Sr Specialist - SCRUM Master (Memphis, TN or Remote in USA)
This servant leadership role is responsible for enabling the success of Scrum teams within a designated business value stream in ITS. The Sr Specialist – SCRUM Master champions agile values, principles, and practices, ensuring adherence to the Scrum framework while fostering a culture of continuous improvement and agile maturity. This role is pivotal in removing impediments, facilitating agile ceremonies, and supporting team empowerment and collaboration.
Essential Job FunctionsSprint Readiness & Backlog Refinement
Partner with Product Owners to ensure user stories are “sprint ready” through effective backlog grooming and refinement, preparing them for team-level elaboration.
Sprint Planning & Forecasting
Use data-driven insights to forecast team velocity and support the right-sizing of sprint goals. Ensure deliverables meet acceptance criteria while promoting team growth and stretch opportunities.
Team Collaboration & Trust Building
Cultivate a collaborative, cross-functional environment where team members feel trusted, heard, and valued.
Dependency Management
Proactively identify and resolve external dependencies that may hinder the team’s ability to achieve sprint goals.
Coaching & Mentorship
Mentor, coach, and motivate team members—both employees and contractors—encouraging accountability and continuous improvement.
Community of Practice Engagement
Actively participate in the Scrum Master Community of Practice (SM CoP), contributing user stories, sharing insights from agile events, and collaborating on community initiatives.
Agile Metrics & Tooling
Create and publish relevant agile metrics. Proficient in tools such as JIRA and Confluence, or comparable platforms like Rally and SharePoint.
Stakeholder Relationship Management
Build and maintain strong relationships with partner departments. Collaborate with teams to develop and execute continuous improvement plans that advance agile maturity.
Resource & Skill Negotiation
Communicate team needs—including skills development, hardware/software requirements, and tooling—with appropriate ITS management.
- Active certification in at least two of the following:
- Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II)
- Certified Scrum Professional - SM (CSP-SM)
- Certified Team Coach (CTC)
- PMI-ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner)
- ICP-ATF (ICAgile Team Facilitator)
Communication & Organization
Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Ability to clearly convey complex instructions and facilitate productive meetings. Highly organized and systematic in work processes.Team Leadership & Empowerment
Proven ability to lead agile teams in fast-paced environments. Skilled in guiding teams toward self-organization and decision-making. Experience managing distributed teams and fostering team cohesion.Agile Expertise
Deep understanding of agile software development values, principles, and practices. Knowledgeable in Scrum patterns and techniques (e.g., burndown charts, retrospectives, bug handling).Education & Experience
Bachelor’s degree in a related field and a minimum of 3 years of experience as a Scrum Master.Technical & Agile Knowledge
Solid knowledge of at least two of the following:- User Stories
- Continuous Integration
- Test-Driven Development
- DevOps
- Continuous Testing
- Pair Programming
- Automated Testing
- Agile Games
- Solid knowledge of interactive, web-based technologies across both front-end and back-end development.
#LI-TM1
Benefits & PerksThe following Benefits & Perks apply to Full-Time Roles Only.We’re dedicated to ensuring children and their families have every opportunity to enjoy life’s special moments. We’re also committed to giving our staff excellent benefits so they can do the same.- Core Medical Coverage: (low cost low deductible Medical, Dental, and Vison Insurance plans)
- 401K Retirement Plan with 7% Employer Contribution
- Exceptional Paid Time Off
- Maternity / Paternity Leave
- Infertility Treatment Program
- Adoption Assistance
- Education Assistance
- Enterprise Learning and Development
- And more
ALSAC is an equal employment opportunity employer.
ALSAC does not discriminate against any individual with regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, disability, veteran status, genetic information or other protected status.
No Search Firms:
ALSAC does not accept unsolicited assistance from search firms for employment opportunities. All resumes submitted by search firms to any ALSAC employee or ALSAC representative via email, the internet or in any form and/or method without being contacted and approved by our Employee Experience team and without a valid written search agreement in place will result in no fee being paid if a referred candidate is hired by ALSAC.
Top Skills
What We Do
ALSAC is the largest healthcare-related charity in the United States. Founded in 1957 by Danny Thomas, our sole mission is to raise the funds and awareness needed to operate and maintain St. Jude Children's Research Hospital®. While our headquarters can be found in Memphis, Tennessee, we have additional offices in more than 30 locations across the country and in Puerto Rico with positions in fundraising, marketing, digital, information technology, legal, finance and many other disciplines all supporting our lifesaving mission - Finding cures. Saving children. ®
At ALSAC, we believe in hiring the best and brightest from around the globe, and in 2020 we were named #1 on Fast Company's 100 Best Workplaces for Innovators. With a concerted focus on diversity and inclusion, we value and respect the contributions of all of our employees. Our work environment encourages everyone to be their authentic selves as we strive together towards a day when “no child dies in the dawn of life.”
As we look to the future, we understand that we must be relentlessly innovative. Our work helps fuel the groundbreaking research and treatment at St. Jude and ensures that families never receive a bill from St. Jude for treatment, travel, housing or food — because all a family should worry about is helping their child live.
View our career opportunities at https://www.stjude.org/jobs/alsac.html and follow ALSAC across social media using @stjude.
To learn more about the research hospital, follow St. Jude Children's Research Hospital on LinkedIn. For specific career opportunities available through the hospital, visit www.stjude.org/JoinOurMission.