Senior Scrum Master – Defence in London

At IBM CIC, we provide technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients in the UK. A career in IBM CIC means you'll have the opportunity to work with leading professionals across multiple industries to improve the hybrid cloud and AI journey for the most innovative and valuable companies in the world. You will get the chance to deliver effective solutions, driving meaningful business change for our clients, using some of the latest technology platforms. Curiosity and a constant quest for knowledge serve as the foundation to success here. You'll be encouraged and supported to constantly reinvent yourself, focusing on skills in demand in an ever changing market. You'll be working with diverse teams, coming up with creative solutions which impact a wide network of clients, who may be at their site or one of our CIC or IBM locations. Our culture of evolution centres on long-term career growth and development opportunities in an environment that embraces your unique skills and experience.

We Offer:

• Many training opportunities from classroom to e-learning, mentoring and coaching programs and the chance to gain industry recognized certifications.
• Regular and frequent promotion opportunities to ensure you can drive and develop your career with us.
• Feedback and checkpoints throughout the year.
• Diversity & Inclusion as an essential and authentic component of our culture through our policies and process as well as our Employee Champion teams and support networks.
• A culture where your ideas for growth and innovation are always welcome.
• Internal recognition programs for peer-to-peer appreciation as well as from manager to employees.
• Tools and policies to support your work-life balance from flexible working approaches, sabbatical programs, paid paternity leave, maternity leave and an innovative maternity returners scheme.
• More traditional benefits, such as 25 days holiday (in addition to public holidays), private medical, dental & optical cover, online shopping discounts, an Employee Assistance Program, life assurance and a group personal pension plan of an additional 5% of your base salary paid by us monthly to save for your future.

Your Role And Responsibilities:

IBM is seeking a Senior Scrum Master to lead our Defence and Security project teams. In this role, you will guide cross-functional teams in delivering secure, high-quality technology solutions that support critical national defence and security objectives. You will champion Agile principles, foster a culture of collaboration and accountability, and ensure the successful delivery of complex, mission-focused initiatives. Join our dedicated team and take on the challenge of leading multidisciplinary teams in delivering innovative custom development solutions or managing essential application maintenance and support for defence and security clients. As a Senior Scrum Master, you will serve as a coach and servant leader, helping teams adopt and mature Agile practices. You will remove impediments, facilitate key Scrum ceremonies, and ensure alignment between development teams, product owners, and stakeholders. You will also mentor other Scrum Masters and contribute to scaling Agile practices across projects and programs. You will be accountable for project delivery within the defined scope, cost, and schedule, while meeting all business, technical, and contractual requirements. You will manage project plans, budgets, schedules, and staffing, coordinating resources across IBM, client organizations, and third-party vendors. You'll establish strong communication channels, deliver regular progress updates, and ensure projects meet quality, compliance, and security standards.

Responsibilities:

• Lead and coach cross-functional teams delivering secure, high-quality custom development solutions or managing ongoing application support for defence and security clients.
• Champion Agile values and principles, ensuring effective Scrum practices are followed across teams.
• Facilitate key Scrum events (daily stand-ups, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives) and remove impediments to team progress.
• Mentor and guide other Scrum Masters and team members to build Agile capability across the organisation.
• Ensure project delivery within agreed scope, budget, and timelines while meeting business, technical, and contractual obligations.
• Oversee project plans, budgets, schedules, and staffing, coordinating activities among IBM teams, client stakeholders, and vendor partners.
• Establish and maintain effective communication with stakeholders, providing regular project updates and ensuring transparency.
• Drive continuous improvement in delivery processes, Agile maturity, and project management methodologies.
• Ensure all deliverables meet IBM's quality, security, and compliance standards for defence and security environments.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's Degree Required

Technical And Professional Expertise:

• Proven experience in project management and methodologies.
• Strong organizational, time and stakeholder management skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Demonstratable evidence of strong commercial and financial management experiences.
• Ability to work well in a team and adapt to changing priorities.
• Team leadership experiences.
• Agile Scrum Master Project Management experience.
• Working with clients.

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds. However, for you to be eligible for this role, you must have the valid right to work in the UK. Unfortunately, we do not offer visa sponsorship and have no future plans to do so. You must be a resident in the UK and have been living continuously in the UK for the last 5 years. You must be able to hold or gain a UK government security clearance.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience:

• Experience with project management software (e.g., Jira, MS Project, Asana).
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and Scrum framework.
• Familiarity with software development life cycle (SDLC).
• Experience working in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
• Passion for project management and continuous improvement.
• Industry standard project management certifications i.e. PMI PMP.

Desirable certifications:

• Certified Scrum Master (CSM).
• Advanced Certified Scrum Master (A-CSM).
• Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM).
• Professional Scrum Master I, II, III (PSM I–III).
• SAFe Scrum Master (SSM).
• Scrum Master Accredited Certification (SMAC).