What are the responsibilities and job description for the Scrum Master / Project Manager position at Progress Rail, A Caterpillar Company?
Company Description:
Progress Rail stands at the intersection of legacy and innovation driving the future of rail with a pioneering spirit. Since its founding in 1983, the company has grown to become one of the world’s largest and most trusted providers of railroad products, services, and technologies. Today, Progress Rail delivers a comprehensive portfolio of cost-effective solutions to railway customers around the globe. From the rails themselves to the EMD® locomotives that ride them, the company’s products are in operation across more than 100 countries powering progress and connecting communities. In 2006, Progress Rail joined Caterpillar Inc., further strengthening its ability to lead the rail industry with cutting-edge technology, unmatched expertise, and a commitment to excellence. At Progress Rail, the team is not just building the future of rail they are making history every day.
Job Purpose:
Lead, coordinate, and drive the successful delivery of complex, multi-disciplinary products involving embedded systems, hardware/software integration, and web-based interfaces. This role ensures alignment between business objectives, technical execution, and continuous improvement across several high-performing, demanding teams.
The individual will act as both a Scrum Master and Project Manager, providing strong leadership, structure, and decisiveness while facilitating Agile practices and managing delivery commitments in a fast-paced, high-expectation environment.
Key Job Elements:
Project & Delivery Management
• Plan, develop, and manage complex project requirements across multiple teams, ensuring scope, schedule, cost, and quality targets are met.
• Coordinate and manage dependencies between embedded systems, firmware, hardware, and web/software teams.
• Own and maintain project plans, roadmaps, risk registers, and delivery milestones.
• Proactively identify risks and impediments; drive mitigation plans and escalate effectively when needed.
• Provide clear visibility into project status through structured reporting, metrics, and dashboards for senior leadership and key stakeholders.
Agile & Scrum Leadership
• Serve as Scrum Master for one or more Agile teams, ensuring effective adoption of Scrum and Agile best practices.
• Facilitate Agile ceremonies (Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Reviews, Retrospectives, PI Planning if applicable).
• Coach teams and leaders on Agile principles, continuous improvement, and delivery discipline.
• Balance Agile execution with structured project governance where required.
• Enforce focus, accountability, and delivery commitments while fostering team ownership.
Stakeholder & Communication Management
• Act as the primary interface between engineering teams, product management, quality, operations, and executive stakeholders.
• Effectively manage communication with demanding, senior-level stakeholders and technical experts.
• Translate high-level business goals into actionable execution plans understood by technical teams.
• Drive alignment and decision-making in ambiguous or high-pressure situations.
Execution & Operational Support
• Coordinate internal and external dependencies, including suppliers, integration partners, and operations teams.
• Support ERP and workflow systems related to project execution, materials, and product readiness.
• Ensure development, integration, testing, and release activities remain synchronized across teams.
• Perform additional job-related duties as required to ensure project success.
Education/Training:
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Computer Science, Business, or a related discipline.
Qualifications & Experience:
Required
• 5 years of experience in project management, Scrum Mastery, or technical delivery roles within complex product environments.
• Demonstrated experience working with embedded systems, firmware, hardware-software integration, and web-based applications.
• Proven ability to lead strong, senior, and high-expectation technical resources.
• Strong organizational, communication, and conflict-resolution skills.
Preferred
• PMP or equivalent Project Management certification.
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or SAFe Scrum Master (SSM).
• Experience in regulated or quality-driven environments (ISO 9001, automotive, rail, aerospace, industrial products).
• Training or hands-on experience with Lean, Agile, or continuous improvement methodologies.