Release Train Engineer

Job Summary

We are seeking an experienced Release Train Engineer (RTE) to lead and facilitate the execution of an Agile Release Train (ART) within a SAFe environment. The RTE will drive program-level coordination, facilitate PI Planning, manage dependencies and risks, remove impediments, and foster continuous improvement across teams. The ideal candidate will be an experienced Agile leader with strong expertise in SAFe and Agile methodologies, capable of coaching teams, Scrum Masters, and leaders toward Lean-Agile ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and facilitate the Agile Release Train (ART) process, execution, and program-level ceremonies.
• Assess the ART''s agility and maturity, identify improvement opportunities, and implement continuous improvement initiatives.
• Facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning, ensuring planning readiness, alignment, transparency, and effective execution.
• Coordinate ART activities throughout the complete PI lifecycle and ensure teams remain aligned with program objectives.
• Facilitate ART synchronization events, including Scrum of Scrums, PO Sync, ART Sync, Inspect & Adapt, and other SAFe ceremonies.
• Identify, manage, resolve, and escalate program-level impediments, risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Coordinate dependencies between the ART and other Agile Release Trains, programs, and stakeholders.
• Foster continuous backlog refinement and planning readiness for upcoming PI Planning events.
• Collaborate with Product Management, Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Architects, Engineering, and business stakeholders to maintain alignment.
• Coach leaders, teams, Scrum Masters, and Product Owners on Lean-Agile principles, SAFe practices, and Agile mindsets.
• Promote collaboration, transparency, synchronization, and effective communication across ART teams.
• Collect and analyze Agile and program metrics to evaluate progress, predictability, quality, and team/ART performance.
• Facilitate feedback loops and use metrics to identify opportunities for program-level improvement.
• Support Inspect & Adapt sessions and ensure improvement actions are identified, prioritized, and tracked.
• Help establish and maintain effective governance, communication, and reporting mechanisms across the ART.
• Partner with other RTEs and enterprise stakeholders to improve cross-program coordination and delivery.
• Drive a culture of continuous learning, servant leadership, accountability, and relentless improvement.

Required Skills

• Agile Methodology – Advanced
• SAFe – Advanced
• Strong hands-on experience facilitating Agile Release Trains (ARTs).
• Extensive experience with PI Planning and SAFe program-level ceremonies.
• Strong understanding of Lean-Agile principles, SAFe practices, Scrum, Kanban, and Agile delivery.
• Proven experience managing risks, impediments, dependencies, and escalations at the program level.
• Strong coaching and facilitation skills.
• Experience working with Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Product Management, Engineering, Architecture, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of Agile metrics, reporting, and continuous improvement.
• Excellent communication, collaboration, conflict-resolution, and stakeholder-management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) certification preferred.
• SAFe Scrum Master, SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager, or other SAFe certifications are a plus.
• Experience with tools such as Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps, Rally, or similar Agile management platforms.
• Experience working in large-scale enterprise Agile transformations.
• Experience coordinating multiple Agile teams or multiple ARTs.

Core Competencies

• Agile & Lean-Agile Leadership
• SAFe Framework
• ART Execution & Coordination
• PI Planning & Execution
• Program-Level Risk & Dependency Management
• Agile Coaching
• Servant Leadership
• Stakeholder Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Metrics & Performance Management
• Facilitation & Conflict Resolution
• Cross-Team Collaboration