Professional services · Scrum Masters
Hire Scrum Masters from Canada, Latin America, and the US
Hire a Scrum Master who helps your teams deliver working software sprint after sprint. We find the right person, or build your entire team, in Canada, Latin America, or the US, on a contract, permanent, or fractional basis.
Scrum Masters, screened by Scrum Masters
DevEngine is a Vancouver-based IT recruitment and staffing firm. We recruit Scrum Masters from Canada, Latin America, and the US for contract, permanent, or fractional roles. Most of these searches are for teams that are adopting Scrum, scaling to more teams, or missing sprint commitments. A senior Scrum Master screens every candidate before you see one. You manage the day-to-day work. We handle contracts, HR, and admin.
The role
A Scrum Master makes the team better at delivering
A Scrum Master is accountable for how effectively a Scrum team works. They coach the team and the product owner on Scrum, make sure the Scrum events lead somewhere, and clear the impediments that slow the team down. The Scrum Master doesn't assign work or set priorities. The developers decide how to build, and the product owner decides what comes next.
Day to day, that means facilitating sprint planning, daily scrums, reviews, and retrospectives, tracking whether the team is improving, and working with other teams and managers to remove blockers the team can't clear on its own.
The role is often confused with two others, and organizations define all three differently. In general:
Scrum Master
- Focus
- How one or a few Scrum teams work and improve
- Core question
- Is this team getting better at delivering each sprint?
- Typical outputs
- Effective Scrum events, a visible impediment list, team improvement goals
- Works most with
- The development team and the product owner
- Often brought in when
- A team is adopting Scrum or keeps missing its sprint goals
Agile coach
- Focus
- How the organization adopts and scales Agile ways of working
- Core question
- Are our teams and leaders working in a way that lets us adapt?
- Typical outputs
- Transformation roadmaps, team and leadership coaching, operating model changes
- Works most with
- Leadership, managers, and several teams
- Often brought in when
- Several teams or a business unit are changing how they work
Project manager
- Focus
- Delivery of a defined project
- Core question
- Will this project ship on scope, schedule, and budget?
- Typical outputs
- Project plans, schedules, status reports, risk logs
- Works most with
- Stakeholders, vendors, and the delivery team
- Often brought in when
- Priorities are set, and the risk is schedule and dependencies
If the gap is planning and tracking a defined project, see Hire Project Managers. If several projects need to deliver one outcome, see Hire Program Managers.
When to hire
When you need a Scrum Master
The need usually shows up as one of these situations:
Sprints keep missing their goals.
Work carries over sprint after sprint, and no one is looking at why.
The Scrum events happen, but nothing changes.
Retrospectives repeat the same complaints, and planning runs long without producing a realistic plan.
Blockers sit for days.
Dependencies on other teams, environments, or approvals stall the work, and no one owns clearing them.
You're adopting or scaling Scrum.
New teams, a distributed setup, or a move from another way of working needs someone who has run Scrum well before.
Need a different role?
If the work is changing how several teams or a whole business unit operates, hire an Agile coach. If it's planning a defined project against scope, schedule, and budget, hire a project manager. We recruit for both roles.
Our screen
What our senior Scrum Masters look for
Most candidates can describe the Scrum events. Fewer can point to a team that delivered better because of how they ran them. That's why every candidate is screened by a senior Scrum Master, not a recruiter matching keywords.
Facilitation, not meeting management
We ask them to walk through a retrospective that changed how the team worked. A strong Scrum Master improves the team, not only the calendar.
Removing blockers beyond the team
We ask about an impediment outside the team they cleared, and how they got other teams or managers to act on it.
Using metrics honestly
We ask how they use velocity or burndown, and when those numbers misled them. Strong Scrum Masters use metrics to start conversations, not to grade people.
Fluency with your constraints
A Scrum Master who has worked with distributed teams, regulated releases, or scaled frameworks such as SAFe reasons differently from one who hasn't. We weight that context, not only certifications.
Candidates who treat Scrum as a meeting schedule, report velocity as a performance score, or can't name an impediment they removed are screened out. Your interviews focus on fit, not filtering.
Where we source
Hire from Canada, Latin America, or the US
One search can cover all three talent pools. Brief the role once, and compare candidates from each market side by side before you decide.
Canada
- Where candidates are based
- Across Canada
- Working hours
- Canadian time zones, Pacific to Atlantic
- Cost
- Canadian market rates. See the Canada salary guide below.
