Description

Job Summary
IEEE is seeking a highly motivated and dynamic Senior Scrum Master with deep project management and product operating model experience to join our team. This role supports cross-functional Product-Oriented Delivery (POD) teams within a maturing, enterprise-level scaled Product Delivery Model. As a senior leader within the POD, you will partner as a peer to Product Owners and Business Partners to drive delivery predictability, manage complex dependencies, and ensure alignment with enterprise priorities.

The Senior Scrum Master ensures PODs live agile values while following the disciplined processes, practices, and metrics agreed upon across the organization. You will be responsible for removing systemic impediments, strengthening team capability, and ensuring full transparency of outcomes to the Director of the Product Governance and Execution Office.

This role reports to the Director of the Product Governance and Execution Office and will entail daily interaction with business, project management, and IT teams across the IEEE organization.

Key Responsibilities
Delivery Accountability & Leadership

Facilitate Agile Ceremonies: Serve as Scrum Master for one or more teams, facilitating PI planning, sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives.
Drive Predictability: Accountable for improving delivery predictability at the team level, ensuring commitments are clearly defined, tracked, and delivered with transparency.
Stabilize Environments: Lead teams in raising delivery maturity, particularly in complex or underperforming environments, by driving structure and disciplined execution.
Risk Management: Identify potential risks, impediments, and critical path items; proactively eliminate obstacles by collaborating with business stakeholders and operations staff.

Scaled Alignment & Coordination

Cross-Team Coordination: Partner with Release Train Engineers (RTEs) to manage cross-team dependencies and ensure work aligns with product area objectives.
Strategic Alignment: Ensure team execution and PI objectives directly support defined product goals and enterprise priorities.
Executive Transparency: Consolidate POD health, progress, and actions to provide updates during Business Reviews; raise concerns to stakeholders and leadership when required.

Partnership, Coaching & Governance

Product Owner Partnership: Partner as a peer to Product Owners to maintain healthy, prioritized backlogs and support roadmap execution.
Mentorship: Guide and coach PODs in scrum and agile principles to maximize effectiveness and foster a culture of ownership and accountability.
Metrics & Standards: Develop and maintain team-level metrics focused on flow, quality, and predictability while ensuring adherence to the Product Delivery Model standards.
Continuous Improvement: Encourage experimentation and create a safe environment for the team to learn and improve future sprints.

Qualifications

Education

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience: Required (Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or Business preferred).

Work Experience

Total Professional Experience: 10+ years of experience in software delivery or project-based environments, with a focus on Lean-Agile practices for the last 7 years.
Agile Leadership: 5+ years serving as a Scrum Master, including at least 1 year in a Senior or Lead capacity supporting multiple teams or high-complexity product areas.
Scaled Delivery: Demonstrated experience driving predictability and managing cross-team dependencies within a structured Product Operating Model or scaled framework.
Technical Literacy: Deep knowledge of the software development process, including requirements gathering, testing, and deployment. The candidate must be able to facilitate technical discussions and understand CI/CD impacts without having been a developer themselves.
Tooling Expertise: 4–7 years of hands-on experience using Jira and Confluence to track flow, manage backlogs, and generate delivery metrics.
Stakeholder Influence: Proven track record of partnering as a peer to Product Owners and influencing senior leadership to resolve systemic impediments and risks.

Licenses and Certifications

Scrum Master Certification: Required. Candidates must hold a recognized certification such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or SAFe Scrum Master (SSM).
Advanced Agile Coaching: Preferred. Certifications such as ICAgile - Agile Coach (ICP-ACC) or Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM).
Scaled Agile: Preferred. Demonstrated experience or certification in a scaled framework (e.g., SAFe, Scrum@Scale).

Skills and Requirements

Technical Knowledge: Deep understanding of agile frameworks, software development processes (CI/CD), and technical terminology.
Influence & Communication: Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; must be able to motivate and influence people without formal authority.
Adaptability: Proven ability to remain positive under pressure and thrive in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.
Travel: Select value/up to 10% for quarterly Planning Interval events and product area alignment.

Physical, Mental & Work Environment Standards

Category: Category I - Office Positions.
Demands: Primarily performed behind a desk; involves operating computers, frequent interaction with others, and lifting up to 10 lbs (occasionally 20-50 lbs).
Environment: Open floor-plan office with standard lighting, temperature, and noise.

Other Requirements:

As defined in IEEE Policies, individuals currently serving on an IEEE board or committee are not eligible to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: This position is not budgeted for employer-sponsored immigration support, this includes all persons in F (both CPT and OPT), J, H, L, or O status.

For information on work demands and conditions required for this position, please consult the reference document, ADA Requirements. This position is classified under Category I - Office Positions.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.
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Disclaimer: This job description is proprietary to IEEE. It outlines the general nature and key features performed by various positions that share the same job classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties and qualifications required of all employees assigned to the job. Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or re-assign duties to this job at any time due to reasonable accommodations or other business reasons.