Scrum Master

Who we are

United by a sense of purpose towards our customers – to be a trusted partner for the long-term – and our universal banking platform in EMEA, SMBC Group has an international growth agenda and award-winning products, meaning we provide exciting opportunities to work on a diverse range of projects and initiatives. We deliver a full suite of corporate finance products and solutions to our customers as well as investment banking and advisory services, and a range of innovative solutions in global capital markets. Read on to find out how you could enhance your skills and gain valuable experience, by joining us to support our clients transition to a sustainable future.

Role Summary

We are seeking an experienced Scrum Master at VP level to join our Sales and Trading technology organisation and support high-performing Agile delivery teams within a complex financial services environment.

The Scrum Master will be responsible for enabling effective Agile delivery, removing impediments, improving team performance and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. The role will work closely with Engineering Managers, Product Owners, Business Stakeholders, Architects and technology leadership.

The successful candidate will be an experienced Agile practitioner who can operate effectively in a demanding, fast-paced environment and can coach teams beyond simply facilitating Scrum ceremonies.

Work effectively with software engineering teams delivering enterprise-scale technology platforms.

Understand modern software development practices, including CI/CD, automated testing, DevOps and cloud/platform technologies.

Understand the implications of technical debt, legacy systems, architecture dependencies and production support on delivery.

Work closely with engineering leadership to ensure Agile practices support high-quality technical delivery.

The scrum master will work closely with Engineering Managers, Product Owners, Business Stakeholders, Architects and technology leadership, as well as middle or back-office teams across multiple regions.

Agile Delivery

Facilitate effective Agile delivery across one or more technology teams.

Own and facilitate Scrum ceremonies, including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews / Demos, Retrospectives, and Backlog Refinement

Ensure teams maintain a sustainable and predictable delivery cadence.

Track sprint progress, dependencies, risks and impediments.

Promote transparency of delivery status, commitments and dependencies.

Support effective release planning and coordination.

Scrum Master Leadership & Coaching

Coach development teams, Product Owners and stakeholders on Agile principles and Scrum practices.

Help teams become increasingly self-organising and autonomous.

Identify opportunities to improve team productivity, collaboration and engineering delivery.

Challenge ineffective processes and behaviours constructively.

Promote continuous improvement through data-driven retrospectives and improvement initiatives.

Support teams transitioning from traditional delivery models to Agile ways of working.

Impediment & Dependency Management

Proactively identify and remove delivery impediments.

Escalate issues requiring management intervention.

Coordinate dependencies between technology teams, business teams and external stakeholders.

Manage cross-team dependencies where multiple systems or delivery streams are involved.

Help resolve organisational blockers affecting delivery.

Stakeholder Management

Build strong relationships with Product Owners, Engineering Managers, Business Analysts, Architects and senior stakeholders.

Provide clear and transparent communication on delivery progress, risks and dependencies.

Facilitate discussions where there are conflicting priorities or delivery constraints.

Ensure stakeholders understand Agile delivery principles and team commitments.

Metrics & Continuous Improvement

Establish meaningful Agile metrics to monitor delivery performance.

Use metrics such as Velocity, Sprint predictability, Lead time, Cycle time, Throughput, Defect trends, and Blocked time

Identify trends and use data to drive improvement.

Help teams improve quality, predictability and delivery efficiency.

Establish and track improvement actions from retrospectives.

Experience

Required Experience

Educated to degree level in Computer Science or similar engineering degree.

At least 8 years of Significant experience as a Scrum Master in a technology organisation.

Strong practical experience with Scrum and Agile methodologies.

Experience working with software engineering teams.

Proven experience coaching teams and individuals in Agile ways of working.

Strong experience managing impediments, dependencies, risks and delivery issues.

Experience working with senior technology and business stakeholders.

Demonstrable experience improving team delivery performance and predictability.

Experience working in complex, enterprise-scale environments.

Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and modern engineering practices.

Desirable Experience

Experience in financial services, investment banking or capital markets.

Experience supporting multiple technology teams or Agile Release Trains.

Experience with distributed or geographically dispersed teams.

Experience with Jira, Confluence or similar Agile delivery tooling.

Experience with DevOps, CI/CD and automated testing environments.

Experience with BDD and collaborative development practices.

Experience working within regulatory or highly controlled environments.

Experience with Agile at Scale frameworks such as SAFe, LeSS or Nexus.

Certifications

Desirable certifications include:

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

Professional Scrum Master (PSM)

SAFe Scrum Master

PMI-ACP

Other recognised Agile/Scrum qualifications

Certification is desirable but practical Agile delivery experience is more important than certification.

There will at times be the need to balance multiple projects so utilising their time efficiently will be key.

Competencies

What we offer

For all the expertise and experience you bring to help us make a difference, it’s only sustainable if we support you to build your career and be your best self so we offer competitive company benefits, centred around promoting positive well-bring and work-life balance. We also believe in fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment, where all team members perspectives and contributions are valued. Initiatives in place which promote a diverse and inclusive culture and healthy work life balance include hybrid working, Sport & Social Clubs and Diversity and Inclusion networks.

The anticipated salary range for this role is €65,000 – €121,000, with the final offer determined based on the candidate’s skills, experience, role scope, location, and relevant market factors. In addition to base salary, the role may be eligible for a discretionary incentive award and a competitive benefits package, including core benefits such as pension provision.

As an employee of SMBC you have access to a host of both useful and exciting benefit offerings. See below some of the benefits on offer to you:

• Hybrid and flexible working 
• Competitive paid leave days
• Benefits to support your physical wellbeing, including private medical insurance and life and invalidity insurance 
• Various policies to support your mental wellbeing, including a robust behavioural health network with counselling and coaching services  
• Access a wide range of learning and development opportunities and career progression opportunities 
• Ambitious remuneration package

So, if you like a challenge and want to continuously grow and develop in a role where you will be supported along the way by a dynamic and diverse team, apply today!!