Associate Scrum Master

Associate Scrum Master

Overview of Position

The experienced but still learning Scrum Master will have the ability to achieve broadly communicated objectives under a minimal amount of supervision. The Associated Scrum Master provides effective collaboration, facilitation, leadership and coaching skills to the agile development process and delivery of applications, as well as enforcing the agile tenants, removing impediments and promoting empowerment.



What will be my duties and responsibilities in this job?

• Understand the difference between Agile and Scrum and be able to articulate it
• Provide team with resources, information, communication, and practical advice to enable the team to regularly deliver working software
• Facilitates: Daily scrum (stand-up), release and sprint planning sessions, Sprint review (demo) and Sprint retrospective. Ensure all participants understand the ceremony's purpose and keep to the time-box.
• Track and communicate team velocity and sprint/release progress
• Foster and encourage conversations and collaboration - both inside and outside of team – allowing them to self-organize
• Identify and remove impediments, prevent distractions that interfere with the ability of the team to deliver the sprint goal
• Understand and be able to articulate strategic and product planning and goals in the team's environment and progress toward them
• Supports Product Owner ensuring the product backlog is properly refined – prioritizing to maximize value and using creative techniques for elaborating user stories to be ready for the upcoming 1-2 sprints.
• Assist team with making appropriate commitments through story selection, task definition
• Ensure team understands the need for clear and concise Product Backlog items and achieve this through techniques such as user story slicing and acceptance criteria
• Proactively manage dependencies
• Update agile tracking systems to provide transparency on Product & Sprint Backlogs
• Recommend improvements and assist in changes to best practice
• Participate in the agile community both internal to Assurant and external with other practitioners
• Enforces the values and principles of Agile by focusing on continuous learning and feedback loops
  

What are the requirements needed for this position?

• 3-4 years of experience as a Scrum Master for software development teams
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and coaching skills
• Intermediate understanding of Agile practices such as: retrospectives, daily standups, sprint planning, burn down techniques
• Ability to collaborate and exercise influence without authority
• Understanding of Data Warehouse concepts.

What other skills/experience would be helpful to have?

• Bachelor’s Degree or higher preferred
• Knowledge of other project management methodologies a plus
• Experience with agile team tools such as Jira, VersionOne or TFS a plus
• Insurance industry experience a plus
• Participation in industry agile communities of practice desired
• Understanding of Data Warehousing concepts.
  

Helping People Thrive in a Connected World
We work with the world’s top brands to make smart devices simpler. Vehicles last longer. Homes more secure. Problems easier to solve. And we volunteer in communities all over the globe to help the world become a greener, better place. We come from a variety of countries, cultures and backgrounds. But we’re united by our enduring values of common sense, common decency, uncommon thinking and uncommon results. So connect with us. Bring us your best work and your brightest ideas. And we’ll bring you a place where you can thrive. Learn more at jobs.assurant.com.

For U.S. benefit information, visit myassurantbenefits.com. For benefit information outside the U.S., please speak with your recruiter.

Our Culture Defined
Our unique culture is a big reason why talented people choose Assurant and why they tend to stay. Although we have a wide variety of skills and experiences, we share common characteristics that are uniquely Assurant. A passion for service. An ability to innovate in practical ways. And a willingness to take chances. We believe that staying on top doesn’t mean sacrificing our values. We believe clarity of vision and a sense of purpose will carry us forward. And we take charge of our own success. We call it The Assurant Way.

Company Overview
Assurant is a leading global business services company that supports, protects and connects major consumer purchases. A Fortune 500 company with a presence in 21 countries, Assurant supports the advancement of the connected world by partnering with the world’s leading brands to develop innovative solutions and deliver an enhanced customer experience through mobile device solutions, extended service contracts, vehicle protection services, renters insurance, lender-placed insurance products and other specialty products.

Equal Opportunity Statement
Assurant is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and does not use or consider race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law in employment decisions.