6 templates by seniority and team size, with FLSA and certification guidance. Download as DOCX.
Most scrum master templates online give you one generic duties list and skip the questions that actually matter when you hire: do you even need a dedicated Scrum Master at your team size, how do you classify the role under the FLSA, and what do all those certifications mean? Those gaps are exactly where employers who are not deep in agile get stuck. The copy-paste templates leave all of it out.
At FirstHR, we build templates by seniority and team size with that guidance built in. The six below cover standard, senior, junior, technical, a hybrid Scrum Master / Product Owner, and a first-Scrum-Master version for small teams, with the sizing, FLSA, and certification notes most templates skip. Pick the one that fits, fill in the brackets, and post, and the guide to writing a job description covers the fundamentals.
TL;DR
Six free templates: Standard, Senior, Junior, Technical, Scrum Master / Product Owner hybrid, and First Scrum Master. The facts most templates skip: a dedicated Scrum Master usually pays off at one full team or more (smaller teams often use a hybrid); the role is exempt via the administrative exemption, not the computer-employee one; and a certification (CSM or PSM) signals baseline knowledge, not skill. Pay anchor: $100,750 median for the closest occupation, project management specialists (BLS, May 2024).
What Is a Scrum Master?
A Scrum Master helps a team deliver work using Scrum, an agile framework, by facilitating Scrum events, removing impediments, coaching the team, and supporting the Product Owner. The role is often described as a servant leader: the Scrum Master serves the team rather than managing it, and usually has no hiring or firing authority over its members. There is no dedicated federal occupation code, so the role maps most closely to project management specialists (SOC 13-1082).
For the employer writing the posting, seniority and team size define the role: a standard role on one team, a senior role across many, a technical role on an engineering team, and a hybrid role on a small one each look different. The six templates split by those dimensions so the document matches the real job.
Scrum Master Duties and Responsibilities
Scrum Master duties cluster into facilitation, impediment removal, coaching, and delivery support. The emphasis shifts by seniority and context, but these areas hold across the role.
Facilitation
Facilitate sprint planning and standups
Run reviews and retrospectives
Time-box and keep events focused
Impediment removal
Surface and remove blockers
Shield the team from disruption
Escalate organizational impediments
Coaching
Coach the team on Scrum and agile
Foster continuous improvement
Support team health and collaboration
Delivery support
Support the Product Owner with the backlog
Track velocity, burndown, and risks
Report delivery progress to stakeholders
A strong posting grounds these in your specifics: your team, your framework, your tools, and your delivery process. For a structured way to scope any role before posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through the process.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by seniority and team size. Each carries the scope for that level and setting. Use this guide to choose.
Standard / Agile
One Scrum team
The core template: facilitating Scrum events, removing impediments, coaching the team, and supporting the Product Owner. The base for a standard Scrum Master role.
Senior Scrum Master
Multiple teams
For a leader across multiple teams: mentoring other Scrum Masters, driving agile maturity, handling cross-team dependencies, and supporting scaling frameworks like SAFe.
Entry / Junior
Starting out
For someone early in their Scrum Master career: facilitating events for one team under mentorship, with room to grow into a full role.
Technical Scrum Master
Engineering teams
For facilitating an engineering team with enough technical background to understand the work, dependencies, and risks, and support engineering-process improvement.
Scrum Master / Product Owner
Hybrid, small team
A blended role for a small team where one person facilitates delivery and owns the backlog. A realistic small-team pattern, with the tradeoff named openly.
First Scrum Master
Small / growing team
For a small, growing company hiring its first dedicated Scrum Master to set up a clean, lightweight agile process, with a sizing note built in for the founder.
Match the Template to Your Team
An established team needing a standard role: Standard / Agile. A leader across many teams: Senior. Someone starting out: Entry / Junior. An engineering team needing technical fluency: Technical. A small team blending facilitation and backlog ownership: Scrum Master / Product Owner. A small, growing team hiring its first: First Scrum Master. Whichever you pick, size the role honestly and classify it via the administrative exemption.
