Contract type: Permanent
Job Level: Skilled / Middle Management
Work Location: Cape Town, Western Cape
Closing Date: 27 January 2025
The National Research Foundation (NRF) supports and promotes research and human capital development through funding, the provision of National Research Facilities and science outreach platforms and programmes to the broader community in all fields of science and technology, including natural sciences, engineering, social sciences and humanities.
The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO) spearheads South Africa's activities in the Square Kilometre Array Radio Telescope, commonly known as the SKA, in engineering, science and construction.
SARAO is a National Facility managed by the National Research Foundation and incorporates radio astronomy instruments and programmes such as the MeerKAT telescope in the Karoo, the Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO) in Gauteng, the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (AVN) programme in nine African countries as well as the associated human capital development and commercialisation endeavours.
The Senior Scrum Master is responsible for multiple and/or large agile teams for different projects including MeerKAT, MeerKAT Extension, African VLBI Network (AVN), the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), and Research and Development projects.
They positively influence, mentor, and address complex, systemic issues within the agile teams.
Key Responsibilities: Facilitate and lead meetings, including planning, progress review, retrospectives, and problem-solving workshops, ensuring alignment across teams.Provide coaching to the team, other Scrum Masters, managers, and the organization, helping to align practices with organizational goals.Identify and implement process improvements on a larger scale and help drive organizational change.Focus on improving team dynamics and performance, assisting the team in managing interpersonal conflicts and opportunities for growth.Research and propose methods or approaches for utilization within the organization.Assist in determining milestones, roadmaps, and plans that enable them.Assist in determining sprint objectives and acceptance criteria.Participate in innovation and technology development initiatives.Track and report on the implementation of features and capabilities.Escalate, track, and eliminate impediments.Manage risks and dependencies.Mentor and educate mid and junior team members as needed.Motivate team members with a focus on continuous improvement.Assist in documentation, social activities, and other administrative tasks.Coordinate inter-team cooperation.Collaborate with departmental stakeholders to support engineering, commissioning, operations, and science activities.Participate in project management and systems engineering activities.Key Requirements: Qualification: ND (Comp Sci or related field) with 13+ years; ORB.Tech/ B.Sc (Comp Sci or related field) with 10+ years; ORB.Eng / B.Sc Hons (Comp Sci or related field) with 9+ years; ORM.Eng / M.Sc (Comp Sci or related field) with 7+ years; ORPhD / D.Eng with 5+ yearsAND
Scrum Master Certified
Experience: Advanced Agile knowledge and expertise in scrum and other agile methodologies, including experience with scaling frameworks like SAFe.Awareness and experience with Agile techniques: User stories, test-driven development, continuous delivery, and pair programming.Excellent skills in servant leadership, facilitation, situational awareness, continual improvement, empowerment, and increasing transparency.Experience in enabling teams to self-organize, self-manage, and deliver.Experience mentoring or coaching other Scrum Masters and leading multiple agile teams or projects.Experience in the implementation of project management and systems engineering principles.Experience with test-driven development and integration testing techniques, methodologies, and frameworks; and supporting systems like revision control.Knowledge: Familiarity with Google Drive, JIRA, Miro, Jenkins, Gitlab, Github, etc.Facilitation and stakeholder management.Understanding and managing team dynamics, fostering collaboration.Situational awareness, continual improvement, empowerment, and increasing transparency.Additional Notes: Teamwork and collaboration: Cooperate with others to achieve organizational objectives.Track and report on the implementation of features and capabilities.Protect teams from distractions and unrelated/unnecessary work.Ability to reliably estimate and plan work as part of a team.Versatile and enjoys a fast-paced environment.Strong communication and facilitation skills.Agile approaches to systems development.Strategic thinking and influence.Initiative and continually brings fresh ideas to the table.Information: The website www.nrf.ac.za provides more details on the NRF initiatives and activities.
Applications: Applicants should submit a comprehensive CV by logging in to https://ess.nrf.ac.za/Account/Recruitment and apply online.
Applications should be accompanied by a letter of motivation indicating the applicant's suitability for the position.
The names and contact details of at least three referees should be provided.
Closing Date: 27 January 2025 The NRF offers a challenging career and competitive remuneration package which is commensurate with qualifications and experience.
The NRF is committed to employment equity and redress, and the appointment to the position will be made in line with the NRF Employment Equity Plan.
The NRF reserves the right not to make an appointment.
Correspondence will be sent to short-listed candidates only.
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