Scrum Master Agile Coach

Natesa G. Sabapathy, Ph.D., MBA

Agile Coach & Senior Scrum Master Fremont, CA 248-***-**** ***************@*****.***

Summary

Energetic and results-driven Scrum Master & Agile Coach with over a decade of experience leading cross-functional teams through transformative Agile journeys. Passionate about building empowered, high-performing teams that deliver exceptional business value through collaboration, continuous improvement, and innovation. Adept at navigating complex technical ecosystems, driving Agile maturity, and integrating emerging tools — including AI — to streamline delivery and amplify impact. Known for fostering trust, transparency, and a culture where people and ideas thrive.

️ Skills

Agile & Frameworks: Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe, Lean, Waterfall and Hybrid

Tools & Platforms: Jira, Jira Align, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Git, Bamboo, Jenkins, CI/CD, TDD, BDD, AI tools integration.

Delivery Excellence: Sprint Planning & Execution, PI Planning, Backlog Management, Velocity Tracking, Release Governance, Data-Driven Decision-Making

Business & Technical Strengths: Product Strategy Alignment, Stakeholder Management, Risk & Dependency Resolution, Cross-Functional Team Facilitation. Understanding the development process to help bridge the gaps between teams and stakeholders.

Team Empowerment: Coaching & Mentorship, Servant Leadership, Psychological Safety, Collaboration Culture, Continuous Improvement

Delivery Excellence: Sprint Planning & Execution, PI Planning, Backlog Management, Velocity Tracking, Release Governance, Data-Driven Decision-Making

Metrics & Reporting: Velocity, Burndown, Predictability Index, Churn Analysis, Agile Maturity Assessment.

Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution: Resolve team conflicts and remove roadblocks to maintain productivity.

Adaptability and Flexibility: Being open to change and quick to pivot.

Empathy & Emotional Intelligence: Understanding team members’ perspectives and emotions; fosters trust and psychological safety.

Strong Organizational Skills: Managing multiple sprint sprints, artifacts and team dynamics.

Time Management: Ensure timely delivery of sprint goals.

️ Experience

Agile Coach & Senior Scrum Master Valorem Ventures LLC, Austin, TX Aug 2024 – Present

Leading Agile transformation at a fast-growing construction tech startup adopting modern project management and AI-assisted Scrum practices.

Coached and mentored two engineering teams transitioning from traditional methods to Agile, resulting in measurable improvements in delivery consistency and collaboration.

Guided the new Product Owner in backlog management and stakeholder alignment to ensure clear, prioritized delivery goals.

Introduced and piloted AI-enhanced tools for sprint planning, retrospectives, and team analytics to optimize velocity and identify improvement areas.

Cultivated a culture of empowerment, accountability, and psychological safety — enabling faster innovation and stronger team cohesion.

Delivered transparent performance insights to leadership through customized dashboards and sprint health metrics.

Lead Scrum Master Wells Fargo, San Leandro, CA Jul 2022 – Jul 2024

Drove Agile maturity and cross-functional alignment for distributed teams within the Customer Lending organization.

Trained and coached two international Scrum teams (U.S. & India) in Agile best practices, improving sprint predictability and collaboration across time zones.

Orchestrated all Scrum ceremonies and optimized sprint planning and retrospectives for better team engagement and delivery cadence.

Leveraged Jira and JQL dashboards for transparent, real-time progress tracking and executive reporting.

Partnered with Product Owners and RTEs during PI Planning and Scrum of Scrums to synchronize dependencies across multiple initiatives.

Proactively identified and removed impediments, accelerating delivery of key notifications and alerts to millions of Wells Fargo customers.

Championed the use of DevOps and CI/CD tools (Git, Puppet, Bamboo, Splunk, Selenium) to strengthen release quality and speed.

Fostered cross-functional, self-organizing teams that consistently exceeded sprint commitments.

SAFe Scrum Master TIAA, Charlotte, NC Nov 2021 – Jun 2022

Drove Agile delivery excellence for two Scrum and Kanban teams supporting large-scale financial solution initiatives.

Coached and mentored 24+ engineers across two teams to adopt and refine Agile practices, improving sprint predictability and collaboration.

Facilitated all Scrum events and guided backlog prioritization to align delivery with business goals.

Proactively managed risks and dependencies, ensuring on-time completion of sprint commitments.

