Job Description

Our client is undergoing an exciting transformation in how they deliver programs and accordingly, are seeking a highly experienced and dynamic Senior Release Train Engineer (RTE) to spearhead this change. This is a pivotal role where you will be instrumental in defining and implementing a modern release strategy, revolutionizing their current fix and patch processes, and driving the hands-on development of their virtual assets. Leveraging your deep understanding of agile methodologies, particularly within the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), your extensive experience as an RTE, and your technical acumen (ideally rooted in Java development), you will guide and empower our Agile Release Trains (ARTs) to deliver with greater speed, quality, and predictability.

Responsibilities:

• Release Strategy & Implementation: Define, communicate, and implement a comprehensive release strategy for our virtual assets, including the processes for delivering regular features, fixes, and patches. This will involve a significant shift from our current practices.
• Agile Release Train (ART) Leadership: Serve as the servant leader and coach for one or more Agile Release Trains (ARTs), guiding teams and stakeholders on SAFe principles and practices.
• PI Planning Facilitation: Plan and facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning events, ensuring alignment on objectives, priorities, and dependencies across all teams within the ART.
• Impediment Removal: Proactively identify and resolve impediments and dependencies that hinder the progress of the ART and its teams. Escalate issues as necessary to ensure timely resolution.
• Risk and Dependency Management: Manage and mitigate risks and dependencies across the ART, fostering collaboration and communication to ensure smooth delivery.
• Drive Hands-on Development of Virtual Assets: Actively participate in and guide the technical teams in the development and delivery of virtual assets, leveraging your technical background to understand and contribute to the process.
• Champion CICD Implementation: Lead the strategic implementation and continuous improvement of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) pipelines across the organization, leveraging Microsoft technologies.
• Change Management Leadership: Leverage your proven experience to drive significant organizational change in release management processes, effectively communicating the vision, addressing concerns, and fostering adoption.
• Stakeholder Management: Collaborate effectively with Product Management, System Architects, other RTEs, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment on release goals and outcomes.
• Metrics and Reporting: Define and track key metrics to monitor the health and progress of the ART, providing transparent reporting to stakeholders.
• Continuous Improvement: Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the ART, facilitating Inspect and Adapt workshops and driving actionable improvements.
• Microsoft Ecosystem Expertise: Leverage your deep understanding of Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure (Azure) and related Microsoft technologies for CICD (e.g., Azure DevOps, Azure Pipelines, ARM Templates/Bicep, Azure CLI/PowerShell) to effectively manage and automate the release environments.
• Coaching and Mentoring: Mentor Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and development team members on agile and lean practices.

 Qualifications:

• Minimum 5+ years of experience working as a Release Train Engineer (RTE) within a SAFe framework.
• Strong preference for candidates with a background in Java development, providing a solid understanding of the software development lifecycle.
• Proven experience in defining and implementing new release strategies and driving significant change within an organization.
• Demonstrated success in implementing and optimizing Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) pipelines in a previous role.
• Extensive experience with Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure (Azure) and a strong understanding of Microsoft technologies related to CICD, including:
• Azure DevOps (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Test Plans, Artifacts)
• Azure Pipelines (YAML configuration, build and release pipelines)
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates and/or Bicep
• Azure CLI and/or PowerShell for automation
• Familiarity with other relevant Azure services (e.g., Azure Container Registry, Azure Kubernetes Service - a plus).
• In-depth understanding of agile and lean principles and practices.
• Excellent facilitation, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build consensus across diverse teams.
• Strong problem-solving and conflict resolution skills.
• SAFe certification (e.g., SAFe RTE) is highly desirable.
• Experience working with virtualized assets and understanding their development lifecycle is a significant asset.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.