Release Train Engineer

Overview

The Release Train Engineer is responsible for facilitating and coaching Agile Release Trains. The focus is on delivery, process improvement, removing team impediments, driving alignment, facilitating Program or ART level ceremonies. They coordinate key ART events, such as PI Planning, System Demos, Scrum of Scrums, Inspect & Adapt workshops, and PO Syncs. As servant leaders and coaches, they support their value stream and stakeholders. Participation in projects (primarily Cloud-related) with high complexity, under moderate supervision with latitude for independent judgment. Understanding of business, products and operating environment is critical; advanced problem-solving needs and leads project teams through complexities and ambiguities. Career professional within field; skilled and proficient in discipline. Candidates with experience leading large mission critical financial on premise to cloud migration efforts especially in the banking sector preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to support the definition and execution of the ART, including Product and Technical backlog development and prioritization
• Facilitate ART level synchronization events (ART Sync, PO/PM Sync, Scrum of Scrum)
• Facilitate Planning Increment and Inspect & Adapt Workshop
• Continuously ensure planned work aligns to the Release Train value stream
• Enable teams to remove impediments. Act as escalation point for impediments the team cannot remove in a timely manner
• Own escalated impediments and raise issues to leadership if they cannot be resolved in a timely manner
• Continuously work with teams and deliver PI Objectives
• Own the Agile Release Train Risks, Assumptions, Issues and Dependencies (RAID) or Risks, Owned, Accepted, Mitigated (ROAM) logs
• Manage dependencies between Development Teams within and across Programs or Agile Release Trains
• Partner with others to identify and address staffing and tool needs
• Enable and coach teams to define capacity for PI Planning
• Develop and serve as owner of the program release communication plan; schedule and facilitate program release planning activities
• Gather and report performance information and metrics (e.g., Release burn down data, etc.)
• Update and communicate Release Plans
• Collaborate with Product Management, Systems Architects, teams as needed
• Build and maintain relationships with lines of business, teams, management, and key stakeholders
• Ensure effective decision-making by bringing the right stakeholders together
• Measure and report on the ROI of Agile practices to leadership
• Support the Communities of Practice as needed
• Help bring the Agile community to Navy Federal
• Assist with developing and delivering training and workshops as requested
• Become an influential leader within for the team and promote Agility across Navy Federal
• Encourage teams to embrace a Lean/Agile Mindset
• Awareness of organization and portfolio alignment
• Perform other duties as assigned

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in information technology, Computer Science, or related field, or the equivalent combination of education, training, and experience
• At least 10 years of experience working within Information Technology
• Significant experience working in a large IT organization as a Program Manager, Delivery Lead or Release Train Engineer successfully coaching and transitioning teams, programs, and portfolios
• SAFe RTE, Leading SAFE or SAFe Advanced Scrum Master certification
• Experience working with tools such as Azure DevOps
• Experience in creating reporting metrics and dashboards that illustrate the flow of value
• Experience in leading successful delivery teams, and software development
• Experience as a delivery Lead in leading transformation, successful track record implementing Agile SAFe
• Experience working with all levels of staff, management, stakeholders, and vendors
• Experience in leading, guiding and coaching professional staff
• Experience coaching, mentoring scrum masters and empowering the delivery teams to embrace agility
• Ability to remove impediments that impact the team's planned execution
• Ability to create release plans and roadmaps needed for existing product or platform release
• Advanced skill to influence, negotiate and persuade to reach agreeable exchange and positive outcomes
• Advanced skill in motivating and uplifting team members using teaching/mentoring skills
• Advanced skill building effective relationships through rapport, trust, diplomacy and tact
• Advanced problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, team building, and presentation skills
• Advanced verbal, interpersonal and written communication skills
• Advanced word processing, spreadsheet, diagramming, and presentation software skills
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team in a matrixed environment
• Advanced skill to deliver presentations to virtual and in-person teams

Desired Qualifications

• SAFe Program Consultant Certification
• CSPO, PMI, Scrum@Scale Practitioner, CSPO or other advanced Agile Certification
• Experience leading Agile teams as a Release Train Engineer
• Experience working within an organization going through an Agile transformation
• Knowledge of Navy Federal functions, philosophy, operations and organizational objectives
• Experience engaging with product teams and managing implementations of Cloud solutions including aspects like compute, network, storage, security, monitoring, automation, and cost optimization
• Understanding of hybrid and full cloud infrastructure technologies (Preferably Azure - IaaS, PaaS & SaaS solutions)
• Experience in implementing cloud-based solutions that leverages cloud best practices and security controls
• Understanding of various serverless technologies and container-based platforms including Azure Functions, Kubernetes and Docker
• Ability to facilitate Cloud intake and Program Increments readiness activities with Architects, Engineers and Product owners and foster the delivery of features and capabilities

Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:00AM - 4:30PM

Location: 820 Follin Lane, Vienna, VA 22180

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