Scrum Master

Who are we? Sanlam Developing Markets [SDM] (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sanlam Life Limited) is one of the top financial services providers in the South African entry-level and emerging middle market. It aims to understand the unique requirements of clients and offers a wide range of simple and affordable financial solutions that cover needs such as funeral insurance, savings for education, life cover and personal accident plans. In terms of the Sanlam Group Governance Policy, SDM is managed by the SA Retail Mass cluster, which is part of the Sanlam Life and Savings cluster within the Sanlam Group. The cluster focusses on retail porducts, as well as group schemes. What will you do? Act as Scrum Master for 3-5 Scrum teams with a focus on guiding the teams towards improving the way they work. Providing support to the Scrum Team using a servant leadership style and leading by example. This person should personify Scrum and Agile. Guiding and coaching the Scrum Team and its stakeholders on how to use Agile/Scrum practices and values to delight customers. Guiding and coaching the Scrum Team on self-organization to fill in the intentional gaps left in the Agile/Scrum framework. Facilitating all sprint events (planning, refinement, stand-ups, retrospectives and reviews). Supporting and educating the Product Owner, especially with respect to refining and managing the product backlog. Ensuring cross-team coordination. Removing impediments or guiding the Development Team to remove impediments by finding the right personnel. Maintaining relevant metrics that help the Development Team see how they are doing. Assessing the Scrum maturity of the Scrum Team and coaching them to higher levels of maturity, at a pace that is sustainable and comfortable for the team. Liaising between the Development Team and User Experience Designers to foster better communication between the disciplines. Building a trusting and safe environment where problems can be raised without fear of blame, retribution, or being judged, with an emphasis on healing and problem solving. Facilitating getting the work done without coercion, assigning, or dictating the work. Facilitating discussion, decision making, and conflict resolution. Assisting with internal and external communication, improving transparency, and radiating information. What will make you successful in this role? Experience and skills Grade 12 Knowledge of the software development life cycle First level Scrum Master certification (PSM I, CSM) (advantageous) At least 2 years’ experience working as a Scrum Master At least 3 years’ experience working in an agile environment **Knowledge of other approaches in the Agile space**: XP, Kanban, Crystal, FDD, etc Knowledge of numerous well documented techniques for filling the intentional gaps left in Scrum (example: Burndown techniques, Retrospective formats, handling bugs, etc) Good skills and knowledge of servant leadership, facilitation, situational awareness, conflict resolution, continual improvement, empowerment, and increasing transparency The ability to distinguish between what "is Scrum" what is "not Scrum" Excellent communication skills in English in written and spoken form Preferred Skills/Experience (advantageous) Experience being on multiple Scrum teams in a variety of different contexts (different team sizes, organizations, cultures, co-located vs. distributed, etc) Track record of continued and recent education in Scrum, including training, conferences, user groups, self-study, etc Knowledge and/or experience with widely successful agile techniques: User Stories, ATDD, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing Excellent mentoring skills Key Competencies Problem solving Coaching and mentoring Facilitation Conflict management Collaboration Excellent oral and written communication skills Servant leadership Communication Assertiveness Situational awareness Enthusiasm Attitude of empowerment Attitude of transparency Personal Attributes Interpersonal savvy - Contributing dependently Decision quality - Contributing dependently Plans and aligns - Contributing dependently Optimises work processes - Contributing dependently Build a successful career with us We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future - your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its four business clusters - Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Emerging Markets, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office - the group provides many opportunities for growth and development. Core Competencies Cultivates innovation - Contributing dependently Customer focus - Contributing dependently Drives results - Contributing dependently Collaborates - Contributing dependently Being resilient - Contributing dependently Turnaround time The Sanlam Group is