Lead Scrum Master at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Job Summary

• The Scrum master will be the facilitator for a product development team that uses scrum/agile as the development methodology.
• The scrum master will lead a team that ensures self-organisation and the ability to make changes quickly.
• The role will ensure that agile principles and concept are adhered to ensure effective preparation of the product backlog, sprint backlog and burn down charts.

Job Description

Delivery

• Lead multiple sprints for teams using Agile methodology
• Ensuring SCRUM artefacts are maintained and updated
• Ensuring that sprints are running smoothly and corrective actions taken wherever appropriate.
• Effectively communicate to project manager/delivery manager about the progress as well as blockages in the on-going sprints.
• Ensuring all change governance and standards are adhered to
• Ensuring code quality is maintained
• Developing plans to ensure delivery of teams’ work.

Accountability: Transition to Agile

• Understand current development/delivery model and guide teams to adapt agile strategy.
• Apply best practices to implement and/or resolve adoption issues
• Satisfactory resolution of issues raised during transition.
• Support Project/Delivery Manager in planning and transition of releases.
• Providing expert guidance and assistance to colleagues for successful transition.

Accountability: Leading others and business skills

• Responsibility for supervising, co-ordinating, participating in, and accountable for sprints of teams located at different geographic locations.
• Making effective use of resources during the sprint to ensure that business objectives are met and deliverables achieved to agreed time, cost and quality.
• Familiar with the details of at least one business area and has experience of liasing with peers in that area
• Is respected and consulted by business area peers and seen as a point of contact within the team
• Is able to teach and coach team members to deeper understanding of Agile

Accountability: Delivery Capability

• Ability to maintain a dialogue in difficult situations
• Ability to coach team members and product owners in the adoption of Agile
• Experience in maintaining and supporting multiple sprints
• Knowledge of major functions and features of workflow analysis tools
• Resolves major problems and fluently applies escalation and notification procedures for incidents

Accountability: Management

• Adapts style to contribute and enhance overall team performance and works effectively with people across a wide range of disciplines and levels (both internal and external/3rd party suppliers)
• Experienced at leading or managing a variety of teams and projects.
• Deals comfortably with ambiguity and uncertainty and is effective when working with unstructured teams, situations and environments
• Aware of project costs and resources, help in tracking actual against budget and managing the balance of delivery within time/cost/quality constraints

Accountability: Application Management

• Understands how service support applies to own technical function:
• Has experience of incident & problem management disciplines
• Has experience of maintaining configuration items, raising changes and planning releases
• Has good operational knowledge of the service desk and incident systems
• Has experience in developing and maintaining technical reference documents
• Familiar with technical documentation standards, guidelines and best practices
• Working knowledge of scripting/utility tool component, features and facilities

Accountability: Stakeholder Management

• Can effectively manage and develop relationships with key decision makers and stakeholders to achieve successful outcomes
• Uses stakeholder management strategy effectively and knows how to navigate the organisation
• The ability to facilitate and negotiate with multiple parties to bring about agreement and resolution, even when position is not initially shared by others
• Clearly and effectively communicates difficult or complex ideas clearly to stakeholders, peers and subordinates
• Adapts style to contribute and enhance teams performance by working effectively with people across a wide range of disciplines and levels, both internal and external.

Education

• National Certificate: Information Technology

End Date: August 7, 2025