- Fits when
- The role needs knowledge of the North American market, regular in-person time in Canada, or a Canadian base
Latin America
- Where candidates are based
- Across Latin America, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Costa Rica
- Working hours
- Within 2 hours of US Eastern time, year-round. Up to 4 hours ahead of Pacific time.
- Cost
- Typically 35–40% below comparable North American cost. See the Latin America salary guide below.
- Fits when
- You want a wider candidate pool or more seniority for the budget, or the Scrum Master will work with a nearshore team
United States
- Where candidates are based
- Across the United States
- Working hours
- US time zones, Pacific to Eastern
- Cost
- US market rates.
- Fits when
- The role needs knowledge of the US market, regular in-person time at a US site, or a US base
Not sure which market fits? Tell us about the role, and we'll scope it in each market and show you candidates and cost side by side.
Technology salaries in Canada and Latin America
Benchmark salaries by role and seniority before you set a budget.
Engagement models
Contract, permanent, or fractional
Contract
- Who employs the Scrum Master
- DevEngine
- Time commitment
- Full-time, for a defined period
- Fits when
- A new team's first months, a delivery recovery, or leave cover
- Placement protection
- Two-week guarantee
Permanent
- Who employs the Scrum Master
- You
- Time commitment
- Full-time, ongoing
- Fits when
- Your teams run Scrum continuously and need a standing Scrum Master
- Placement protection
- 180-day prorated guarantee from the start date: full refund in the first 30 days, then partial refunds on a sliding scale
Fractional
- Who employs the Scrum Master
- DevEngine
- Time commitment
- Part-time, hourly or monthly
- Fits when
- A Scrum health check, part-time support for one team, or mentoring a new Scrum Master, without a full-time seat
- Placement protection
- Tailored to the scope of work
Each model works a little differently depending on whether you hire in Canada, Latin America, or the US. Compare the options by market to find the engagement that fits your team.
Explore services by marketHow it works
How a Scrum Master search runs
You brief us on the teams involved, how they work today, and what has to change.
We source for your role in Canada, Latin America, or the US, not from a bench.
A senior Scrum Master screens each candidate. Someone who does the same work, not a recruiter matching keywords.
You choose who to interview and who to hire.
You direct the work. On contract and fractional engagements, DevEngine holds the contract and handles payroll and compliance. On a permanent hire, the Scrum Master joins your payroll.
If the placement isn't working, we replace the candidate: within two weeks on contract, or under the 180-day prorated guarantee on a permanent hire.
FAQ
Scrum Master hiring questions
How much does it cost to hire a Scrum Master?
Cost depends on four things: seniority, the number of teams the role supports, the market you hire from, and the engagement model. Hiring in Latin America typically costs 35–40% less than comparable North American hires. For salary benchmarks across technology roles, download the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide. DevEngine quotes against your actual brief on the first call.
Can the Scrum Master also be the product owner?
It's generally avoided. The Scrum Guide treats them as separate accountabilities: the product owner decides what the team works on next, and the Scrum Master helps the team work effectively. When one person does both, the priorities and the team's process tend to compete for the same attention. On small teams, one person sometimes covers both for a period.
Which certifications do Scrum Masters hold?
Common certifications include Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) and Advanced CSM from Scrum Alliance, Professional Scrum Master (PSM I to III) from Scrum.org, and SAFe Scrum Master for teams working in the Scaled Agile Framework. Certifications show framework knowledge, but not whether someone can help a team improve. That's what the senior Scrum Master screen tests.
Can I hire a fractional Scrum Master?
Yes. A fractional Scrum Master works part-time, on an hourly or monthly cadence, inside your team and tools. Companies often use one for a Scrum health check, part-time support for a single team, or mentoring a newly appointed Scrum Master. DevEngine places fractional Scrum Masters from Canada, Latin America, and the US.
Should I hire a Scrum Master from Canada, Latin America, or the US?
Companies often choose Canada or the US when the role needs local market knowledge, regular in-person time, or a base in that country. Latin America offers a wider pool and more seniority for the budget, with working hours within 2 hours of US Eastern. DevEngine can run the search across all three markets so you can compare candidates.
Can a Scrum Master work with a DevEngine Engineering POD?
Yes. A Scrum Master can sit inside an Engineering POD or support one alongside your internal teams. You choose the POD's composition and direct the work. The Scrum Master runs the Scrum events and clears impediments, and the engineers deliver on your sprint cadence, in your tools.
What's your interest?
Choose the path that aligns with how you want to build and scale your team.
Tell us how your teams work today.
We'll tell you which market and model fit, and how long the search should take.
Not ready to talk yet? Compare technology salaries in the Canada Salary Guide or the Latin America Salary Guide.
