Lead, Scrum Master

About Northern Trust

As a global leader in innovative wealth management, asset servicing, asset management and banking services, Northern Trust (Nasdaq: NTRS) is proud to guide the world’s most successful individuals, families, corporations and institutions.

Since 1889, we have aligned our efforts with our three guiding Principles That Endure: Service, Expertise, and Integrity. Together, they reflect the three cornerstones of business conduct which we strive to instill in our employees, whom we call partners, and to provide to our clients and the communities we serve worldwide.

With more than 135 years of financial experience and over 24,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Role/ Department:

The Scrum Master will play a key role in enabling Agile delivery teams to plan effectively, manage complexity and improve delivery performance in a large-scale technology environment. The role will partner with Product Owners, delivery teams and stakeholders to strengthen backlog readiness, sprint planning, release transparency, dependency management and team accountability. The successful candidate will be expected to use delivery data and coaching to help teams identify risks early, resolve impediments and improve predictability. This role requires an experienced, delivery-focused Scrum Master who can influence across teams, support decision-making and drive continuous improvement in how work is planned, managed and delivered.

The key responsibilities of the role include:

• Facilitate sprint planning, daily stand-ups, retrospectives and backlog refinement in a way that keeps discussions focused, decisions clear and actions followed through.
• Work with Product Owners and delivery teams to improve backlog readiness, including clear scope, acceptance criteria, prioritisation, sizing and alignment to sprint goals.
• Help teams improve planning discipline, delivery focus and ownership of commitments throughout the sprint.
• Identify and track impediments, risks and dependencies, ensuring they are visible, actively managed and escalated where required.
• Use delivery metrics and reporting insights to highlight trends, support informed decision-making and identify areas where predictability or flow can improve.
• Maintain clear communication with delivery teams, Product Owners and stakeholders on progress, priorities, risks, dependencies and expected outcomes.
• Support continuous improvement by helping teams understand recurring delivery issues, agree practical actions and follow through on improvements.

Skills/ Qualifications:

The successful candidate will benefit from having:

• Significant experience as a Scrum Master in complex Agile delivery environments, ideally supporting technology, transformation or platform delivery initiatives.
• Strong knowledge of Scrum, Agile delivery practices, backlog refinement, sprint planning, Definition of Ready, Definition of Done and continuous improvement.
• Experience working closely with Product Owners and delivery teams to improve backlog quality, sprint readiness, prioritisation and delivery outcomes.
• Proven ability to manage impediments, risks and dependencies across teams or stakeholder groups, with strong follow-through to resolution.
• Experience using Agile metrics and reporting tools, including Azure DevOps or similar platforms, to support transparency, planning and evidence-based decision-making.
• Strong facilitation, communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence decisions and guide teams through delivery challenges.
• Experience supporting Agile maturity, delivery discipline and continuous improvement through coaching, root cause analysis and agreed corrective actions.
• Scrum Master certification or equivalent Agile training.

Work Authorization

Applicants must have the right to work in Ireland at the time of application and for the duration of employment.

Please note that Northern Trust is unable to provide employment permit sponsorship for this role. This includes Critical Skills Employment Permits, General Employment Permits, Intra-Company Transfer Employment Permits, Stamp 1G permissions, and other employment permits under Irish immigration frameworks.

Working with Us

As a Northern Trust partner, you will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture, which has a strong history of financial strength and stability. Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to an inclusive workplace and assisting the communities we serve.

Philanthropy is deeply rooted in Northern Trust’s history and is an essential element of our culture. Employees around the world give their time and talent to work for the greater good of their communities.

Reasonable Accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing adjustments to individuals with health conditions and disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at [email protected], or alternatively you can discuss your individual requirements with the recruiter you are working with.