What are the responsibilities and job description for the Scrum Master position at Albany Beck?
About the Role:
We are seeking a pragmatic, delivery-focused Scrum Master / Release Train Engineer (RTE) to support a Major Investment Bank based in Chicago. This is not a role for someone looking to reinvent agile processes, but for someone who can enable high-performing teams, remove impediments, and ensure smooth delivery across multiple agile teams. Experience in ETFs or Asset Servicing is a plus, but strong financial services experience is essential.
Key Responsibilities:
- Act as Scrum Master for one or more agile teams, facilitating ceremonies (daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives, etc.) with a focus on delivering business value.
- Serve as Release Train Engineer, coordinating multiple teams to ensure seamless delivery across the program/portfolio.
- Drive delivery outcomes, manage risks, dependencies, and escalations to maintain program momentum.
- Collaborate with Product Owners, business stakeholders, and technical leads to prioritize work and align teams with business objectives.
- Identify and remove impediments to team progress, promoting continuous improvement in delivery processes.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and transparency across teams.
- Monitor and report on key program metrics, ensuring stakeholders have clear visibility into delivery progress.
- Support change initiatives where necessary but avoid unnecessary process bureaucracy.
Required Skills & Experience:
- Proven experience as a Scrum Master and/or Release Train Engineer within financial services.
- Strong understanding of Agile frameworks (Scrum, SAFe, Kanban), with a pragmatic, delivery-focused approach.
- Excellent stakeholder management skills, capable of managing dependencies across multiple teams.
- Strong communication and facilitation skills, able to influence without authority.
- Demonstrable track record of delivering complex programs in financial services.
- Ability to quickly understand business priorities and align team delivery accordingly.
Preferred Experience:
- Experience in ETFs, Asset Servicing, or Investment Management.
- Exposure to regulatory-driven projects in financial services.
- Familiarity with portfolio management systems, trading platforms, or post-trade operations.
Personal Attributes:
- Delivery-driven and pragmatic; focused on outcomes rather than process perfection.
- Problem solver with strong organizational and multitasking skills.
- Collaborative, approachable, and able to build strong relationships across business and technology teams.