6 Free Scrum Master Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: employer summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, certifications, FLSA status, and salary, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets and post.
Download All 6 Templates
Standard, senior, junior, technical, hybrid SM/PO, and first Scrum Master. All in one DOCX.
Template 1: Standard / Agile Scrum Master
The core template: facilitating Scrum events, removing impediments, coaching the team, and supporting the Product Owner. The base for a standard Scrum Master role.
Scrum Master Job Description (Standard / Agile)
SCRUM MASTER JOB DESCRIPTION (STANDARD / AGILE)
Employer: __ ([City, State / Remote])
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Delivery Lead / VP Engineering]
Team: [1 Scrum team / number of teams]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative) [confirm by duties and pay]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT [EMPLOYER NAME]
[One or two sentences: your product, your engineering org, and the
team this role serves.]
POSITION SUMMARY
[Employer Name] is hiring a Scrum Master to lead agile delivery for
•Remove impediments and shield the team from disruption
•Track sprint progress and surface risks early
•Support the Product Owner with backlog management
•Foster continuous improvement and team health
•Report delivery metrics (velocity, burndown)
•Promote collaboration across the team
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[2-4+] years as a Scrum Master or agile facilitator
•Strong knowledge of Scrum and agile frameworks
•Experience facilitating Scrum events
•Excellent communication and facilitation skills
•Experience with agile tools (work-tracking software)
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•CSM (Certified ScrumMaster) or PSM (Professional Scrum Master)
•Experience with scaling frameworks (SAFe, LeSS)
•Background in software delivery
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_ - $_ [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Employer Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 2: Senior Scrum Master
For a leader across multiple teams: mentoring other Scrum Masters, driving agile maturity, handling cross-team dependencies, and supporting scaling frameworks like SAFe.
Senior Scrum Master
SENIOR SCRUM MASTER JOB DESCRIPTION
Employer: __ ([City, State / Remote])
Reports to: [Delivery Lead / Director of Engineering / Agile Lead]
Team: [multiple Scrum teams]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative) [confirm by duties and pay]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT [EMPLOYER NAME]
[Employer Name] runs multiple agile teams. This role leads agile
delivery across teams and mentors other Scrum Masters.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a Senior Scrum Master to lead agile delivery across
multiple teams, mentor Scrum Masters, drive agile maturity, and
help scale our delivery practices.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Lead agile delivery across multiple Scrum teams
•Mentor and coach other Scrum Masters
•Drive agile maturity and continuous improvement
•Facilitate cross-team coordination and dependencies
For someone early in their Scrum Master career: facilitating events for one team under mentorship, with room to grow into a full role.
Entry-Level / Junior Scrum Master
ENTRY-LEVEL / JUNIOR SCRUM MASTER JOB DESCRIPTION
Employer: __ ([City, State / Remote])
Reports to: [Scrum Master Lead / Engineering Manager]
Team: [1 Scrum team]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative) [confirm by duties and pay]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT [EMPLOYER NAME]
[Employer Name] is growing its agile practice. This is an entry
point for someone starting their Scrum Master career.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a Junior Scrum Master to facilitate Scrum events for
one team, support continuous improvement, and grow into a full
Scrum Master role with mentoring and support.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Facilitate daily standups and Scrum events
•Help remove day-to-day impediments
•Maintain the team board and tracking tools
•Support sprint planning and retrospectives
•Help track velocity and burndown
•Learn and apply agile best practices
•Support the Product Owner and team
•Grow under the guidance of a senior Scrum Master
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[0-2] years in an agile or coordination role
•Familiarity with Scrum and agile basics
•Strong communication and organization
•Eagerness to learn and facilitate
•Comfortable with work-tracking tools
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•CSM or PSM I certification
•Internship or rotation in an agile team
•Background in software, QA, or project coordination
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_ - $_ [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Employer Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 4: Technical Scrum Master
For facilitating an engineering team with enough technical background to understand the work, dependencies, and risks, and support engineering-process improvement.
