Release Train Engineer SME

Job Description

Everforth ECS is seeking a Release Train Engineer SME to work in the National Capital Region covering the Pentagon, Falls Church, and Fairfax . Please Note: This position is contingent upon contract award.

The War Data Platform (WDP) is a key initiative within the U.S. Department of War's (DoW) AI-First strategy introduced in early 2026. The WDP focuses on operational warfighting data and aims to accelerate the deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) on the battlefield. The WDP extends to Unclassified, Secret, and Top Secret environments, and supports collaboration between Combatant Commands, Joint Staff directorates, Senior Executive Service leaders, and operational analysts.

The Release Train Engineer SME serves as a senior technical and managerial authority for the WDP Core Integration Agile Release Train, orchestrating Program Increment planning, cross-team delivery governance, and DevSecOps pipelines operations across environments to ensure continuous, mission-aligned capability delivery at enterprise scale. In this role, the Release Train Engineer integrates agile program leadership, toolchain governance, and executive stakeholder engagement to maximize Agile Release Train velocity, integration maturity, and delivery predictability across all classification domains.

Provides technical and management leadership on major enterprise assignments across environments understanding the status of features across the enterprise
Establishes release-train goals, milestones, and performance controls that meet project objectives; directs and controls scope, staffing, methods, and financial management for cross-functional teams spanning development, test, integration, staging, and production.
Supports Agile ceremonies and Increment planning; negotiates priorities, dependencies, and risk trade-offs with engineering teams, management teams, stakeholders, and end users.
Applies agile domain expertise and toolchain mastery across Jira, Confluence, GitLab, Jenkins, SonarQube, and automated DevSecOps pipelines to drive velocity, feature readiness, integration maturity, and compliance.
Governs Infrastructure-as-Code and Configuration-as-Code baselines across multiple security enclaves; monitors and reports burndown trends, defect density, pipeline stability, integration success rates, and delivery throughput.
Directs triage and incident recovery to remove blockers across environments.
Produces Program objectives, readiness assessments, cost and schedule status, and executive dashboards used for client decision-making and roadmap alignment.
Coaches teams on Agile execution, systems coordination, and disciplined workflow, implementing continuous-improvement actions that reduce rework, improve predictability, and accelerate mission value.
Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Skills

Current Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
15 or more years of progressive experience in Agile program management, systems engineering, or software delivery leadership, with demonstrated experience supporting enterprise-scale federal or defense programs across multiple classification enclaves.
Demonstrated experience orchestrating Agile ceremonies across multiple concurrent Agile teams, including PI Planning, System Demos, Scrum of Scrums, and Inspect and Adapt (I&A) events, with direct responsibility for negotiating cross-team dependencies and delivery trade-offs with senior Government stakeholders.
Hands-on proficiency with DevSecOps toolchain platforms, including Jira, Confluence, GitLab CI/CD, Jenkins, and SonarQube, including demonstrated experience applying pipeline automation, integration health monitoring, and delivery throughput reporting across classified and unclassified environments.
Proven ability to produce and present Program Increment objectives, readiness assessments, burndown and defect density reports, and executive-level program dashboards to Senior Executive Service-level or equivalent Government leadership.
Experience directing cross-functional delivery teams spanning software development, system operations, cybersecurity, integration, and test disciplines in a continuous delivery environment with concurrent mission commitments.
Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities, with a proven ability to weigh the relative costs and benefits of potential actions and identify the most appropriate solution.
Highly developed interpersonal and oral/written communication skills, with the ability to effectively and professionally interact with a diverse set of stakeholders (from peers to end-users to executive management).

Desired Skills

Active Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility.
Active SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) certification from Scaled Agile, Inc., demonstrating proficiency in Agile Release Train facilitation, Program Increment planning, and SAFe program-level governance.
Demonstrated experience governing Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and Configuration-as-Code (CaC) baselines across multiple security enclaves, including AWS GovCloud, SC2S, and C2S environments at IL2, IL5, IL6, and JWICS classification levels.
Experience functioning as an Agile Release Train (ART) Engineer at the program portfolio level, including demonstrated ability to translate mission intent from senior stakeholders into prioritized epics, capabilities, and sprint-level work items across multiple concurrent Agile teams.
Familiarity with Risk Management Framework (RMF) authorization activities, Zero Trust implementation, and continuous monitoring practices as they affect Agile delivery cadence, pipeline compliance, and feature release readiness across NIPRNet, SIPRNet, and JWICS.
Background supporting AI/ML platform delivery, enterprise data engineering, or cloud-native infrastructure programs within a SAFe Agile Release Train structure, including experience coordinating integration milestones across Data Engineering, Platform Operations, and Cybersecurity teams.
Familiarity with DoW organizational structures, including CDAO enterprise priorities, Joint Staff directorates, and Combatant Command mission requirements, and demonstrated ability to align Agile Release Train delivery commitments to operational mission outcomes.
Prior experience applying Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) principles and Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) practices within a DevSecOps delivery pipeline, including experience managing third-party software component risk across multiple security enclaves.

ECS Federal LLC is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate or allow discrimination on the basis any characteristic protected by law. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to disability, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local jurisdiction law.

Everforth ECS is the federal segment of Everforth , a $4B global organization with over 10,000 employees. Our nearly 3,500 professionals deliver advanced technology solutions in data and AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise transformation, serving defense, intelligence, and federal civilian agencies.

Our work powers mission-critical outcomes, strengthens technology partnerships, and creates meaningful opportunities for our people. We are defined by a commitment to excellence in delivery, a culture of innovation, and an environment where talent can thrive and grow.

We value:

• Attracting and developing top talent and high-performing teams
• Fostering a culture that is engaging, accountable, and mission-driven