Senior Scrum Master

Reference #: 8397
Location: Ottawa
Type: Sub-contract

This posting is for an incorporated contract engagement and is not an employment position.

Donna Cona Inc. is currently seeking a Senior Scrum Master, for one of our key Government clients.

Candidate MUST have the following:

• A valid security clearance at the level of Reliability;
• Significant consulting or professional services experience in a senior Agile delivery or project management role;
• Proven ability to own and deliver large, complex workstreams with substantial autonomy and accountability;
• Demonstrated experience directing small teams and managing performance, quality, and delivery outcomes;
• Strong command of Agile and SAFe frameworks, with experience facilitating Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospectives, PI Planning, and PI Retrospectives at scale;
• Proficiency with Azure DevOps for task management, delivery planning, and team hygiene;
• Strong project management skills including proactive risk and issue identification, escalation, and resolution;
• Ability to identify and solve complex problems using analysis, experience, and sound judgment;
• Demonstrated ability to build credibility and trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders;
• Understanding of the social services sector or comparable public sector transformation context;
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present complex information clearly and persuasively to varied audiences;
• Experience in social services, government, or public sector transformation at a program or enterprise scale is considered an asset; and
• Agile or Scrum certifications (CSM, PSM, SAFe, or equivalent) would be considered assets.

Candidate should have the following demonstrated experience:

• Owning complete or large sections of major delivery artefacts and outputs, including sprint and PI planning documentation, governance reporting, velocity analysis, and risk and issue registers. Exercising discretion and autonomy in identifying and responding to complex delivery challenges, escalating to program leadership only where issues exceed defined scope or require executive decision-making;
• Providing oversight across streams of delivery work, taking accountability for the accuracy, quality, and timeliness of outputs. Directing small teams and making decisions that impact the routine work of individuals and project stages, ensuring tasks, dependencies, and priorities are actively coordinated and aligned to program objectives;
• Owning and facilitating key Agile ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Sprint Retrospectives, and Program Increment (PI) Planning and PI Retrospectives. Driving these ceremonies as strategic touchpoints that produce measurable improvements in delivery performance, team alignment, and program cadence;
• Leading the implementation and continuous improvement of Agile delivery culture across the team, improving velocity and ways of working through structured analysis, experience-based judgment, and targeted interventions. Proactively identifying and resolve velocity and delivery problems, owning resolution end-to-end and escalating complex issues to program leadership with well-formed recommendations;
• Planning and executing delivery activities to ensure a superior client experience, maintaining a strong understanding of how the client’s business operates and keeping current on relevant industry and social services sector trends. Articulating clearly how delivery practices and technology enablers support and differentiate the client’s transformation objectives;
• Supporting integrated and solution-level planning activities including estimation, prioritization, resource planning, and release planning. Implementing governance controls and repeatable measurement frameworks that provide program-level oversight and support informed decision-making by leadership;
• Managing team tasks, boards, delivery plans, and activity hygiene in Azure DevOps with a high standard of discipline and accuracy. Proactively surfacing, maintaining, and escalating risks, decisions, and uncertainties, communicating delivery issues to leadership in a structured and timely manner;
• Developing and maintaining trusted relationships with client stakeholders, establishing credibility through consistent delivery, clear communication, and a confident, solutions-oriented approach. Presenting complex ideas, findings, and recommendations with clarity and conviction, using appropriate data and tools to build a compelling case; and
• Mentoring and supporting junior team members, providing proactive guidance on their performance and professional development. Actively managing team members through coordination of tasks, performance oversight, quality assurance, and dependency management, fostering a high-performing and collaborative team environment.

Donna Cona is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace. We are an equal opportunity employer.  We don’t discriminate on the basis of gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, national origin, disability, age or any other protected status.   We are committed to maintaining a barrier free recruitment process by providing equal employment opportunities through recruiting and retention of individuals.