Technical Scrum Master
TECHNICAL SCRUM MASTER JOB DESCRIPTION
Employer: __ ([City, State / Remote])
Reports to: [Engineering Manager / Delivery Lead]
Team: [1 engineering Scrum team]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative or learned professional) [confirm]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT [EMPLOYER NAME]
[Employer Name] builds [product] with a technical engineering team.
This role facilitates delivery for engineers and understands the
technical work.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a Technical Scrum Master to facilitate agile delivery
for an engineering team, with enough technical background to
understand the work, dependencies, and risks.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
•Facilitate Scrum events for an engineering team
•Understand technical dependencies and risks
•Remove technical and process impediments
•Help refine technical backlog items with the team
•Support CI/CD and engineering-process improvement
•Coach the team on agile engineering practices
•Track delivery metrics and surface blockers
•Collaborate with the Product Owner on priorities
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
•[3+] years as a Scrum Master with engineering teams
•Technical background (software, QA, or engineering)
•Strong knowledge of Scrum and agile delivery
•Able to discuss technical work credibly
•Excellent facilitation and communication
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
•CSM, PSM, or technical certification
•Hands-on software or QA experience
•Familiarity with DevOps and CI/CD
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_ - $_ [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Employer Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 5: Scrum Master / Product Owner (Hybrid)
A blended role for a small team where one person facilitates delivery and owns the backlog. A realistic small-team pattern, with the tradeoff named openly.
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative) [confirm by duties and pay]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT US
We are a [product] company with a small team. This is a blended
role: you will both facilitate agile delivery and help own the
product backlog.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring a Scrum Master / Product Owner to run our agile
process and help shape what we build, balancing facilitation with
backlog ownership for one small team.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
•Facilitate Scrum events for the team
•Own and prioritize the product backlog
•Translate product goals into clear sprint work
•Remove impediments and keep delivery moving
•Coordinate with stakeholders and the founder
•Track delivery and report progress
•Coach the team on agile practices
•Wear two hats in a small-team setting
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
•[3+] years in agile delivery or product roles
•Comfortable with both facilitation and backlog ownership
•Strong communication and prioritization
•Self-directed in a small, fast-moving team
•Experience with agile tools
A NOTE ON THIS HYBRID ROLE
Scrum normally separates the Scrum Master and Product Owner roles.
Blending them is a practical choice for a small team, but name the
tradeoff openly so candidates know the scope.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_ - $_ [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Employer Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
Template 6: First Scrum Master (Small / Growing Team)
For a small, growing company hiring its first dedicated Scrum Master to set up a clean, lightweight agile process, with a sizing note built in for the founder.
First Scrum Master (Small / Growing Team)
FIRST SCRUM MASTER JOB DESCRIPTION (SMALL / GROWING TEAM)
Employer: __ ([City, State / Remote])
Reports to: [Founder / Engineering Lead]
Team: [1 growing Scrum team]
Employment type: Full-time, W-2 employee
FLSA status: Exempt (administrative) [confirm by duties and pay]
Salary range: $_ - $_
ABOUT US
We are a small, growing company in [City, State / Remote] hiring
our first dedicated Scrum Master. You will set up our agile process
and grow it as the team scales.
POSITION SUMMARY
We are hiring our first Scrum Master to establish a clean agile
process for one growing team, facilitate Scrum events, and build
the delivery habits we will scale on.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
•Set up and run our Scrum events from scratch
•Coach the team on agile basics and habits
•Remove impediments and protect focus
•Establish simple, useful delivery metrics
•Support the Product Owner with the backlog
•Build lightweight process, not heavy overhead
•Help the team improve every sprint
•Grow the practice as the team scales
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
•[3+] years as a Scrum Master or agile facilitator
•Experience setting up agile from the ground up
•Pragmatic, not dogmatic, about process
•Strong facilitation and communication
•Comfortable in a small, fast-moving team
A NOTE FOR THE FOUNDER (delete before posting)
•A dedicated Scrum Master usually pays off at one full team
(roughly 3-9 developers plus a Product Owner) or more. With
fewer than that, the role is often a hybrid (SM/PO) or part of
an engineering lead's responsibilities. Size the role honestly.
