Associate Principal - Program & Project Management

Job Title Scrum Master cum Program Manager AI Development Agile Team

The Scrum Master cum Program Manager will lead and coordinate an AI development agile team ensuring effective agile practices program management and delivery of AIdriven software products This role combines agile team facilitation with strategic program oversight to align development efforts with business goals and stakeholder expectations

Facilitate and lead scrum ceremonies daily standups sprint planning retrospectives backlog grooming to ensure smooth agile workflows and team collaboration

Manage the software development lifecycle from planning through delivery ensuring milestones and quality standards are met

Coordinate crossfunctional teams and stakeholders to align project objectives with business priorities

Oversee programlevel planning risk management resource allocation and progress tracking

Implement and adapt agile methodologies to accommodate evolving AI project requirements and improve team productivity

Foster a collaborative and productive team environment providing leadership and guidance

Monitor project performance identify bottlenecks and drive process improvements

Manage communication across teams and stakeholders including reporting project status risks and deliverables

Support quality assurance and user acceptance testing processes to maintain product reliability

Utilize data analysis and AI tools to inform decisionmaking and optimize workflows

Negotiate with stakeholders and vendors to secure necessary resources and resolve issues

Promote AI ethics and responsible AI practices within the team and project scope

Apply Ciscospecific release management processes to ensure controlled and efficient software releases aligned with Cisco standards

Required Skills and Competencies

Strong knowledge of agile methodologies and Scrum framework

Proven experience in program and project management preferably in AI or software development environments

Excellent communication facilitation and stakeholder management skills

Ability to lead crossfunctional teams and manage multiple priorities

Proficiency in data analysis and using AIassisted tools for project tracking and reporting

Strategic planning and problemsolving capabilities

Familiarity with quality assurance user acceptance testing and software development lifecycle processes

Understanding of AI development challenges and ethical considerations

Experience with tools such as JIRA Kanban boards and agile project management software

Awareness of basic AI tools and technologies used within Cisco including AIpowered assistants and automation platforms

Knowledge of Ciscos release management process to coordinate software deployment and version control effectively