Partnered with release and portfolio leadership during PI Planning and Scrum of Scrums to align cross-team objectives and foster transparency.

Strengthened Agile discipline across teams, resulting in measurable gains in delivery cadence and stakeholder satisfaction.

SAFe Scrum Master AT&T / DIRECTV, El Segundo, CA May 2021 – Oct 2021

Empowered hybrid Scrum teams within a large Agile Release Train to accelerate delivery of high-visibility data management initiatives.

Trained and coached two teams (9–11 members each) in Agile and SAFe principles, improving communication and sprint throughput.

Facilitated key Scrum ceremonies and collaborated with RTEs to ensure seamless integration within the Agile Release Train (ART).

Drove continuous improvement by resolving cross-team dependencies and streamlining blocker management.

Supported the success of Big Data Management projects, enhancing analytics and streaming data capabilities across multiple systems.

Promoted knowledge sharing and Agile best practices, enabling faster and more predictable value delivery.

Agile Coach Entergy, New Orleans, LA Jan 2021 – Mar 2021

Short-term coaching engagement focused on scaling Agile across diverse business domains in the energy sector.

Coached six cross-functional teams and business managers to implement Agile and Scrum frameworks tailored to their operational goals.

Advised leadership on adopting Scaled Agile (SAFe) to improve coordination across retail power distribution units.

Recommended data-driven decision strategies through data mart creation and visualization tools like Tableau for energy consumption analytics.

Established foundational Agile principles and mindsets, setting the stage for sustainable process transformation.

Senior Scrum Master & Project Manager ASML, San Jose, CA Jan 2019 – Oct 2021

Partnered with global engineering teams to deliver high-impact infrastructure and software initiatives in the semiconductor industry.

Guided multiple distributed Scrum teams (U.S., Netherlands, and Taiwan) through complex DevOps-driven projects using Git, Bamboo, Jenkins, Selenium, and Kubernetes.

Coached three teams new to Agile, enabling a smooth transition from traditional project structures to high-performing, iterative delivery models.

Spearheaded the company’s VDI project, completing 20 sprints that delivered incremental value and real-time customer feedback at each iteration.

Served dual roles as Scrum Master and Project Manager for ASML’s Data Center Upgrade — ensuring all phases met stringent quality, cost, and schedule targets.

Cultivated a collaborative environment emphasizing early feedback, cross-functional learning, and continuous improvement across all technical domains.

Championed Agile maturity assessments and sprint retrospectives to drive measurable gains in delivery speed and stakeholder satisfaction.

Cultivated a collaborative environment emphasizing early feedback, cross-functional learning, and continuous improvement across all technical domains.

Cultivated a collaborative environment emphasizing early feedback, cross-functional learning, and continuous improvement across all technical domains.

Scrum Master & Project Manager Kaiser Permanente, Pleasanton, CA Mar 2008 – Dec 2018

Supported large-scale healthcare IT initiatives, driving Agile adoption, and delivering complex system implementations that enhanced operational efficiency.

Coached and facilitated multiple Scrum teams through the implementation of PeopleSoft Supply Chain modules, supporting the Kaiser School of Medicine and hospital equipment management programs.

Delivered six modules in 12 sprints, combining Agile best practices with rigorous stakeholder engagement and sprint discipline.

Partnered with business users and data teams to build data marts for analyzing and optimizing procurement and supply chain processes.

Served as one of the Project Managers in a billion-dollar PeopleSoft installation initiative, ensuring integration of Purchasing, Receiving, Accounts Payable, Project Costing, and Asset Management modules.

Fostered collaboration across technical and business teams, aligning delivery with enterprise goals and compliance requirements.

Encouraged a culture of ownership, transparency, and continuous learning — helping teams deliver consistent, high-quality outcomes.

Education

Ph.D. in Systems Engineering — University of Madras, Chennai, India

MBA in Systems Analysis — University of Madras, Chennai, India

Postgraduate Diploma in Information Technology — Chisholm Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia

Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP) — Project Management Institute (PMI)

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) — Scrum Alliance

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Scrum Master (SSM) — Scaled Agile, Inc.

Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) — Project Management Institute (PMI)

Certified Kanban Expert (Kanban-EXP)

AI and Agile — Scrum Alliance

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt & Yellow Belt

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