiative (e.g., automation, CI/CD pipelines) and consistently adopts these best practices as appropriate

Education & Experience

• Scrum Master Certification (CSM) preferred.
• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related discipline; or equivalent work experience.
• Typically, a minimum of four years of related work experience such as a project delivery background in an enterprise IT environment with experience using Agile delivery methods.
• Previous project management experience preferred.

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CNA is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities in the recruitment process. To request an accommodation, please contact [email protected] .