•FLSA: a Scrum Master is generally exempt via the administrative
exemption, not the computer-employee exemption. Confirm by duties
and pay.
COMPENSATION AND HOW TO APPLY
Salary range: $_ - $_ [+ benefits]
To apply, email __ with your resume.
[Employer Name] is an equal opportunity employer.
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Scrum framework; Kanban and scaling (SAFe) as needed
Tools
Work-tracking and collaboration software
Entry certs
CSM (Scrum Alliance) or PSM (Scrum.org), preferred
Advanced certs
A-CSM, PSM II/III, or SAFe, for senior or scaled roles
List a foundational certification as preferred, not required, and weigh real facilitation experience more heavily than the credential. Keep requirements job-related, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics.
Scrum Master vs Product Owner
These are two distinct roles in Scrum, and the split is worth understanding before you hire. The Product Owner owns the what: the product vision, the backlog, and the priorities, deciding what the team builds to maximize value. The Scrum Master owns the how: the process, facilitating events, removing impediments, and coaching the team to work well.
Scrum keeps these separate on purpose, because the priorities can pull in different directions, and one person doing both can struggle to balance pushing for scope against protecting the team. At a small company, though, the two are sometimes combined into a hybrid role out of practical necessity, which is reasonable if you name it openly. This page includes a hybrid template for that case. With the headcount, keeping the roles separate is the standard approach.
Do You Need a Dedicated Scrum Master?
This is the honest first question, and the answer shapes the whole posting.
Size the Role to Your Team
A dedicated Scrum Master generally pays off once you have at least one full Scrum team, roughly three to nine developers plus a Product Owner, and the value grows as you run multiple parallel teams. Below that, with a very small engineering group, an engineering lead can often run standups and retros, and a separate role does not pay back. Smaller teams commonly use a hybrid (Scrum Master / Product Owner), an engineering manager who also facilitates, or a developer rotating into part-time duties. Size the role honestly: one full team or more justifies a dedicated Scrum Master.
If you are smaller or just starting, the hybrid and first-Scrum-Master templates on this page are built for that reality. If you run one or more full teams, the standard, senior, and technical versions fit. Matching the posting to the real work saves you from hiring for a role that does not match your stage.
Is a Scrum Master Exempt or Non-Exempt?
A Scrum Master is almost always exempt, but the basis matters, and employers often pick the wrong one.
Administrative, Not Computer-Employee
The right basis is usually the administrative exemption: salaried at or above the threshold, primary duty is office work related to business operations, with discretion and independent judgment. DOL guidance notes that leading a team assigned to major projects generally meets the administrative duties test even without direct supervisory authority, which fits a Scrum Master. The computer-employee exemption does not apply, because a Scrum Master does not do systems analysis or programming as a primary duty. A technical Scrum Master with an advanced degree might fit the learned professional exemption instead.
Classification is duties-based, not title-based, so confirm it on the actual role and pay, and check stricter state rules. The exempt vs non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act guide explain the tests. This is general information, not legal advice.
Scrum Master Pay
Scrum Master does not have its own federal occupation code, so the closest anchor is project management specialists.
Scrum Master Pay (BLS, May 2024)
The closest occupation, project management specialists (SOC 13-1082), had a median of about $100,750 a year, with employment of about 1.0 million and projected growth of about 7 percent from 2024 to 2034 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Market data for Scrum Masters specifically tends to run higher, commonly around $107,000 to $126,000.
Pay varies widely by region, industry, seniority, and whether the role is remote, with senior roles and high-cost tech markets at the top of the range. For your posting, anchor to your local market, seniority, and industry rather than a single national figure. Because the role is typically exempt, pay is structured as a salary.
