Release Train Engineer

General Info:

US Citizens or GC Holders only

Must be on our W2- no C2C

About the Role:

We are seeking an experienced Release Train Engineer (RTE) to serve as a Chief Scrum Master leading five Agile teams with interconnected workstreams. This role requires a dynamic servant leader who can optimize flow, improve delivery processes, and guide organizational transformation from project- to product-based models.

The ideal candidate will facilitate coordination and execution across teams, drive lean-agile practices, and work closely with executive stakeholders to ensure alignment with strategic objectives. This position directly supports teams delivering DevOps toolchain services, cloud infrastructure, logging/monitoring capabilities, and digital data platform initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

Agile Release Train (ART) Leadership:

• Act as the Chief Scrum Master for five Agile teams with interconnected priorities.
• Lead and facilitate key SAFe ART events (e.g., PI Planning, Inspect & Adapt, System Demos).
• Coordinate with Product Management, System Architects, and Business Owners for cross-team alignment.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and Agile maturity across the ART.

Program Increment (PI) Planning & Execution:

• Prepare ART and stakeholders for quarterly PI Planning events.
• Facilitate PI Planning sessions, ensure event readiness, and manage planning logistics.
• Monitor PI progress and facilitate ART-level ceremonies to maintain momentum and alignment.
• Partner with Product Owners and Technical Product Owner to align roadmaps and execution.

Flow Optimization & Lean Delivery:

• Establish and maintain ART Kanban systems and WIP limits to ensure efficient value flow.
• Apply SAFe flow metrics (e.g., Flow Velocity, Flow Time, Flow Efficiency) to identify bottlenecks and guide improvement.
• Reduce cross-team dependencies and streamline delivery paths.
• Lead value stream mapping and advocate for data-informed decision-making.

Coaching & Organizational Agility:

• Provide servant leadership and coaching to Scrum Masters, Product Managers, Business Owners, and team members.
• Use facilitation and mentoring techniques to encourage reflection and Agile adoption.
• Support the organization’s transition from project to product operating models.
• Promote product thinking and integrate Agile best practices into team behaviors.

Stakeholder Engagement & Communication:

• Communicate progress, risks, and insights to executive and senior leadership stakeholders.
• Influence across second- and third-level leadership to foster alignment and transparency.
• Represent the ART in planning and coordination with other trains or portfolios.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred).
• 5+ years of Agile experience in a scaled Agile environment (SAFe preferred).
• 3+ years in an RTE, Chief Scrum Master, or servant leadership role.
• Strong command of Lean/Agile delivery principles and flow optimization.
• Proven experience facilitating PI Planning and cross-functional team coordination.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence and engage senior leadership.
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or similar Agile certification.
• Familiarity with DevOps principles, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud technologies (preferably AWS).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Background supporting DevOps, infrastructure, or engineering enablement teams.
• Understanding of SAFe metrics and Lean Portfolio Management.
• Experience with ServiceNow, ITIL practices, and compliance/security controls.
• Exposure to toolsets such as Jira, Confluence, Splunk, Jenkins, GitHub, SonarQube, JFrog, and AWS.

Core Competencies & Soft Skills:

• Thought leadership in Agile transformation and best practices.
• Strong facilitation, coaching, and mentoring abilities.
• Ability to navigate ambiguity and adapt in dynamic environments.
• Executive-level communication and influence.
• Transparent, collaborative, and highly relational approach to team engagement.
• Strategic mindset with ability to align team execution with organizational goals.