The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded on a commitment to advance the rule of law in the United States and beyond by providing practical resources for legal professionals, conducting law school accreditation, developing model ethics codes and more. Today, the ABA remains a member-based organization that works to ensure access to justice for all, a fair legal process, and respect for the rule of law at home and across the globe.
The ABA is committed to service and refining the standards that guide the legal profession. ABA staff are provided multiple types of continuing education and career development opportunities. Your work will help eliminate bias, enhance diversity, and advance the rule of law throughout the US and around the world.
The ABA recognizes the value staff contribute to our success through a generous benefits package that protects their health and their financial security. The ABA’s wide array of benefit offerings include 401(k), medical, dental, vision, flexible spending accounts, health spending accounts, supplemental life and disability insurance, prepaid legal programs, and a complimentary membership to the American Bar Association, which offers additional benefits.
Flexible/hybrid work arrangements may be available for residents of CA, DC, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, TX, VA, and WI. Residency requirements may apply. ABA employees are eligible to apply for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).
Job Summary/General Purpose of Job:
- This position guides and coaches Agile teams in Product Research & Development to deliver high-quality, business-critical products under the direction of the PMO.
Essential Job Functions and Responsibilities:
- Agile Practice Establishment
- Design a fit-for-purpose Agile practice for technology-based work spanning website and application development; configurations, customizations, integrations; and feature enhancements.
- Standardize ceremonies, roles, artifacts, cadences, and a common language (Themes, Epics, Features, User Stories) for cross-functional hybrid teams.
- Maintain the ABA Agile playbook; track adoption, team-health, and maturity KPIs.
- Scrum Master Leadership
- Serve as hands-on Scrum Master for one or more hybrid teams, facilitating sprint planning, stand-ups, backlog grooming, reviews, and retrospectives.
- Set capacity, velocity, and cadence; instill Definition of Ready and Done; use data and retrospective actions to improve predictability.
- Guide Product Managers on backlog practices (Epics, User Stories, story pointing, prioritization); partner with Product Owners on demos and stakeholder updates.
- Remove impediments and dependencies; triage defects and operational tickets with production support teams; track requests and decisions in Jira and Confluence.
- Agile Coaching & Capability Building
- Coach Product Managers, team leads, and stakeholders on Agile principles; mentor junior team members as the go-to Agile expert.
- Deliver training, workshops, and onboarding for a technology-based product development environment within Product R&D; champion continuous learning and experimentation.
- Stakeholder Alignment & Change Management
- Drive adoption with leadership, Product Managers, web and app development teams, and business stakeholders; lead change management and communicate its value.
- Facilitate cross-team planning to align priorities and dependencies; advise leadership on team structure, capacity planning, and organizational design.
- Third-Party Software Adapted Agile Delivery
- Adapt Agile to vendor release cycles, patches, configuration windows, and contractual boundaries, including intake, sizing, and prioritization of upgrades and regulatory changes.
- Tooling & Reporting
- Govern Agile tooling (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps) and standardized dashboards that give leadership real-time visibility into progress, backlog health, and delivery trends.
- Performs other related duties as required.
Required Education, Qualifications, Experience:
- Agile certification (CSM, PMI-ACP, etc.) and deep knowledge of Scrum practices and artifacts.
- 5+ years as a Scrum Master; 2+ years as an Agile coach or trainer; 2+ years of software development experience, preferably in product development.
- Experience with global teams across time zones and with Agile tools such as Jira and Confluence.
- Servant leader with high emotional intelligence; skilled in problem-solving, conflict resolution, and explaining complex topics simply; bias for action and improvement.
Preferred Education, Qualifications, Experience:
- Agile coaching certification (ICP-ACC, ICAgile, etc.); product management background; familiarity with project management tools (e.g., ClickUp).
Physical Requirements
- Typical office work environment.
Extent of Travel Required in the Job
- As a normal course of business, this job will typically require travel of less than 15% of the time.
The American Bar Association is an Equal Opportunity Employer: Disability/Veteran. In compliance with the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position with the American Bar Association, please call 312-988-5188.
Skills Required
- Agile certification such as CSM or PMI-ACP
- Deep knowledge of Scrum practices and artifacts
- At least 5 years of Scrum Master experience
- At least 2 years of Agile coaching or training experience
- At least 2 years of software development experience, preferably in product development
- Experience working with global teams across time zones
- Experience with Agile tools such as Jira and Confluence
- Servant leadership, high emotional intelligence, problem-solving, conflict resolution, and communication skills
- Agile coaching certification such as ICP-ACC or ICAgile
- Product management background
- Familiarity with project management tools such as ClickUp
What We Do
The ABA's mission is to serve equally our members, the legal profession and the public by defending liberty and delivering justice as the national representative of the legal profession.