A Note on the Data
Scrum Master is not a standalone BLS occupation. The $100,750 figure is for project management specialists, a broad proxy that blends many project roles, so treat it as a floor reference. For a tighter range, use specialized market data for Scrum Masters in your region and seniority band.
Hiring a Scrum Master for a Small Team
Hiring a Scrum Master at a smaller company means making a few honest calls first, on sizing, classification, and certifications. Here are the three that matter most.
Decide whether you need a dedicated Scrum Master before you write the posting
Before posting a Scrum Master role, it is worth asking whether you need a dedicated one yet, because the honest answer shapes the whole posting. A dedicated Scrum Master generally pays off once you have at least one full Scrum team, roughly three to nine developers plus a Product Owner, and the value compounds as you run multiple parallel teams. Below that, with a very small engineering group, the facilitation work is often absorbed by an engineering lead who runs standups and retros, or split into a hybrid role. So the practical question is your team size and structure. If you have one full team or more, a dedicated role makes sense, and the standard, senior, or technical templates fit. If you are smaller or just starting, the hybrid Scrum Master / Product Owner and first Scrum Master templates on this page are written for that reality, including a sizing note for the founder. Picking the honest version saves you from posting a role that does not match the work.
A Scrum Master is exempt, but through the administrative exemption, not the computer one
A Scrum Master is almost always an exempt employee under the FLSA, but the reason matters, and it is a common mistake to get it wrong. The right basis is usually the administrative exemption: the role is salaried at or above the threshold, the primary duty is office and non-manual work directly related to business operations, and it involves discretion and independent judgment. The Department of Labor guidance is directly on point, noting that an employee who leads a team assigned to complete major projects generally meets the administrative duties test even without direct supervisory authority, which describes a Scrum Master well. What does not apply is the computer-employee exemption, because a Scrum Master does not do systems analysis, programming, or software engineering as a primary duty; facilitation and coaching are not computer work. A technical Scrum Master with an advanced degree might alternatively fit the learned professional exemption. The classification is duties-based, not title-based, so confirm it on the actual role and pay, and check stricter state rules. This is general guidance, not legal advice.
Know the certification landscape, then onboard the hire well
Scrum Master certifications confuse employers who are not steeped in agile, so a quick decoder helps you read resumes. The two most common entry certifications are CSM (Certified ScrumMaster, from Scrum Alliance) and PSM (Professional Scrum Master, from Scrum.org); both signal foundational knowledge, with PSM levels going up to PSM III and Scrum Alliance offering advanced A-CSM and CSP-SM. SAFe certifications like SAFe Scrum Master appear at companies running scaling frameworks. Treat a foundational cert as a useful signal, not a guarantee, and weigh real facilitation experience more heavily. Once you hire, structured onboarding gets the Scrum Master productive: tool and system access, an introduction to the team and the Product Owner, and a clear picture of the current delivery process. FirstHR fits the onboarding side: e-signature for the offer letter, an onboarding workflow and AI onboarding wizard that run the same setup for every hire, and document management for signed documents and any certifications. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a growing team pays one rate regardless of headcount. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, or provide legal advice, so pair it with your payroll and compliance resources. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
After You Hire: Onboarding a Scrum Master
A Scrum Master succeeds through the team, so onboarding leans on early introductions and context. Send a clear offer with the salary and the FLSA classification (typically exempt via the administrative exemption), collect the signed offer, and complete Form I-9 and tax forms as part of the new hire paperwork.
Then handle the role-specific setup: access to your work-tracking and collaboration tools, an introduction to the team and the Product Owner, a clear picture of the current delivery process and its pain points, and agreement on the first improvements to focus on. Keep the signed onboarding documents and certifications in one place, and the offer letter template covers the terms, with the onboarding checklist and a 30-60-90 day plan giving a role expected to improve delivery a clear runway. If this is among your first hires, the guide to hiring your first employee covers the steps around the posting itself.
