Job Title: Scrum Master
Location: Preston, Lancashire (4 days on-site, 1 day remote)
Contract Type: 6-Month Contract
Day Rate: £380 - £420 per day (Inside IR35)
Security Clearance: SC Clearance required - Sole British Nationals only

Role Overview:

We are seeking an experienced and proactive Scrum Master to join a high-performing delivery team based in Preston. This is an exciting opportunity to support Agile delivery across key projects within a secure environment. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in facilitating agile ceremonies, removing blockers, and ensuring teams are continuously improving and delivering value.

Key Responsibilities:

• Facilitate Agile ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives.
• Coach and support team members on Agile principles and best practices.
• Identify and remove impediments that hinder team progress.
• Work closely with Product Owners to manage and prioritise backlogs.
• Promote a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Provide transparency of team delivery and progress through appropriate metrics and reporting.
• Foster a safe and supportive environment for open communication and problem-solving.

Essential Requirements:

• Active SC Clearance is mandatory (applicants must be sole British Nationals due to security requirements).
• Proven experience in a Scrum Master or Agile delivery role.
• Strong understanding of Agile frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe).
• Excellent facilitation, coaching, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, highly secure environment.
• Strong interpersonal skills with a collaborative approach.

Desirable Skills:

• Experience working in secure/government or defence sector environments.
• Relevant Agile certifications (e.g., Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), PSM I/II).
• Familiarity with Agile tooling (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps, Confluence).