Job Description

At Pearson we ‘add life to a lifetime of learning’ so everyone can realise the life they imagine. We do this by creating vibrant and enriching learning experiences designed for real-life impact. Pearson was founded in 1844 and has been built on our ability to grow with and adapt to a constantly evolving market. Our employees are dedicated to creating high-quality, digital-first, accessible and sustainable resources for lifelong learning.

About the job:

The Scrum Master role operates at IC25 level as a senior subject matter expert within delivery teams, owning complex initiatives or critical workstreams as a lead contributor. The role focuses on delivering high-quality software products and platform enhancements using agile delivery practices, with a strong emphasis on predictable execution, backlog refinement, and continuous improvement.

This role sits within a data integration function, supporting the build of an Azure-based Technical Hub and the ongoing operation of an existing AWS data estate. The environment includes data pipelines (ingestion -> transformation -> distribution) and message-based integration with downstream platforms, requiring coordination across multiple engineering teams and suppliers.

Working across multidisciplinary teams including Engineers, Service Owners, Business Analysts, Testers, UX Designers, and the PMO, the Scrum Master supports PI planning and translates user and business needs into clear, executable delivery plans. The role independently plans and facilitates sprint activity, proactively manages delivery risks and dependencies, and works closely with crossfunctional partners to ensure alignment across the delivery lifecycle. The Scrum Master is accountable for backlog fulfilment, delivery effectiveness, and improving consistency, flow, and ways of working across teams, without holding people-management responsibilities.

About you: You can demonstrate successful delivery of complex, business-critical technology initiatives in a Scrum Master or delivery-focused agile role. You are comfortable working hands-on with delivery teams, supporting execution of challenging user stories, and advising peers to improve story quality, acceptance criteria, and sprint outcomes.

You bring strong collaboration skills, a delivery-first mindset, and a practical approach to agile ways of working. You are confident engaging with technical leads, architects, and business partners, providing clear insight into delivery progress, risks, and trade-offs. Prior experience in a hands-on technical role such as Software Engineering or Quality Assurance is desirable.

Experience working with data engineering, platform, or integration-focused teams is highly desirable. Familiarity with data pipelines (ETL, SQL, Azure Data Factory) or message-based/event-driven systems will be beneficial, even if not hands-on

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with stakeholders and cross-functional teams to define requirements, estimate and plan work, and deliver software into production.
• Own and facilitate agile ceremonies including Sprint Planning, Reviews, Retrospectives, and Backlog Refinement, ensuring they are outcome-focused and continuously improving.
• Execute and support delivery of complex user stories and product increments with a strong focus on quality and predictability.
• Act as a trusted delivery partner to the Product Owner, providing delivery, domain, and flow expertise to support backlog prioritisation, technical refinement, and roadmap execution.
• Proactively identify, manage, and resolve delivery risks, dependencies, and impediments, working across teams to remove blockers and escalating where necessary.
• Provide clear, transparent communication on delivery progress, risks, dependencies, and trade-offs to stakeholders.
• Ensure delivery artefacts and metrics are maintained to agreed standards using Pearson tools and methods.
• Recommend and implement incremental improvements to delivery practices and agile ceremonies.
• Work with partner teams to track cross-team dependencies and align with other Scrum Masters.
• Support Product Owners and Development Teams in applying agile practices effectively.
• Coordinate delivery across data and integration workstreams, including dependencies between data pipelines, platform teams, and supplier teams.
• Support backlog refinement and structuring to ensure work is delivery-ready, working closely with engineering leads.
• Help manage delivery across both build (Technical Hub) and run (AWS estate) activities during the transition phase.

Key Skills & Experience

• Professional experience in technology or software delivery within agile environments.
• Experience working in data platform, data engineering, or integration-heavy environments is highly desirable.
• Solid understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle.
• Hands-on experience leading delivery using Scrum and applying Kanban principles.
• Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Experience planning, forecasting, and estimating delivery work.
• Experience managing dependencies and delivery risks across teams.
• Strong experience using Jira or equivalent agile delivery tooling.

Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Exposure to data engineering concepts (ETL, data pipelines, data transformation) or integration/messaging platforms (e.g. Service Bus, Kafka) is advantageous.
• Experience with Kanban and Waterfall
• Azure Practitioner Certification.
• AWS Practitioner Certification.

• ITIL Practitioner Certification.

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