Scrum Master

Position Description

The Sr Specialist- Scrum Master does anything possible to help the team perform at their highest level. This involves removing any impediments to progress, facilitating meetings and working with the product owners to ensure product is ready for the next sprint. The successful candidate will have extensive experience guiding teams and organizations on how to use Agile/Scrum practices and values to increase customer satisfaction. This position will report to either a Director – Software Development, or a Sr Director – Technology.

Job Responsibilities

• Facilitates the sizing of stories during the planning sprint, backlog grooming, or sprint planning sessions for the team.
• Develops and maintains a productive working relationship with business owners, product owners, project sponsors, vendors and key clients.
• Establishing team level cadence and driving team level ceremonies (e.g. sprint planning, team retrospectives, backlog grooming, etc.)
• Work with the teams to drive the definition and refinement of the program and team backlogs.
• Escalate to leadership where needed and where possible remove impediments for the team(s).
• Maintain metrics that provide visibility to stakeholders on team-level progress and quality.
• Act as a liaison to assigned program manager and project managers. Take responsibility for managing dependencies between the program team and third parties, release managers, or between the team and other scrum teams.
• Provide real time feedback to the methodology team based on experiences with software delivery teams.
• Ensures scope, goals, milestones, budget, risk, status, change requests and critical issues are effectively communicated to the client and project team.
• Use historical velocity and planned velocity to assist team with commitments
• Conducts formal review with business sponsor at project completion to confirm acceptance and satisfaction.
• Tracks and measures client satisfaction levels and make and implement recommendations.
• Generates appropriate communication, process and educational plans for mitigating the disruption of change while facilitating identification and removal of obstacles to change.
• Identify and remove technical and/or organizational challenges standing in the way of allowing your team to reach its full potential

Qualifications

• 3+ years of information technology experience
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or relevant field of study
• Minimum of 1-3 years of ScrumMaster experience
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM or related certification strongly preferred)
• Thorough understanding and experience working with both agile and waterfall methodologies on large scale, technically complex projects.
• Ability to deal with multiple projects.
• Thorough understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC).
• Must be self-motivated as well as creative and efficient in proposing solutions to complex, time-critical problems.
• Data driven analysis skills for measuring and managing delivery.
• Controls a program level view and status and uses the information in Clarity/Open Workbench to communicate on multiple projects and programs at a time.
• Able to use Clarity/Open Workbench tool to determine how the intersection of multiple projects and programs impacts the department.
• Excellent team player with the ability to influence and negotiate.
• Ability to understand and communicate technical issues.
• Highly adaptable to changing environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to work with diverse teams.
• Situational awareness of when to listen and when to be assertive.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a high attention to detail.
• Ability to keep team engaged and on task.

Ally Overview

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a leading digital financial services company and a top 25 U.S. financial holding company offering financial products for consumers, businesses, automotive dealers and corporate clients. Ally’s legacy dates back to 1919, and the company was redesigned in 2009 with a distinctive brand, innovative approach and relentless focus on its customers. Ally has an award-winning online bank (member FDIC), one of the largest full service auto finance operations in the country, a complementary auto-focused insurance business, a growing digital wealth management and online brokerage platform, and a trusted corporate finance business offering capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies.

Business Unit/Enterprise Function

Ally’s Information Technology (IT) organization is focused on supporting and improving the position of our industry-leading business franchises through cost effective, innovative IT solutions, as well as overseeing critical functions that enable the day-to-day operations of the entire Ally Financial enterprise. IT is also responsible for the administration and execution of information protection, disaster recovery and IT risk management.

Total Rewards Information

Ally’s compensation program offers market-competitive base pay and pay-for-performance incentives (bonuses) based on achieving personal and company goals. Plus, we have a flexible paid-time-off program including time off for volunteer opportunities. Ally’s Total Rewards Program is designed to enrich your life at work – and outside of it and includes:

• Industry-leading 401K retirement savings plan with matching and company contributions
• Wellness program encouraging healthy living with financial rewards
• Flexible health insurance options including dental and vision
• Pre-tax Health Savings Account with generous employer contributions
• Pre-tax commuter benefits
• Other work-life integration benefits including parental and caregiver leave, adoption assistance, backup child and adult/elder day care program, child care discounts, tuition reimbursement, LifeMattersÂŽ Employee Assistance Program, subsidized and discounted Weight WatchersÂŽ program and other employee discount programs

Ally is an Equal Opportunity Employer

We extend equal employment opportunities to qualified applicants and employees on an equal basis regardless of an individual’s age, race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, pregnancy status, marital status, military or veteran status, genetic disposition or any other reason protected by law.