Agile Scrum Master (Hybrid - Chicago, IL)

Our customer is a large United States insurance company that is backed by more than 100 years of experience and provides insurance products and services for businesses and professionals in the United States., Canada and Europe. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, they have more than 20 US locations.

We are seeking a contract Agile Scrum Master to support our Customer's business needs. This role is hybrid (must be in the office once a week based on current in-office expectation, but will need to adjust based on updated requirements) in Chicago, IL.

Responsibilities:

• Serve, lead, coach, and support multiple Agile Scrum Teams on complex initiatives involving internal and external (onshore and offshore) resources.
• Facilitate Scrum ceremonies and Agile practices (daily standups, sprint reviews, retrospectives, cross-team coordination, etc.) alongside the Product Owner, ensuring adherence to Scrum values of courage, focus, commitment, respect, and openness.
• Identify and resolve delivery impediments, escalating issues to senior leadership when necessary, and proactively manage risks to prevent recurrence.
• Foster continuous improvement and team learning through retrospectives, feedback, and Agile maturity practices.
• Guide team members to achieve consistent velocity and improve delivery performance over time.
• Serve as an Agile subject matter expert, mentor, and thought leader with extensive knowledge of Agile processes, tools, best practices, and standards.
• Provide guidance to junior Scrum Masters, offering feedback on tools, processes, and Agile Reviews while championing the adoption of new practices.
• Support the Product Owner in backlog management, prioritization, and maintaining relevant metrics.
• Build strong relationships within the Scrum Team, particularly with the Product Owner, and facilitate coordination within and outside the team.
• Promote a safe, trusting, and transparent environment, facilitating conflict resolution and ensuring delivery progress, quality, and schedule are clearly communicated.
• Contribute to Agile maturity at the organizational level by sharing best practices and process improvements.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills and Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field; or equivalent work experience.
• Minimum of 4 years of related work experience in enterprise IT environments with Agile delivery methods.
• Scrum Master Certification (CSM) preferred.
• Previous project management experience preferred.
• Additional Agile or project management certifications are a plus.
• Proven experience with Agile Scrum methodology in a Scrum Master role.
• Strong servant-leader mindset with demonstrated ability to coach, mentor, and empower teams without dictating tasks.
• Experience with enterprise-level Agile delivery and modern software development best practices (e.g., automation, CI/CD pipelines).
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills for effective collaboration with peers, stakeholders, and team members.
• Strong organizational skills with experience using Agile management tools such as Jira.
• Proven track record of driving delivery improvements and promoting adoption of development best practices.

We offer a competitive salary range for this position. Most candidates who join our team are hired at the median of this range, ensuring fair and equitable compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Contractor benefits are available through our 3rd Party Employer of Record (Available upon completion of waiting period for eligible engagements)

Benefits include: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k.

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.