Scrum Master

The post-holder will manage resources, deliverables, relationships, risks, dependencies ensuring capacity and skills for successful outcome achievement. They will ensure project transparency and accurate reporting. 

It is essential that the post-holder works collaboratively within the multi-skilled DDaT function and across the wider ICO ensuring inclusion and conflict resolution during the inception, delivery and post-delivery cycle to ensure projects meets the Senior Sponsor’s product vision, design requirements, acceptance criteria and are deployed or implemented without issue.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Planning, Management and Reporting – use your knowledge and experience of waterfall & agile methods to recommend the best approach for project delivery; predominately blending traditional project management principles and practices with an Agile delivery approach to ensure the successful implementation of a wide range of products – this may include digital, infrastructure and non-digital/technology related projects, products and services.
• Ensure teams are empowered to produce high quality services, following best practices and DDaT/ICO standards.
• Be primarily responsible for the timely and on-cost delivery of product features during the project inception and delivery phases.
• Support the Product Owner – holding the product team to account for delivery of the Vision, Features and Stories committed to achieve a successful MVP.
• Supporting the Product Owner in developing User Stories and grooming/prioritising of the product backlog.
• Being accountable for defining and adhering to the timeline for the project.
• Inspire product/project teams to be agile, user-centred, high-performing, collaborative, and trusting.
• Leverage User Centred Design and data driven iteration to ensure maximum value from delivered MVP.
• Working with Product Teams, Application Support, Software Testing and Infrastructure to reduce blockages and ensure timely delivery.
• Ensure all digital developments take in to account GDS service design standards (and frameworks), WCAG2.1.
• Management of 3rd party vendors involved in project delivery including responsibility for delivery and the identification and communication of risk.
• Where required, attend and present materials to the relevant ICO and project governance boards.
• Be active in coaching and mentoring DDaT colleagues and aid other teams in mentoring and coaching.
• Take responsibility and collaborate with technical leaders in the wider organisation to improve services, products, practices, standards, project delivery, performance, and team culture.
• There will be regular contact with senior people within the organisation up to Director and non-executive board level. This will be to report progress, escalate issues/risks, build project teams, provide confidence, obtain approval, provide advice and guidance, agree benefits, gather and share information, agree roles and responsibilities.
• Communication with team members across the business to plan and drive activities, monitor progress, resolve issues, promote a spirit of collaboration.
• Facilitates the engagement of stakeholders and delivery of services and change projects, acting as a single point of contact for senior stakeholders, facilitating relationships between them.
• Managing risks, issues and dependencies, deciding on the appropriate actions and mitigations, obtaining agreement and ensuring effective communication.
• Prepares project forecasts, reports including burndown/up and tracks and manages actual project spend.
• Collects and maintains data for measurement.

Essential criteria assessed at application stage 

• Experience relevant to the role requirements, as described in the role responsibilities and person specification, and accumulated through any combination of academic or vocational qualifications or experience.
• Proven experience in a scrum master/delivery management role within a DDaT function.
• Relative certification in an IT and Project Management related discipline.
• Proven experience in managing multidisciplinary teams using continuous planning, forecasting, road-mapping, and metrics-based approaches to handle uncertainty and ensure delivery.
• Strong communication skills in creating and conveying project plans, assumptions, and progress to stakeholders while fostering collaborative relationships across teams.
• Expertise in managing third-party delivery partners, suppliers, and multiple concurrent projects/products with effective resource planning and coordination.
• Skilled in facilitating project inceptions, workshops, retrospectives, and lessons learned sessions to enhance project outcomes and team performance.
• Track record of successfully delivering projects using agile, waterfall, or hybrid methodologies, including backlog grooming, prioritisation, and outcome evaluation.
• Comprehensive experience in managing project scope, change management, and ensuring alignment with objectives while maintaining delivery cadence.

Essential criteria assessed at interview stage 

• Skilled in identifying, refining, and challenging user stories/requirements to ensure clarity, quality, and effective breakdown into actionable units.
• Drives team momentum by solving issues, unblocking challenges, managing dependencies, and setting a pace aligned with delivery commitments.
• Skilled in facilitating project inceptions, workshops, retrospectives, and lessons learned sessions to enhance project outcomes and team performance
• Skilled in facilitating project inceptions, workshops, retrospectives, and lessons learned sessions to enhance project outcomes and team performance.
• Proficient in risk tracking and mitigation, selecting optimal delivery methods, and fostering experimentation to improve outcomes.
• Demonstrates adaptability, resilience, and the ability to reflect and respond effectively to challenges and process inefficiencies.
• Strong communicator across organisational, technical, and political boundaries, effectively managing outcomes and liaising with suppliers.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

The ICO is committed to promoting and enhancing equality, diversity, and inclusion. We are focused on developing a workforce that is representative of the communities we serve and together we are building an inclusive workplace where all of our colleagues have the opportunity to make a real difference. We are championing this through our Equality Diversity and Inclusion Board together with a number of staff networks. Read more about our commitment on our website. 

If you have a disability or impairment and have difficulty using our online application system, please email the HR team at recruitment@ico.org.uk who can arrange for you to submit an application via an alternative method.

Closing Date

Please submit your CV by 23:59 on Tuesday 25th February 2025

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before this date should we receive sufficient applications. Please apply as soon as possible to ensure your application is considered.