Senior Scrum Master (E5878)

IEEE • Piscataway, NJ

5d • Onsite

About The Position

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.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience: Required (Computer Science, IT, Engineering, or Business preferred).
• 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.
• 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).
• 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.
• Individuals currently serving on an IEEE board or committee are not eligible to apply.
• 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.

Nice To Haves

• 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).

Responsibilities

• Serve as Scrum Master for one or more teams, facilitating PI planning, sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives.
• Accountable for improving delivery predictability at the team level, ensuring commitments are clearly defined, tracked, and delivered with transparency.
• Lead teams in raising delivery maturity, particularly in complex or underperforming environments, by driving structure and disciplined execution.
• Identify potential risks, impediments, and critical path items; proactively eliminate obstacles by collaborating with business stakeholders and operations staff.
• Partner with Release Train Engineers (RTEs) to manage cross-team dependencies and ensure work aligns with product area objectives.
• Ensure team execution and PI objectives directly support defined product goals and enterprise priorities.
• Consolidate POD health, progress, and actions to provide updates during Business Reviews; raise concerns to stakeholders and leadership when required.
• Partner as a peer to Product Owners to maintain healthy, prioritized backlogs and support roadmap execution.
• Guide and coach PODs in scrum and agile principles to maximize effectiveness and foster a culture of ownership and accountability.
• Develop and maintain team-level metrics focused on flow, quality, and predictability while ensuring adherence to the Product Delivery Model standards.
• Encourage experimentation and create a safe environment for the team to learn and improve future sprints.

Benefits

• 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior