Scrum Master

Senior Scrum Master – IT & Engineering Solutions

Job Location: Oakland, CA (Hybrid, 2 days a week in Oakland, CA)

Department: Information Technology & Engineering Systems

Position Level: Mid-Senior Level (5 Years Experience)

Position Overview

Seeking a Senior Scrum Master to lead multi-functional delivery teams spanning Information Technology (IT) and Engineering operations.

In this role, you will act as a servant leader and coach for cross-functional software, infrastructure, and engineering technology teams. You will facilitate agile processes, remove technical and organizational blockers, and foster a continuous-improvement mindset across complex, highly regulated utility initiatives (e.g., Grid Modernization, GIS/Asset Management, SCADA, or Wildfire Mitigation Tech).

Key Responsibilities

Agile Facilitation & Team Execution

• Facilitate core Agile ceremonies for 2–3 cross-functional teams, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, Demos, and Retrospectives.
• Guide teams in breaking down complex technical, hardware, and engineering requirements into manageable user stories, technical tasks, and clear Acceptance Criteria.
• Protect delivery teams from external distractions and actively remove cross-departmental blockers.
• Maintain sprint health through accurate tracking of velocity, burndown/burnup metrics, capacity planning, and cycle times.

Stakeholder & Engineering Alignment

• Partner closely with Product Owners, Engineering Leads, and IT Delivery Managers to align product backlogs with strategic utility priorities.
• Bridge communication between software development teams and operational engineering teams (e.g., Electric/Gas Operations, System Planning, Asset Management).
• Assist Product Owners in backlog refinement, dependency mapping, and prioritization within regulatory and compliance deadlines.

Agile Coaching & Process Improvement

• Champion Agile values and frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe) tailored to a hybrid IT/Engineering utility environment where fixed regulatory deadlines exist alongside continuous software cycles.
• Assess team Agile maturity and implement targeted coaching to improve predictability, quality, and delivery speed.
• Collaborate with the enterprise Agile Center of Excellence (CoE) to align team-level practices with broader organizational governance.

Qualifications & Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience: 5 years of dedicated Scrum Master experience managing delivery teams in complex IT or technical engineering environments.
• Certifications: Active Agile certification (e.g., Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM I/II), or SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)).
• Tooling: Demonstrated proficiency with Jira, Confluence, Jira Align, or equivalent enterprise Agile project management platforms.

Desired Qualifications & Skills

• Utility / Capital Project Knowledge: Prior experience working in electric/gas utilities, energy systems, GIS, asset tracking, or heavy infrastructure/engineering domains.
• Hybrid Framework Mastery: Deep understanding of managing dependencies between Agile software development and traditional Stage-Gate/Waterfall engineering or hardware lifecycles.
• Communication & Leadership: Strong interpersonal skills with a proven track record of resolving conflicts, influencing cross-functional stakeholders, and driving alignment without direct line authority.
• Regulatory/Compliance Awareness: Experience delivering projects subject to regulatory oversight (e.g., CPUC, NERC-CIP compliance standards).