LOCATION: RemotePOSITION: RELEASE TRAIN ENGINEERThe Release Train Engineer (RTE) is a servant leader and coach for the Agile Release Train (ART), responsible for facilitating ART events, enabling flow, and driving relentless improvement in alignment with SAFe guidance. This role manages Scrum Masters, partners with Product and Engineering functions, and supports budget and delivery reporting for transparency.
PRIMARY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES:- ART Facilitation & Cadence
- Plan and facilitate PI Planning including readiness (content, logistics) and execution, driving alignment to a shared mission, vision, and committed PI Objectives
- Lead ART Syncs to surface cross-team dependencies, progress, scope adjustments, and impediments; time-box and coordinate effective meet-afters
- Orchestrate System Demos each iteration and the Inspect & Adapt (I&A) event, including quantitative/qualitative assessment and the structured problem-solving workshop.
- Flow, Transparency & Reporting
- Operate and continuously improve the Program Kanban, apply WIP limits, and optimize the flow of Features/Capabilities across the ART using SAFe Flow Metrics (distribution, velocity, time, load, efficiency, predictability)
- Track and improve the ART Predictability Measure using team and ART PI Objectives (business value) and report outcomes
- Support budget and delivery reporting for the ART, ensuring transparency and data-driven decision making.
- Facilitate risk management using ROAM and maintain program risks through to resolution.
- Collaboration & Partnership
- Partner with Product Management (who owns scope/backlog) and Engineering to ensure backlog readiness, prioritization, and alignment.
- Collaborate with business owners and stakeholders to surface dependencies and drive cross-team coordination.
- DevOps & Continuous Delivery
- Champion SAFe's CALMR DevOps approach and support the maturation of the ART's Continuous Delivery Pipeline.
- People Leadership
- Manage, coach, and develop Scrum Masters, fostering a culture of servant leadership and continuous improvement.
- Support Scrum Masters in removing impediments and optimizing team performance.
- Coach leaders and teams in Lean-Agile practices
- Coach Scrum Masters/Team Coaches, POs, Business Owners, stakeholders, and leaders on SAFe principles and servant leadership; foster a culture of relentless improvement and Built-In Quality
- Promote a data-informed mindset using SAFe's Measure & Grow domains (Outcomes, Flow, Competency) to guide improvement actions
- Compliance-
- Support delivery in regulated healthcare settings (e.g., HIPAA/PHI), leveraging SAFe patterns for continuous compliance.
REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS:- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
- Results oriented.
- 6+ years in Agile delivery, with 2+ years in a program-level facilitation or coaching role (e.g., RTE, Senior Scrum Master).
- Experience managing Scrum Masters or Agile team coaches.
- Proven experience facilitating PI Planning and ART-level ceremonies in SAFe.
- Demonstrated proficiency with ART/Program Kanban, dependency and risk management (ROAM), and flow/predictability metrics
- Proficiency with Agile ALM tools (Azure DevOps, Jira) and virtual collaboration platforms.
- Strong communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills.
ADDITIONAL PREFERRED EXPERIENCE:
- Certified SAFe4 Release Train Engineer (RTE) or SAFe4 Program Consultant (SPC).
- Experience in healthcare IT and familiarity with privacy/regulatory requirements.
- Working knowledge of DevOps/CALMR and Continuous Delivery Pipeline.
