Release Train Engineer

Release Train Engineer III
Mooresville, NC - Hybrid 3 days onsite each week
6-month contract with a possibility of contract to hire
Pay Rate: $52.00 to $58.00 per hr.

We need an Information Technology Release Train Engineer who manages and optimizes the flow of value through the Agile Release Train. An Engineer at this level leads Agile Release Trains (ARTs), resolves and escalates impediments, manages risk, ensures value delivery, and drives program-level continuous improvement. We are in the middle of a large-scale Agile transformation across the Consumer business, which includes 68 teams at various maturity levels. Roughly a third of these teams are not yet trained in Agile or on our standardized project management software. This Release Train Engineer will focus less on traditional release coordination (for now) and more on leading transformation activities, coaching teams, and ensuring smooth adoption of Agile practices, tooling, and processes. The initial focus will be on Consumer Product (ATM, mortgage, credit card, deposits), with the expectation to later move into other verticals such as ATM or Risk.

Primary Responsibilities
Agile Transformation & Coaching

• Identify "waves" of full-stack teams to onboard into Agile, often 8-9 teams at a time, in varying states of maturity.
• Oversee team readiness: security setup, tool migration (Jira), and preparation for Agile launch.
• Migrate team data into Jira just before training to ensure familiarity from day one.
• Coach Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and teams before and after launch through first planning session.
• Observe stand-ups, provide actionable feedback, and hold 1:1 coaching sessions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for questions and challenges during the transition.

Training & Enablement

• Participate in PMO-led week-long Agile training for each team, identifying gaps and supplementing with targeted instruction.
• Deliver follow-up training on specific topics (e.g., estimation techniques).
• Develop team-specific training materials and curriculum when needed.

Coordination & Future State

• Coordinate tooling migrations when converging multiple teams onto the same software.
• Support a new demand funnel process for incoming work, ensuring Product Owners are comfortable with workflow and data.
• Once transformation is complete, shift into more traditional RTE activities such as release coordination and delivery flow monitoring.

Required Skills:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field
• Minimum 5 years in Release Train Engineer or Scrum Master roles.
• Banking industry experience required - no exceptions due to contract length and domain complexity.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to influence and lead change without direct authority.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills; able to work with resistance and guide teams through change.
• Highly adaptable to different verticals, technical contexts, and organizational cultures.
• Agile certification (e.g., SAFe RTE, SPC, CSM, PSM) highly preferred; exceptional experience may substitute.