FirstHR fits the onboarding side directly: e-signature for the offer letter, an onboarding workflow and AI onboarding wizard that run the same setup for every hire, training modules for orientation, and document management to store signed documents and any certifications. Because pricing is flat rather than per seat, a growing team pays one rate regardless of headcount. FirstHR does not run payroll, administer benefits, or provide legal advice, so pair it with your payroll and compliance resources. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
Key Takeaways
A Scrum Master facilitates Scrum events, removes impediments, and coaches the team as a servant leader; the role maps most closely to project management specialists (SOC 13-1082).
Match the template to seniority and team size: standard, senior, junior, technical, hybrid SM/PO, or first Scrum Master.
A dedicated Scrum Master usually pays off at one full team or more; smaller teams often use a hybrid or a shared role.
A Scrum Master is exempt via the administrative exemption, not the computer-employee exemption, since facilitation is not systems analysis or programming.
List CSM or PSM as preferred, add SAFe only if you scale, and weigh real facilitation experience over the certification.
Pay anchor: $100,750 median for project management specialists (BLS, May 2024); Scrum Master market data tends to run higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a scrum master do?
A Scrum Master helps a team deliver work using Scrum, an agile framework. The core duties are consistent: facilitating the Scrum events (sprint planning, daily standups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives), removing impediments that slow the team down, coaching the team on Scrum and agile practices, supporting the Product Owner with backlog management, and fostering continuous improvement. A common way to describe the role is a servant leader who serves the team rather than managing it: the Scrum Master is not the team's boss and usually does not have hiring or firing authority over its members. The emphasis shifts by context. On an engineering team a technical Scrum Master understands the work and dependencies; across multiple teams a senior Scrum Master handles coordination and scaling; and at a small company the role is often blended with the Product Owner role. In federal data the role maps most closely to project management specialists (SOC 13-1082), since there is no dedicated Scrum Master code.
What is the difference between a scrum master and a product owner?
They are two distinct roles in Scrum, and understanding the split matters before you hire. The Product Owner owns the what: the product vision, the backlog, and the priorities, deciding what the team builds and in what order to maximize value. The Scrum Master owns the how: the process, facilitating Scrum events, removing impediments, and coaching the team to work effectively. Put simply, the Product Owner maximizes the value of the product, while the Scrum Master helps the team work well. Scrum deliberately keeps these separate because the priorities can pull in different directions, and one person wearing both hats can struggle to balance pushing for scope against protecting the team's pace. That said, at a small company the two are sometimes combined into a hybrid role out of practical necessity, which is a reasonable tradeoff if you name it openly. This page includes a hybrid Scrum Master / Product Owner template for exactly that situation. If you have the headcount, keeping the roles separate is the standard approach.
Do I need a dedicated scrum master?
Not always, and it is worth deciding honestly before you post. A dedicated Scrum Master generally pays off once you have at least one full Scrum team, which is roughly three to nine developers plus a Product Owner, and the value grows as you run multiple parallel teams that need coordination. Below that, with a very small engineering group of around four or fewer, a dedicated role is often hard to justify, because an engineering lead can run the standups and retrospectives and the overhead of a separate role does not pay back. In that situation, teams commonly use a hybrid role (Scrum Master combined with Product Owner), an engineering manager who also facilitates, or a developer who rotates into part-time Scrum Master duties. So size the role to your reality: one full team or more justifies a dedicated Scrum Master, while a smaller team is usually better served by a hybrid or a shared responsibility. This page includes hybrid and first-Scrum-Master templates for smaller and growing teams, plus standard and senior versions for established agile organizations.
