Scrum Master / Risk Analyst

Job Summary

Scrum Master / Risk Analyst

Client: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Clinical Informatics

Location: Remote, with occasional travel as required

Clearance: Ability to obtain and maintain a VA Tier 1 / Public Trust background investigation

Employment Type: Full time, contingent on contract award

Position Summary

This position covers two jobs on one team. The Scrum Master side runs the team's sprints and Agile ceremonies, keeps work moving, and clears roadblocks. The Risk Analyst sidetracks risks to cost, schedule, and performance, keeps the risk register updated, and reports risk status to program leadership and the customer.

Most of the week is spent with the delivery team. The rest goes to collecting risk data from the program team, updating the register, and writing the risk sections of weekly and monthly reports.

Primary Responsibilities

What You Will Do: Scrum Master

• Run daily standups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
• Coach the team on Scrum and SAFe practices.
• Find and clear roadblocks. Raise the ones the team cannot fix on its own.
• Support Planning Interval planning, including prep work, dependencies, and what the team commits to.
• Work with other teams on shared or dependent work.
• Track team metrics such as velocity, burndown, and how well the team meets commitments, and use them to improve.
• Keep the team focused and the workload manageable during busy periods.
• Keep the backlog, board, and tools up to date.

What You Will Do: Risk Analyst

• Review risk data to find risks to cost, schedule, and performance, both in specific areas and across the program.
• Work with the program team to collect and check risk data.
• Keep the risk register current, including the risk, how likely it is, its impact, who owns it, and the plan to reduce it.
• Write and brief risk status for program leadership and the customer, in writing, in charts, and in person.
• Follow mitigation actions until they are closed and report on what risk is left.
• Help manage issues and escalations when a risk actually happens.
• Write the risk sections of weekly and monthly reports and other deliverables.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.
• Five (5) years of relevant work experience.
• Experience as a Scrum Master for a delivery team.
• Working knowledge of SAFe Lean-Agile principles and practices.
• Experience reviewing risk data and identifying risks to cost, schedule, and performance.
• Experience writing and briefing status reports for leadership.
• Ability to obtain and maintain the required VA background investigation.

Desired Qualifications

• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), or Professional Scrum Master (PSM).
• PMI-RMP, PMP, or a similar certification.
• Experience supporting VA, VHA, DoD, or other federal health programs.
• Experience on an electronic health record rollout or improvement effort.
• Experience with Jira or Azure DevOps, plus Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.
• Experience with government contract deliverables and reporting.

What Makes Someone Successful Here

• Can run a meeting and keep people moving without being their boss.
• Comfortable working with numbers and data, not just conversations.
• Speaks and writes clearly for technical, clinical, and executive audiences.
• Follows through until roadblocks and risks are actually closed out.
• Sees both what the team is doing today and what the program needs down the road.

Physical Requirements

Physical Requirements: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit for extended periods, use a computer keyboard and mouse, and communicate verbally and in writing. The employee may occasionally need to stand, walk, bend, or lift up to 15 pounds. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this role.

About Aptive

About Aptive. Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.

EEO Statement

Aptive is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, parental status, veteran status, age, disability, or any other protected class. Veterans, members of the Reserve and National Guard, and transitioning active-duty service members are highly encouraged to apply. About Aptive: Aptive partners with federal agencies to achieve their missions through improved performance, streamlined operations and enhanced service delivery. Based in Alexandria, Virginia, we support more than a dozen agencies including Veterans Affairs, Transportation, Defense, Homeland Security and the National Science Foundation. We specialize in applying technology, creativity and human-centered services to optimize mission delivery and improve experiences for millions of people who count on government services every day. Founded: 2012. Employees: 300+ nationwide.