Agile/Scrum Master

We are seeking an experienced Agile/Scrum Master to support a high-profile United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) contract under the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) mission area in Washington, DC. This role will facilitate Agile practices, Scrum ceremonies, and DevSecOps processes for the modernization and maintenance of enterprise web applications built on Microsoft .NET, SQL Server, and cloud-based platforms (e.g., AWS).

The Agile/Scrum Master will play a critical part in ensuring code quality, transparency, and collaboration across distributed teams in an Agile environment.

Key Responsibilities

1. Agile Facilitation & Coaching

   • Lead daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
   • Coach product teams on Agile best practices, processes, and roles to promote continuous improvement.
   • Foster an environment of collaboration, self-organization, and accountability.

2. Scrum Ceremonies & Process Ownership

   • Serve as the primary point of contact for all Scrum activities within one or more product teams.
   • Plan, coordinate, and execute sprints aligned with the Government’s priorities, ensuring that stories, tasks, and resources are updated transparently.

3. Stakeholder Communication

   • Collaborate with Government stakeholders (e.g., Business Center Support Section (BCSS), Farm Service Agency) to clarify priorities and user requirements.
   • Provide regular updates, performance metrics, and sprint progress reports to Government leadership in a concise and timely manner.
   • Escalate issues or risks to the Contracting Officer and project leadership as necessary.

4. Backlog & Change Management

   • Work with Product Owners to manage and maintain an effective product backlog, ensuring clarity of acceptance criteria, priority, and user stories.
   • Monitor new requirements, changes in priority, and incoming requests; help teams adapt quickly while maintaining code quality and standards.

5. DevSecOps & Continuous Integration

   • Support DevSecOps practices, ensuring that build pipelines, code scanning, and automated testing are integrated into the Agile workflow.
   • Work closely with development teams to streamline CI/CD processes, leveraging tools such as Atlassian Jira, ServiceNow, and other automation technologies.

6. Transition & Knowledge Transfer

   • Plan and oversee transition-in and transition-out processes to ensure continuity of deliverables, including onboarding new team members and knowledge-sharing with departing teams.
   • Coordinate with project management to mitigate disruptions to in-progress projects and maintain high-quality output during transitions.

Required Qualifications

• 5+ years of proven experience as a Scrum Master, Agile Coach, or similar role on enterprise software development contracts.
• Scrum Master Certification (CSM, PSM, or equivalent).
• Strong knowledge of Agile software development principles, particularly in iterative planning, backlog refinement, and sprint execution.
• Demonstrable experience with Microsoft technology stacks (C#, .NET, SQL Server) and cloud environments (preferably AWS).
• Familiarity with DevSecOps practices and continuous integration/deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
• Proficiency in Jira or other Agile project management tools, with the ability to manage stories, tasks, priorities, dashboards, and reporting.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including the ability to coordinate with cross-functional teams and Government representatives.
• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or related field (or equivalent work experience).
• Must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Ability to pass a Public Trust background investigation or meet other Government security requirements as applicable.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working on Federal Government or USDA contracts, especially under FAR Part 16 or similar.
• Familiarity with ServiceNow or Atlassian Confluence for documentation and ticket management.
• Strong understanding of Agile at scale methodologies (e.g., SAFe) and large enterprise transitions to cloud-based environments.
• Knowledge of AWS services, containerization (Docker/Kubernetes), or related cloud technologies.
• Experience with code scanning/security tools and federal cybersecurity requirements.