What are the responsibilities and job description for the Scrum Master position at Photon?
URGENT REQUIREMENT
Primary Responsibilities
- Backlog Hygiene: Enforce rigorous standards for backlog health. Partner with Product Owners to ensure work items are granular, estimated, and meet the Definition of Ready (DoR). Monitor and reduce "dark matter" and stale tickets.
- Continuous Planning Facilitation: Lead ongoing planning cycles that look beyond the immediate sprint. Manage cross-team dependencies and ensure the roadmap reflects real-time capacity and technical constraints.
- Progress Reporting & Visibility: Develop and maintain automated dashboards to provide real-time visibility into team health, velocity, and cycle times. Translate complex data into clear status updates for executive leadership.
- Delivery Planning: Orchestrate release activities and milestone tracking. Identify risks to the delivery timeline early and facilitate the "path to green" through proactive problem-solving.
- Process Optimization: Conduct deep-dive retrospectives to identify systemic bottlenecks and implement Lean-Agile improvements across the program.
Key Skill Set & Requirements
- Jira Expert: Advanced command of Jira Software, including structure, advanced roadmaps, JQL, and custom workflow management to support large programs.
- Visualization Tools: Proficiency in creating actionable insights using tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or EazyBI to track program-level KPIs.
- Large-Scale Experience: Proven track record navigating high-complexity environments (e.g., SAFe, LeSS, or multi-squad programs) where cross-team coordination is critical.
- Communication: Ability to bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders, presenting delivery data in a compelling, easy-to-understand format.
Qualifications
- CSM or PSM certification required; advanced certifications (A-CSM, CSP, or SAFe) preferred.
- Minimum of 9 years of experience in an Agile role, specifically within large, multi-team environments
- Strong analytical mindset with a focus on metrics-driven improvement.