Scrum Master

Arlington, VA (Hybrid)

Active TS/SCI with CI Poly Clearance required

@Orchard is retained by a top geospatial technology company centered around supporting important operations missions to U.S. Government and Intelligence Community customers. Our client is forging the new frontier of spatial intelligence, helping decision makers and operators navigate what’s happening now and shape what’s coming next.  They are a place for problem solvers, changemakers, and go-getters—where people are working together to help our customers see the world differently, and in doing so, be seen differently. Come be part of a mission, not just a job, where you can: Shape your own future, build the next big thing, and change the world!

We have an exciting opportunity for a Scrum Master within the Intelligence business unit, advancing critical national security missions through cutting-edge technology. As a core member of our team, you will leverage your deep Agile expertise on a highly collaborative team to deliver scalable, state-of-the-art capabilities for our prime contractor and government customers.

This is a hybrid role offering significant work-from-home (WFH) flexibility, combining remote collaboration with periodic on-site presence for sensitive mission activities, classified program synchronization, and key team events.

The Scrum Master is a strategic facilitator, coach, and servant leader who guides cross-functional engineering teams using the Scrum and Scaled Agile (SAFe) frameworks to deliver high-value outcomes. In this senior role, you will be responsible for driving continuous improvement, removing complex systemic impediments, fostering transparent communication, and mentoring both the team and key stakeholders to maintain a self-organizing, highly productive engineering cadence across both virtual and on-site environments.

This position requires an active U.S. Government Security Clearance at the TS/SCI level with Polygraph. Candidates without these will not be able to be considered.

Work Location & Schedule

• Work Arrangement: Hybrid (Work-from-Home with periodic on-site requirements).
• Flexible Telework: Enjoys a high degree of WFH flexibility for standard unclassified program activities, team coordination, and day-to-day sprint management.
• On-Site Requirements: Occasional travel or on-site presence in customer facility/SCIF spaces required for classified program syncs, PI Planning events, or customer-mandated sessions.

Responsibilities:

• Facilitating Senior-Level Scrum & SAFe Events: Lead and facilitate high-impact Scrum and Scaled Agile events—both virtually and in person—including daily standups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, sprint reviews, program increment (PI) planning, and retrospectives.
• Removing Complex Impediments: Identify, track, and resolve high-level technical and organizational blockers, collaborating across prime and subcontractor teams to maintain smooth workflow and delivery across hybrid operating environments.
• Coaching & Mentoring: Coach software engineering teams, Product Owners, and secondary leads on advanced Scrum principles, SAFe practices, and Agile values to continually elevate execution and team maturity.
• Championing Agile & SAFe Principles: Serve as an Agile subject matter expert across the program, ensuring remote and on-site team members understand, adopt, and adhere to Lean-Agile values and continuous delivery practices.
• Fostering Cross-Organizational Collaboration: Drive active communication, team cohesion, and alignment within hybrid engineering teams, prime contractor leads, government stakeholders, and external partners.
• Shielding & Focus: Protect the development team from external churn, scope creep, and mid-sprint distractions to allow sustained focus on team commitments.
• Delivery Metrics & Risk Management: Monitor sprint velocity, burndown/burnup metrics, and delivery risks; proactively design mitigation strategies to keep delivery on schedule.
• Ensuring Program Transparency: Promote operational transparency through regular metric reporting, clear velocity tracking, and open communication channels across program stakeholders.
• Product Owner Guidance: Partner with the Product Owner to optimize backlog refinement, refine feature definitions, and ensure clear alignment on product roadmap priorities.

Minimum Qualifications:

• U.S. Citizenship and active TS/SCI security clearance with CI polygraph.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field (or equivalent operational experience).
• 5+ years of experience leading Agile teams as a Scrum Master, with a proven track record in complex government or defense technology programs.
• Extensive experience operating within Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) enterprise environments.
• Demonstrated experience effectively facilitating Agile ceremonies and driving team engagement in a hybrid/distributed workforce setting.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep Mastery of Agile & SAFe: Advanced, practical understanding of Agile methodologies, Scrum principles, and SAFe frameworks applied to complex software/data systems.
• Executive-Level Communication: Superior communication and interpersonal skills to build trust and alignment across prime partners, government customers, and cross-functional hybrid teams.
• Advanced Facilitation & Mentorship: Demonstrated ability to run large-scale facilitation events (e.g., PI Planning, joint retrospectives) both in person and via virtual collaboration platforms.
• Complex Problem Solving: Strong conflict-resolution skills with a proactive approach to identifying root causes and negotiating resolutions.
• Tooling Proficiency: Deep hands-on experience with enterprise Agile and remote collaboration tools, including Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps (ADO), and digital whiteboarding tools.
• Servant Leadership: Proven ability to inspire, motivate, and empower engineering teams while driving mission success in a fast-paced environment.

For pay transparency the range of base pay for this position within the Washington, DC metropolitan area is: $116,000.00 - $154,000.00 - $169,400.00 annually, based on experience.

Established in 2010, @Orchard has an exceptional reputation, providing talent acquisition solutions to time-sensitive, talent scarcity issues to deliver better talent management ROI.  Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at www.atorchard.com.