Lead Specialist - Technology Delivery (Scrum Master)

Lead Specialist, Technology Delivery

Role: Lead Specialist, Technology Delivery

Division: Assessment & Qualifications Delivery

Location: Chennai or Bangalore, India

About Pearson: 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 UK Assessment & Qualifications: We are responsible for the delivery of nearly 4 million examination results per annum, including A-Level, GCSE, BTEC and T Levels for students in UK and International centres. Our in-house systems process every learner from registration to marking and certification, in a highly regulated business. We currently operate a hybrid estate of predominantly bespoke systems, with an ongoing strategic transformation programme to migrate from on-prem to cloud-based, cost effective, scalable and resilient services.

About the job The Scrum Master leads the delivery of high-quality software products and platform enhancements using Agile methodologies, operating within the Technology Delivery role at Expert level (E30). The role focuses on executing complex user stories and product increments, while guiding teams through Agile ceremonies and providing deep delivery and domain expertise.

Working across multi-disciplinary teams including Engineers, Service Owners, Business Analysts and Testers, the Scrum Master translates user and business requirements into executable delivery plans, supports backlog refinement and prioritisation, and helps resolve delivery obstacles as they occur. The role is responsible for backlog fulfilment, measuring delivery effectiveness, and driving continuous, incremental improvement aligned to standard processes and common practices.

About you We’d expect that you can demonstrate delivery of complex, business-critical technology initiatives as a Scrum Master or delivery-focused Agile role. You are comfortable working hands-on with delivery teams, supporting execution of challenging user stories, and guiding peers to improve story quality, acceptance criteria and sprint outcomes.

You bring strong collaboration skills, a delivery mindset, and a commitment to translating user needs into high-quality technical solutions. Prior experience in a hands-on technical role such as Software Engineering or Quality Assurance is desirable.

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 (Sprint Planning, Reviews, Retrospectives, Backlog Refinement), ensuring they are outcome focused, efficient, and continuously improving in effectiveness.

• Execute and support delivery of complex user stories and product increments with a strong focus on quality.

• 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, escalating where necessary and working across teams to remove systemic blockers.

• Provide clear, transparent communication on delivery progress, risks, dependencies, and tradeoffs to stakeholders, enabling informed decision making.

• Ensure delivery artefacts and metrics (plans, risks, dependencies, forecasts, outcomes) are maintained to agreed standards using Pearson’s tools, methods, and reporting expectations.

• Recommend and implement incremental improvements to delivery practices and Agile ceremonies.

• Work with partner teams to track dependencies and work with partner team scrum master 

• Coach and support the Product Owner and Development Team on Agile practices

Key Skills & Experience

• Recognised Scrum certification (e.g. Scrum.org, SAFe, or equivalent), with a strong applied understanding of Agile principles beyond the framework.

• Professional experience in software or technology delivery.

• Deep understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle, including modern engineering practices, release management, and quality assurance.

• Proven hands on experience leading delivery using Scrum, with practical experience applying Kanban principles to optimise flow, manage unplanned work, and improve predictability.

• Strong facilitation, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to influence at multiple levels and manage competing priorities.

• Demonstrated experience planning, forecasting, and estimating delivery work, supporting both short term sprint commitments and longer term delivery planning.

• Experience preparing, coordinating, and supporting release plans, including managing dependencies, risks, and cross team alignment.

• Strong experience using Jira or equivalent Agile delivery tooling, with the ability to use metrics and insights to improve delivery outcomes rather than just report status.

• Strong Agile coaching skills, with experience coaching Product Owners and Development Teams

Desirable Skills, Qualifications & Experience

• Experience with Kanban and Waterfall 

• Azure Practitioner Certification.

• AWS Practitioner Certification.

• ITIL Practitioner Certification.

Job Location and Hours

The role is aligned to our Bangalore or Chennai offices in India, working a 45 hour week (9am to 6pm IST). All our roles are hybrid working; our current policy requires our teams to work from their base office three times per week. For this role there is a requirement to provide occasional out of hours support during business critical periods.

Experience Level

Senior Level