Scrum Master

Description

MassMutual Ascend is committed to helping people plan for a secure retirement in an uncomplicated way. Our simple promise is superior service and annuities that are easier to understand. This means offering innovative products that fit today’s needs. As a wholly owned subsidiary of MassMutual, MassMutual Ascend functions with the agility of a small company and the assurance of being associated with a Fortune 200 organization that is proud to offer customers a level of strength and stability they can count on for years to come.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced Agilist skilled in helping teams and organizations improve agility and delivery through the application of Scrum, Kanban, and other Agile practices. The Scrum Master role involves understanding agile processes, assisting in the adoption of an agile mindset, partnering with scrum teams and leadership, guiding, and enforcing the usage of Agile/Scrum values. This role leads teams in the delivery of software products using primarily the Scrum framework but could be asked to employ other agile methodologies in the spirit of continuous improvement. A scrum master applies a methodology that supports the integration of changing customer inputs and business conditions into software development.

The Scrum Master can expect to:

• Support product owners to help them understand and articulate priorities and ensure quality outcomes

• Ensure the application of agile frameworks to development practices to increase the effectiveness of software development
• Work directly in a team(s) to drive performance using Agile values, practices, and processes
• Work with the Product Owner to support the work of the scrum team(s) by maintaining the backlog and facilitating Agile ceremonies like stand-ups, sprint planning, and retrospectives
• Monitor team performance utilizing metrics to help identify continuous improvement opportunities to support the team to work smarter, and more effectively
• Be a servant/leader of an application development team practicing Agile and iteratively delivering to the business, using Agile best practices, continuous improvement, and leading without authority
• Have experience with Agile management tools
• Be comfortable leading through change and can pivot when circumstances demand it. Work together with their teams to revise plans and adapt how they lead

Job Responsibilities

• Lead the team to success by working across groups to drive discussion & engagement in an agile software development cycle
• Organize and facilitate reviews, retrospectives, planning, demos, and other Scrum or agile delivery related activities
• Track and communicate team metrics and sprint/release progress. Maintains process documentation
• Ensure teams are practicing the core agile principles of collaboration, prioritization, team accountability, and transparency
• Coach teams and leaders on agile principles to foster an environment of self-organization and cross-functionality
• Maintain data integrity of agile tracking systems to provide transparency of product and sprint backlog
• Remove impediments or guides the team to remove impediments that may obstruct the completion of the team's projects and sprint goals
• Ensure vision, goals, scope, and product domain are understood by everyone on the Scrum team
• Define and coach teams on techniques for effective product backlog management
• Help the Scrum team understand the need for clear and concise product backlog items
• May help facilitate/coordinate inside and outside of the team to ensure requirements are defined and captured by the team, solicit feedback, communicate scope and schedules, and set delivery expectations
• May have responsibility for the performance and coaching of staff and may have a participatory role in decisions regarding talent selection, development, and performance management

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience
• Progress towards or completion of agile certifications
• 3 to 5 years of related experience in an agile environment
• Demonstrates knowledge of and some experience leading Agile software development projects

Ideal Qualifications

• 3-5 years of agile experience as either a scrum master or product owner
• Has demonstrated an understanding of multiple agile frameworks
• Has a certification from either Scrum.org or Agile Alliance
• Proven record of being a collaborative problem solver and a servant leader

• Understands how to leverage metrics to drive change

• Is a thought leader who has the ability and interest to creatively solve complex problems that extend beyond traditional scrum team boundaries

What to Expect

• Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager
• Ongoing opportunities for development and learning
• Working in a fast-paced environment with available flexible work schedules
• A place to grow your career in a culture that inspires, rewards, and develops employees
• Small company feel with a focus on meeting customer’s needs today and well into the future

#LI-MM1

Why Join Us.

At MassMutual Ascend, our collaborative culture is key to our success. It’s the reason we’re a leading provider of annuities today, and it’s the reason we’ll continue rising to the top tomorrow. A career at MassMutual Ascend means you’ll contribute to our mission of taking financial futures above and beyond – and you’ll be inspired to reach your own goals, too. As a wholly owned subsidiary of MassMutual, MassMutual Ascend continues to be an employer of choice in the Cincinnati, Ohio community.

MassMutual Ascend Life Insurance Company is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Individual with Disability/Protected Veteran. We welcome all persons to apply. Note: Veterans are welcome to apply, regardless of their discharge status.

At MassMutual Ascend we focus on ensuring fair, equitable pay by providing competitive salaries, along with incentive and bonus opportunities for all employees. Your total compensation package includes either a bonus target or in a sales-focused role a Variable Incentive Compensation component. For more information about our extensive benefits offerings please check out our Total Rewards at a Glance..