Business Analyst / Scrum Master (Hybrid)

Job Title: Business Analyst / Scrum Master (Hybrid)
Location: Hartford, CT
Duration: 12 Months

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Business Analyst / Scrum Master to join our dynamic team in a hybrid role. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in both business analysis and scrum mastering within an agile environment. This position is critical for the successful delivery of our project initiatives and will focus on requirement gathering, quality assurance (QA), and facilitating agile ceremonies using Jira.

Key Responsibilities:

• Requirement Gathering:
  • Collaborate with business stakeholders, product owners, and development teams to elicit, analyze, and document business requirements.
  • Develop functional and non-functional specifications, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
  • Ensure all requirements are aligned with business goals and objectives, ensuring a clear understanding among all parties involved.
• Quality Assurance (QA):
  • Work closely with the QA team to ensure the developed product meets business requirements and quality standards.
  • Develop and maintain test cases, test plans, and track defects.
  • Ensure thorough testing processes, including manual testing, regression testing, and validation of user stories.
• Agile Methodology:
  • Serve as a Scrum Master, leading agile ceremonies such as daily standups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives.
  • Ensure the team follows agile principles and practices, promoting continuous improvement and efficient collaboration.
  • Track sprint progress, maintain and monitor sprint backlogs, and help resolve blockers or issues.
  • Act as a liaison between the development team and business stakeholders to ensure clear communication and expectations.
• Jira Management:
  • Utilize Jira to manage backlogs, track user stories, bugs, and overall project progress.
  • Maintain and update Jira boards, ensuring accuracy and alignment with sprint goals.
  • Facilitate the creation and tracking of sprint plans, backlog prioritization, and ensure smooth flow of work across the team.
• Team Collaboration:
  • Facilitate cross-functional team communication, helping to remove impediments and ensure the team is aligned on objectives.
  • Support both the business and development teams by ensuring they have the necessary information to complete tasks efficiently.
  • Drive the team's focus on delivering value, fostering a high-performing team culture.
• Reporting and Stakeholder Communication:
  • Provide regular updates to stakeholders on project progress, key milestones, and any risks or issues.
  • Create and maintain dashboards, reports, and other metrics related to project performance and sprint outcomes.

Required Skills & Qualifications:

• Proven experience as a Business Analyst and Scrum Master in an Agile environment.
• Strong understanding of Agile methodologies (Scrum, Kanban, etc.) and the ability to implement and manage Agile processes.
• Extensive experience using Jira for managing sprints, user stories, and task tracking.
• Strong ability to gather business requirements and translate them into functional specifications and user stories.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Experience working in cross-functional teams and managing complex projects.
• Ability to work effectively in a hybrid (in-office and remote) work environment.
• Knowledge of QA practices and experience working with testing teams.
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent Agile certification is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in the financial services or insurance industry.
• Experience with Jira Align or other Agile management tools.
• Familiarity with continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices.
• Strong understanding of software development life cycle (SDLC).