Is a scrum master exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
A Scrum Master is almost always exempt, and the correct basis is usually the administrative exemption rather than the computer-employee exemption, which is a distinction employers often get wrong. Under the administrative exemption, the role qualifies when it is paid a salary at or above the threshold, its primary duty is office or non-manual work directly related to business operations, and it involves the exercise of discretion and independent judgment. Department of Labor guidance notes that an employee who leads a team assigned to complete major projects generally meets the administrative duties test even without direct supervisory authority, which fits a Scrum Master well. The computer-employee exemption does not apply, because a Scrum Master does not perform systems analysis, programming, or software engineering as a primary duty; facilitation and coaching are not computer work. A technical Scrum Master with an advanced degree might alternatively qualify under the learned professional exemption. Because classification is duties-based, not title-based, confirm it on the actual role and pay, and note that some states apply stricter tests. This is general information, not legal advice.
What certifications should a scrum master have?
Several certifications are common, and a quick decoder helps if you are not steeped in agile. The two most common entry-level credentials are CSM (Certified ScrumMaster), offered by Scrum Alliance, and PSM (Professional Scrum Master), offered by Scrum.org; both signal foundational Scrum knowledge. PSM has levels up to PSM III, and Scrum Alliance offers advanced credentials like A-CSM (Advanced Certified ScrumMaster) and CSP-SM. Companies running scaling frameworks may look for SAFe certifications such as SAFe Scrum Master (SSM). For your posting, list a foundational certification (CSM or PSM) as preferred rather than required, and add an advanced or SAFe credential only if your environment genuinely needs it. The most important thing to remember is that a certification signals baseline knowledge, not proven skill, so weigh real facilitation and coaching experience more heavily than the letters after a name. A strong, experienced facilitator without a current certification is often a better hire than a freshly certified candidate with little hands-on practice.
How much does a scrum master make?
Scrum Master does not have its own federal occupation code, so the closest anchor is project management specialists (SOC 13-1082), which had a median annual wage of about $100,750 in May 2024 (BLS). Market data for Scrum Masters specifically tends to run somewhat higher, commonly in the range of roughly $107,000 to $126,000 depending on the source, with senior Scrum Masters and high-cost tech markets pushing higher and entry-level roles lower. Actual pay varies widely by region, industry, seniority, and whether the role is remote. For your posting, anchor the range to your local market, the seniority level, and your industry rather than to a single national figure, and set a competitive range since experienced Scrum Masters screen on pay. Because the role is typically exempt, pay is structured as a salary rather than hourly. Keep in mind that the federal proxy occupation blends many project roles, so treat it as a floor reference and use specialized market data for a tighter Scrum Master range.
Is an agile scrum master different from a scrum master?
No, they are the same role, and the two terms are used interchangeably. Scrum is itself an agile framework, so agile Scrum Master is simply a more descriptive way of writing the same title, often used in postings to emphasize that the role works within an agile environment. A search for either term returns essentially the same results and the same intent. You do not need two separate postings. That said, the word agile sometimes signals that an employer wants someone comfortable beyond strict Scrum, including with other agile approaches like Kanban or with scaling frameworks, so if your environment uses more than textbook Scrum, it is worth saying so in the posting. The templates on this page work for both framings. If you want to be precise, describe the actual framework and tools your team uses (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and your work-tracking software) rather than relying on the agile label alone, since that tells candidates more than the title does.
What happens after I hire a scrum master?
Run a structured onboarding so the Scrum Master can start facilitating quickly. Send the offer with the salary and the FLSA classification (typically exempt via the administrative exemption), collect the signed offer, complete Form I-9 within the first days, and gather tax forms. Then handle the role-specific setup: access to your work-tracking and collaboration tools, an introduction to the team and the Product Owner, a clear picture of the current delivery process and its pain points, and agreement on the first improvements to focus on. Because a Scrum Master succeeds through the team, early introductions and context matter more than for a solo role. A 30-60-90 day plan works well, since the role is expected to improve how the team delivers over time. FirstHR handles the onboarding side with e-signature for the offer, an onboarding workflow and AI onboarding wizard that run the same setup for every hire, and document management for signed documents and certifications. FirstHR does not run payroll or administer benefits, so connect your payroll and benefits providers. Applicant tracking is coming soon to FirstHR.
