Scrum Master

Job Role: Scrum Master

Location: Irvine, CA

Job Description:

Must Have Technical/Functional Skills

• Scrum Mastery: Experience as a Scrum Master or Agile Project Manager, successfully leading software development or IT teams. Solid understanding of Scrum principles, Agile frameworks, and iterative development.
• Jira Expertise: Hands-on expertise with Jira Software for Agile project tracking. Able to create and manage Jira dashboards, custom filters, and reports. Proven ability to utilize Jira metrics (burn-down/up charts, velocity, cumulative flow diagrams) to derive insights and drive team improvement. Experience managing multiple Jira boards and large backlogs in a scaled Agile environment.
• Scaled Agile Environment: Experience in a scaled Agile setting (Scrum-of-Scrums, SAFe, LeSS or similar frameworks) where multiple Scrum teams coordinate towards a larger product or program goal. Familiarity with program increment planning and cross-team coordination.
• Cloud Security Knowledge: Strong technical background in cloud security and identity management. Familiarity with AWS Cloud Services is required, including hands-on experience or solid understanding of AWS security services and concepts:

o AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management) managing roles, permissions and federation.

o AWS Key Management Service (KMS) understanding key encryption and management.

o AWS Secrets Manager managing application secrets and rotations.

o AWS integration with enterprise identity providers or Active Directory (e.g., AWS SSO/Azure AD integration).

o General knowledge of cloud networking and security best practices (zero trust, least privilege, etc.).

• Session Management Tools: Experience with tools like Strong DM or similar session management/secure access platforms. Able to understand and facilitate discussions around secure connectivity for admins and engineers (such as managing credentials, session logging, and just-in-time access in a cloud environment).
• Communication & Leadership: Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills. Able to lead by influence and foster collaboration in cross-functional teams. Comfortable communicating with technical engineers, security specialists, product owners, and senior management alike. Proven track record of conflict resolution and team empowerment.
• Adaptability: Demonstrated ability to adapt Agile practices to the team s needs. Experience guiding teams through process changes (for example, moving from Kanban to Scrum). Strong problem-solving skills and a pragmatic approach to implement Agile in a way that adds value to the specific context.
• Security Focus: Background in Information Security or developing secure software is a big advantage. Knowledge of compliance frameworks or security standards (e.g., SOC2, NIST, CIS benchmarks for cloud) can help in understanding the context of our projects.
• Certifications: AWS certifications (especially AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Security Specialty) or security certifications like CISSP, CISM are a plus, demonstrating sol id foundation in cloud and security domains. Agile certifications beyond Scrum Master (e.g., PMI-ACP, SAFe Agilist) are also beneficial.
• Tool Familiarity: Exposure to additional Agile and DevOps tools such as Confluence (for documentation), CI/CD pipelines, or monitoring tools is nice to have indicating an ability to interface with DevOps processes that often accompany cloud development.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Agile Ceremony Facilitation: Lead all Scrum ceremonies including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, quarterly PI planning, and retrospectives. Ensure meetings are focused, productive, and time-boxed, fostering continuous improvement in each sprint.
• Jira Board Management: Manage and maintain boards for multiple workstreams associated with the Helix program. Track stories and epics in alignment with Helix Agile processes including applying specific tags and ensuring work items roll up correctly into Helix program boards and dashboards. Use standard Jira Agile tools (burn-up/burn-down charts, velocity charts) to monitor team progress and identify trends.
• Progress Tracking & Reporting: Monitor sprint progress and team velocity, and prepare weekly status reports outlining accomplishments, upcoming goals, and any deviations from the plan. Track plan vs. actual accomplishments and use data to highlight who or what may be at risk of not delivering committed story points. Provide transparency into team performance through metrics and analytics (e.g., burn-down charts for sprints, burn-up charts for scope).
• Impediment Removal: Proactively identify and remove blockers or impediments that slow down the team s progress. Drive problem-solving discussions offline (outside regular Scrum meetings) with the relevant team members or stakeholders to resolve issues. Facilitate the removal of obstacles by coordinating with cross-functional teams and management, ensuring that technical or process issues are addressed swiftly.
• Helix Agile Alignment: Ensure all team activities and updates adhere to the internal Helix methodology. This includes following Helix s standards for tagging tickets, updating statuses, and reporting progress to higher-level Helix boards. Educate team members on Helix-specific Agile practices and enforce compliance with its biweekly delivery cycle.
• Kanban to Scrum Transition: Guide the team (and possibly other related teams) through the transition from a Kanban workflow to a Scrum framework. Introduce and coach on story point estimation, sprint planning disciplines, and timeboxed delivery. Help the team determine what combination of Kanban and Scrum practices work best during the change, ensuring a smooth adoption of Scrum without losing valuable aspects of the current process.
• Incremental & Scaled Planning: Coordinate incremental planning across multiple workstreams in the cloud program. Work closely with product owners and technical leads to ensure backlogs are groomed and prioritized in line with Helix program objectives. Participate in Scrum of Scrums meetings on a weekly basis to synchronize with other Scrum Masters and teams, report on our team s progress, and flag any project risks or inter-team dependencies to leadership.
• Stakeholder Communication: Act as a liaison between the Inform ation Security cloud program team and the broader Helix initiative. Clearly communicate status, risks, and achievements to stakeholders at various levels. When projects are at risk, promptly escalate and articulate the issues during Scrum of Scrums or management updates, along with proposed mitigation plans.
• Documentation & Compliance: Maintain careful documentation of Agile processes, decisions, and changes. Ensure all Jira entries (stories, tasks, bugs) are up-to-date with clear descriptions, acceptance criteria, and status updates. Uphold any compliance or audit requirements related to project tracking (especially important in a security context), and ensure that the team s scrum process documentation aligns with organizational standards.