Senior Scrum Master - Utilities

Senior Agile Scrum Master (Start no later than the 1st of September) No Sponsorship so must be a British Citizen or hold ILR (Indefinite Leave to Remain ***(RECENT UTILITIES EXPERIENCE IS ESSENTIAL)*** Pay rate £600 to £625 per day - Inside Ir35 - so paid through an approved umbrella Home based - very occasional travel to Stevenage and/or Newcastle Job Description : We are seeking a highly experienced Scrum Master to lead the delivery of Phase 4 of a critical project in the Energy sector. This phase focuses on managing the development and deployment of a robust system capturing millions of pieces of data, leveraging an advanced tech stack. The role demands a proactive and skilled Scrum Master who can thrive under tight deadlines and in a fast-paced, high-pressure environment. The team is highly experienced, distributed geographically, and deeply skilled in the domain, and requires a Scrum Master adept at fostering collaboration and driving outcomes. The successful candidate will coordinate efforts across software development, testing, deployment, and performance optimisation, while also taking a proactive lead in managing risks, dependencies, and constraints that impact delivery. They will work within a small team of senior scrum masters.

Key Responsibilities:

• Agile Leadership: Facilitate Agile ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Group Stand-ups, Retrospectives, and Reviews. Ensure adherence to Agile principles and use Azure DevOps (ADO) to manage the delivery lifecycle effectively. Identify, monitor, and resolve impediments, risks, dependencies, and constraints to maintain project momentum and ensure timely delivery.
• Delivery & Risk Management: Drive the successful execution of objectives, including software development, deployment, and data manipulation. Maintain a proactive risk and dependency management approach, working closely with the Project Manager and stakeholders to mitigate delivery impacts. Oversee volume and performance testing to ensure the solution meets scalability and reliability requirements. Collaborate with “Product Owners” to prioritise and refine the backlog, ensuring sequencing and dependencies are clear and aligned with business goals.
• Team Management: Foster collaboration and communication within the distributed team, ensuring a seamless workflow across multiple time zones. Serve as a servant-leader, empowering the team to own and deliver outcomes while providing necessary guidance. Coordinate efforts between developers, testers, and stakeholders to meet delivery targets.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Reporting: Build strong relationships with stakeholders, providing clear and concise updates on progress, risks, dependencies, and constraints. Use ADO to generate reports on velocity, burndown, and overall project health for stakeholder visibility.
• Quality Assurance: Oversee testing efforts, including functional, volume, and performance testing, ensuring high-quality deliverables. Champion best practices in software development and deployment to ensure robust and scalable solutions.
• Technical Coordination: Collaborate with developers working on the tech stack: Oracle DB, Oracle SQL, Rabbit MQ, and .NET C#. Facilitate data manipulation tasks and support technical teams in resolving challenges. Promote the adoption of DevOps practices where applicable.

Key Skills & Experience Required:

• Essential: Scrum Master Certification (e.g., CSM, PSM) with proven experience in delivering software projects in demanding environments, ideally including one or more of the following: SAFe, Disciplined Agile, LeSS. Extensive experience working with distributed teams and delivering under tight timescales. Strong hands-on experience with Azure DevOps (ADO) for backlog management, reporting, and delivery tracking. Demonstrated ability to manage requirements, risks, dependencies, and constraints effectively. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex technical matters. Experience in overseeing performance and volume testing to ensure scalable solutions.
• Desirable: Previous experience in the Energy sector, particularly with systems handling large datasets. Familiarity with DevOps principles and CI/CD pipelines. Background in software development or database management is a plus.

Additional Information: Duration: Initial 6 months IR35 Status: Inside IR35 Location: Remote with occasional on-site collaboration (if applicable)