Senior Associate - Project Manager/Scrum Master

Location Designation: Hybrid - 3 days per week
Our New York Life culture has laid the foundation for over 180 years of commitment to our employees, agents, policy owners, and the communities where we live and work. Here you become a valued part of a welcoming, inclusive, and caring organization with a long-standing legacy in stability and growth. The strength revolves around our diversified, multi-dimensional business portfolio that goes beyond life insurance.
As a Fortune 100 company and industry leader, we provide an environment where you can explore your career ambitions, offering opportunities to tackle meaningful challenges and stretch your skills while balancing work and life priorities. You will be part of an inclusive team guided by our belief to always be there for each other-providing the support and flexibility to grow and reach new heights while making an impact in the lives of others.
You are our future, and we commit to investing in you accordingly.
As part of Technology, you'll have the opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking initiatives that shape New York Life's digital landscape. Leverage cutting-edge technologies like Generative AI to increase productivity, streamline processes, and create seamless experiences for clients, agents, and employees. Your expertise fuels innovation, agility, and growth - driving the company's success.
Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced and proactive Project Manager / Scrum Master to support the Retail Annuities & Third-Party Distribution (TPD) release train within the Product Solutions value stream-part of New York Life's Foundational Business.
This role offers the right individual an opportunity to play a critical part in New York Life's Agile Transformation journey, with responsibility for driving projects from inception through completion. The successful PM/SM will lead project facilitation across the Technology portfolio of work using SAFe agile methodology & tools in support of key project deliverables. The position will deliver outcomes across multiple value streams and requires close partnership with the VS delivery leads, technology teams and business partners.
This role will be instrumental in managing project timelines, removing impediments, and driving alignment across stakeholders. The ideal candidate brings a blend of traditional project management discipline and Agile expertise, ensuring successful delivery of business and technology initiatives.
What You'll Do:

• Inspire a culture of trust, accountability, and continuous learning within and across teams.

• Lead by example in embracing Agile values, transparency, and adaptability.

• Align team efforts with broader organizational strategy, ensuring delivery of business value.

• Partner with senior leadership and stakeholders to influence change, remove systemic impediments, and champion Agile transformation efforts.

• Act as Project Manager to plan, coordinate, and deliver complex initiatives on time and within scope across Technology teams.

• Serve as Scrum Master for one or more Agile teams, facilitating all SAFe ceremonies (Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Planning, Reviews, Retrospectives, etc.).

• Proactively identify and mitigate risks and issues early, while removing obstacles that hinder team progress and resolving conflicts as they arise.

• Track progress using Agile tools (e.g., Jira) and provides transparency through reporting and metrics (e.g., velocity, burndown), while supporting the team in adopting and effectively using Agile planning and development tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Ativo, Structure).

• Drive continuous improvement by coaching teams on Agile best practices and fostering a collaborative, self-reflective team environment.

• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, Developers, QA, and Business Analysts to ensure clear understanding of work and priorities.

• Support Product Owners in developing, refining, and maintaining a well-groomed product backlog.

• Provide ongoing training, coaching, and facilitation to help Agile teams achieve high performance.

• Help teams meet Sprint and Program Increment (PI) goals by promoting focus, commitment, and accountability.

• Represent the team in broader planning and coordination forums, such as Scrum of Scrums, Program Increment (PI).

• Ensure progress toward team goals is accurate, visible, and communicated to stakeholders.

• Monitor and maximize team velocity while maintaining sustainable pace and high-quality delivery.

• Coach teams to improve collaboration, self-management, and engagement with stakeholders.

• Bring energy, focus, and resilience to the role to drive lasting, meaningful change.

• Contribute to the continuous evolution of Agile practices by sharing learnings and engaging in Communities of Practice.

• Foster self-organizing, empowered teams capable of delivering value independently.

What You'll Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field of study is required.
• PMP, CSM or Scaled Agile Frameworks (SAFe) Scrum Master certification preferred.

• 5+ years of relevant Scrum Master and/or Project Management experience within the Insurance and / or Annuities industry preferred.

• Strong knowledge of Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) and traditional project management.

• Experience using Agile tools such as JIRA, Structure, Confluence, Ativo etc.

• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills.

• Experience working with geographically distributed teams.

• Has been accountable for delivery of projects / programs with budgets over $1 million.

• Experience in facilitation/moderation of large-scale workshops or meetings.

• Proven ability to manage multiple initiatives simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.

• Excellent analytical skills, independent thinking and ability to exercise prudent judgment.

• Has sufficient technical expertise to analyze risks and process gaps and help provide solutions and assist in remediation activities.

Has background in hands-on work with the scrum team competencies. For instance, had programming, testing, requirements gathering experience before assuming project
Pay Transparency
Salary Range: $97,500-$139,500
Overtime eligible: Exempt
Discretionary bonus eligible: Yes
Sales bonus eligible: No
Actual base salary will be determined based on several factors but not limited to individual's experience, skills, qualifications, and job location. Additionally, employees are eligible for an annual discretionary bonus. In addition to base salary, employees may also be eligible to participate in an incentive program.
Our Benefits
We provide a full package of benefits for employees - and have unique offerings for a modern workforce, including leave programs, adoption assistance, and student loan repayment programs. Based on feedback from our employees, we continue to refine and add benefits to our offering, so that you can flourish both inside and outside of work.Click hereto discover more about our comprehensive benefit options or visit our NYL Benefits Site.
Our Commitment to Inclusion
At New York Life, fostering an inclusive workplace is fundamental to who we are and how we serve our communities. We have a longstanding commitment to creating an environment where individuals can contribute their best and succeed together. This foundation is rooted in our core values of humanity and integrity, ensuring that every employee feels valued and supported. By embracing a broad range of perspectives and experiences, we achieve greater success and fulfill our promise of providing financial security and peace of mind to families across all communities. Click here to learn more about New York Life's leadership in this space.
Recognized as one of Fortune's World's Most Admired Companies, New York Life is committed to improving local communities through a culture of employee giving and volunteerism, supported by the Foundation. We're proud that due to our mutuality, we operate in the best interests of our policy owners. To learn more about career opportunities at New York Life, please visit the Careers page of www.NewYorkLife.com.
Visit our LinkedIn to see how our employees and agents are leading the industry and impacting communities.
Visit our Newsroom to learn more about how our company is constantly evolving to meet our clients' and employees' needs.
Job Requisition ID: 92110