Agile Lead

At Curriculum Associates (CA), we believe a diverse team leads to diversity in thinking, making our products better for teachers and students. If you read this job description, feel energized by what you see here, and believe you could bring passion and commitment to the role, but you aren’t sure you meet every qualification, please apply! Above all, we are looking for the right person!

Summary: 

At Curriculum Associates, we believe a diverse team leads to diversity in thinking, making our products better for teachers and students. We're posting this role externally as Scrum Master, but internally we do not use the term "master".  The person hired for this role will hold the title of Agile Lead. We want to be continually aware and mindful towards our stance as an anti-racist company and making sure our language and practices are aligned. If you read this job description, feel energized by what you see here, and believe you could bring passion and commitment to the role, but you aren’t sure you meet every qualification, please apply! Above all, we are looking for the right person!

We are seeking an experienced Scrum Master to lead scrum team(s) on the Information Technology (IT) Business Systems team.  The Scrum Master plays a crucial role in facilitating Agile practices and principles within our IT organization. They are responsible for ensuring the Scrum framework is understood and adhered to by the Scrum team. This role involves coaching team members on Agile methodologies, removing impediments to progress, collaborating with Product Owner(s), and fostering an environment of continuous improvement that delivers value.    

Essential duties/responsibilities: 

Facilitate Scrum Events: Schedule and lead daily scrums, sprint reviews, and planning meetings to ensure full team engagement. Update sprint team dashboard and documentations, as well as report on progress. Support Agile Processes: Oversee agile processes and coach the team(s) on agile methodology and continuous improvement. Anticipate and address potential or actual impediments to team delivery, including cultural barriers and logistic challenges. Manage Interdependencies: Manage interdependencies between agile teams to ensure seamless collaboration and alignment across initiatives. Collaborate with Product Owner(s): Partner with Product Owner(s) to prioritize work through the product backlog and other scrum artifacts. Support short and long-term release planning and ensure the work backlog is healthy and prepared for execution. Promote Visibility and Transparency: Aggregate Agile team objectives and progress and publish to the business and all team members to ensure visibility and transparency. Shield the Team: Shield the team(s) from external interference to enable optimal functionality and productivity. Ensure successful delivery of large impact and/or cross-functional product initiatives. Continuous Improvement: Ensure metrics are used and communicated for continuous improvement. Detect when the team loses balance (e.g., velocity, burn-down, rollover, etc.) and initiate conversations towards restoration. Promote Psychological Safety: Ability to promote psychological safety and collaboration amongst team members. Provide team support to help sprint success as needed.

Required Job Skills and Abilities: 

Agile Expertise: Possess a strong understanding of Agile principles and practices, with hands-on experience in Agile methodologies like Scrum, Kanban, or Lean. Effective Communicator: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to facilitate meetings, coach team members, and communicate effectively with stakeholders. Problem Solver: Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, capable of identifying impediments and implementing solutions to drive progress. Team Player: Collaborative mindset, with the ability to work effectively within a team environment and promote psychological safety and collaboration among team members. Adaptability: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, and adapt to changing priorities and requirements. Leadership Skills: Demonstrate leadership qualities, including the ability to lead by example, inspire others, and influence without authority. Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with Agile tools such as Jira, Trello, or similar software for backlog management and progress tracking is desirable. Continuous Learner: Commitment to personal and professional growth, with a willingness to continuously learn and improve in the Agile domain.

Required Education and Experience: 

Certified Scrum Master with a minimum of 2 years of experience as a Scrum Master/Agile Lead: Hold a certification such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent, demonstrating expertise in Scrum methodology. Experience with Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) a plus Experience in leading scrum teams that works on HCM & Finance applications SaaS platforms such as Workday is a plus JIRA and/or Confluence Admin experience a plus Desired, not required, additional knowledge and/or experience with widely successful Agile techniques: User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing, Agile Games