Senior Scrum Master; Finance Tech & AI

Position: Senior Scrum Master (Finance Tech & AI)
Location: New York

Software Guidance & Assistance, Inc., (SGA), is searching for a Senior Scrum Master (Finance Tech & AI) for a CONTRACT assignment with one of our premier financial/professional services clients in NY, NY (hybrid).

Job Summary: We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Scrum Master to lead our agile teams focused on developing innovative technology solutions within the finance sector, with a particular emphasis on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning initiatives. This role is crucial for ensuring effective project delivery, optimizing team performance, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement in a fast-paced, complex environment.

The Senior Scrum Master will guide cross-functional teams through the Scrum framework, manage product timelines, and facilitate effective communication among stakeholders.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and manage multiple cross-functional agile teams as a Scrum Master, ensuring adherence to agile methodologies and practices.
• Facilitate all Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, to promote transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
• Collaborate closely with Product Owners, stakeholders, and team members to define project scope, goals, and deliverables for finance technology and AI projects.
• Track project milestones and deliverables, identifying risks and implementing mitigation strategies. Proactively identify and elevate issues to stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Coach and mentor team members on agile principles and practices, fostering a culture of self-organization, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimize team efficiency and delivery outcomes, leveraging data and KPIs to optimize existing capabilities and innovate for the future.
• Remove impediments and shield the team from external distractions to ensure focus on sprint goals.
• Support the Product Owner in maintaining a well-groomed and prioritized product backlog.
• Ensure the team works collaboratively and efficiently to deliver high-quality products.
• Communicate project status, risks, and issues to stakeholders and senior management, providing high-quality status reports.
• Foster a culture of collaboration and transparency within the team and across stakeholders.
• Track team progress and performance metrics, leveraging AI tools to support requirements elicitation, user story creation, and refinement.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (e.g., Computer Science, Information Technology, Finance) or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 5-9 years of experience in a Scrum Master role, preferably within a technology team.
• Proven experience as a Senior Scrum Master or Agile Project Manager in a software development or technology-driven environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and experience in agile transformation.
• Experience specifically managing IT delivery in medium-to-large complex environments, particularly within the Banking/Finance sector.
• Familiarity with Cloud Platforms (e.g., Google Cloud Platform (Google Cloud Platform), Azure, AWS) and exposure to Big Data tools (e.g., Spark, Hadoop) and AI frameworks (e.g., Tensor Flow) is a distinct advantage (conceptual understanding required, not coding).
• Proficiency with project management tools such as Jira, Confluence, or Azure Dev Ops.

Technical Skills: Expertise in Agile methodologies, Scrum framework, and experience with project management tools. Basic understanding of SQL queries and database structures is a plus. Strong knowledge of AI environments and data.
Leadership & Facilitation: Excellent leadership, communication, and facilitation skills. Ability to lead and influence teams in a dynamic environment.
Communication: Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to simplify complex problems and articulate strategy to stakeholders.
Problem-Solving: Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and analytical skills to address challenges and optimize project outcomes.
Coaching & Mentoring: Proven ability to coach and mentor team members on agile principles and practices.
Adaptability: Adaptability and flexibility to navigate changing project requirements and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Domain Knowledge: Previous experience in the Banking/Finance sector is highly preferred. Domain knowledge in financial technology and AI applications.

Preferred Skills:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM), or equivalent Agile certification.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) certification is also a plus.

SGA is a technology and resource solutions provider driven to stand out. We are a women-owned business. Our mission: to solve big IT problems with a more personal, boutique approach. Each year, we match consultants like you to more than 1,000 engagements. When we say let's work better together, we mean it. You'll join a diverse team built on these core values: customer…