Scrum Master

Position Summary 

Effectual Scrum Masters are key members of the Public Sector Program Management team, responsible for delivering mission-aligned solutions with a strong focus on technical excellence, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder satisfaction. The Scrum Master leads and facilitates Agile projects, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and timely, high-quality delivery. This role works closely with the Program Manager, reports to the Project Manager, and collaborates with cross-functional teams to manage resources, mitigate risks, and resolve impediments. As representatives of the Effectual brand, they are expected to stay current with applicable public sector standards, policies, and best practices to consistently deliver high-quality, well-architected solutions that address the diverse needs of government and public sector organizations. 

A Glimpse into the Daily Routine of an Effectual Scrum Master 

Facilitate daily stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Collaborating with internal and external stakeholders on project progress, risks, and issues. Identifying and removing blockers that impede team progress. Be available during core customer hours, support in-person collaboration which is essential to ensure effective communication and teamwork. Partnering with the Project Manager to align project goals, priorities, and resource allocation. Monitoring Agile metrics through tools such as Jira dashboards. Mentoring teams on Agile practices, promoting self-organization and cross-functionality. Supporting continuous improvement of team processes and delivery practices. Your expertise will be critical in driving both application development and successful cloud migration initiatives. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies, including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, ensuring they are productive, time-boxed, and focused 

• Coach teams and leadership on Agile principles, frameworks, and practices, promoting adherence to Scrum values 

• Integrate new team members into Agile practices and guide adoption across distributed teams 

• Identify and remove impediments or blockers in collaboration with the Project Manager to maintain team velocity 

• Foster collaboration between team members, stakeholders, and leadership to ensure transparency and alignment 

• Maintain Agile tracking systems to provide accurate, actionable metrics for project performance 

• Support adoption of Agile engineering practices such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Delivery (CD), and automated testing 

• Assist the Project Manager in managing scope, risks, dependencies, and resource allocation across multiple workstreams 

• Ensure compliance with government contracting requirements and security protocols 

• Assist in the development of project documentation, including requirements documentation, functional specifications, process flows, and user guides 

• Provide expert guidance and support to project teams during the application development lifecycle, ensuring adherence to project timelines and deliverables 

• Foster strong relationships with stakeholders, actively engaging and communicating to ensure alignment and successful delivery of application development projects 

Qualifications 

• Minimum Education: Bachelor’s degree in related field AND 

• Minimum Experience: 10 years of experience, including cloud professional and/or project management certification OR 

• Substitution/Alternative to Minimum Education and Experience: Must have at least 10 years of on-the-job experience 

• Available during customer working hours, as needed—both for scheduled and impromptu support 

• Be able to work remotely but, be able to go on-site as requested and/or occasionally on-site in Washington DC  

• Must be a US Citizen 

• 10+ years of experience as a Scrum Master for large-scale software development projects 

• Strong knowledge of Agile frameworks, including Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and SAFe 
  Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM), or equivalent Agile certification 

• Experience with Agile tools such as Jira, Confluence, and other project tracking systems 

• Familiarity with technical environments, including cloud migration projects (AWS preferred) and enterprise-level software stacks 

• Experience with Agile techniques (User Stories including descriptions, acceptance criteria and story points, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing).  

• You are able to work with distributed teams and handle multiple workstreams simultaneously.  

• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and conflict resolution skills 

• Quick-learner and operating with minimum supervision in a changing environment 

• Experienced in drafting comprehensive documents using Microsoft Office suite 

• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate and engage stakeholders 

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to translate requirements into technical specifications 

• Hardworking and self-motivated, with the ability to work in team and individual settings 

• Detail-oriented and able to stand behind the quality of the work 

• Able to properly understand and communicate level of effort, define due dates, and meet deadlines 

• Ability to work Eastern Standard Time Zone schedule 

Nice-to-Have Skills and Experience 

• Active Clearance or Public Trust (DOJ Preferred) 

• Professional certifications such as PMI-ACP or SAFe Agilist preferred 

• AWS Certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, AWS Certified Solutions Architect) 

• Experience in leading Agile transformation initiatives within large, complex organizations 

• Familiarity with software development technologies such as Java frameworks (JSF, Spring Boot), WebSphere, GlassFish, and z/OS 

• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and DevSecOps practices 

• Ability to mentor and develop junior Scrum Masters or Agile practitioners 
• Stay updated with emerging AWS cloud technologies, public sector regulations, industry trends, and best practices related to application migrations 

Physical Demands and Work Environment  

The work is generally performed in an office environment.  Physical demands include sitting, keyboarding, verbal communication, written communication.  Employees are occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. 

This job description may not be inclusive of all assigned duties, responsibilities, or aspects of the job described, and may be amended anytime at the sole discretion of the Employer. Duties and responsibilities are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the incumbents will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship. Effectual Inc. is an EEO employer and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected classification in its hiring, promoting, or any other job-related opportunity.