SAFe Release Train Engineer

Role: Release Train Engineer (RTE)

Pay Rate: 60-70 an hour

Duration: 6m contract with extensions, possible hire

Start date: ASAP

Interview: 1hr interview followed by a 30min final

MUST HAVES:

• 8+ years of product or Agile leadership experience in complex enterprise environments.
• 5+ years leading large-scale Agile transformations, preferably in a SAFe environment.
• 3+ years directly managing Agile Release Trains or acting as RTE under SAFe.
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) certification required.
• Deep experience with enterprise Agile tools (e.g., Jira Align, Azure DevOps, Rally).
• Expertise in coaching leaders, managing dependencies, and improving delivery metrics at scale.
• Experience supporting organizations of 1,000+ employees and $500M+ IT operating budget.
• Strong communication, facilitation, and influencing skills across technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Plusses:

• ScrumMaster (CSM) or Agile Coach certification preferred.
• Prosci Change Management or equivalent OCM certification desirable.
• Lean or Six Sigma certification a plus.

Interested in remote work opportunities in Product Management? Discover Product Management Remote Jobs featuring exclusive positions from top companies that offer flexible work arrangements.

DAY 2 DAY:

A fortune 100 organization is seeking a Release Train Engineer that will sit either onsite in the greater Cincinnati Area, or fully remote for a long term contract. We’re seeking a dynamic Release Train Engineer (RTE) for our Product Office—a role that combines operational excellence in SAFe Agile with strategic leadership in Lean Product Transformation. This role serves as a servant leader and chief facilitator for Agile Release Trains, driving Program Increment execution, managing risks and dependencies, and improving flow through metrics-driven continuous improvement. It leads enterprise Agile and SAFe adoption by coaching teams and leaders, mentoring key Agile roles, and scaling consistent delivery practices across portfolios. The position champions the shift from project to product thinking, advising senior leaders on funding models, value streams, governance, and roadmap alignment with business strategy. It designs and executes organizational change management strategies to enable cultural transformation, stakeholder alignment, and customer-centric ways of working. Additionally, it optimizes technology and delivery pipelines while coordinating globally distributed teams to ensure consistent, transparent, and effective Agile execution.

Key Responsibilities

Release Train Engineering & Agile Execution

Serve as the chief facilitator and servant leader of one or more Agile Release Trains (ARTs).

Plan and execute Program Increment (PI) events, including PI Planning, ART Syncs, System Demos, and Inspect & Adapt workshops.

Manage risks, escalate impediments, and drive continuous improvement across Agile teams.

Track ART performance metrics (e.g., velocity, predictability, business value delivery) to guide improvements in flow and execution.

Coordinate dependencies across product, engineering, architecture, and external teams.

Foster a culture of transparency, alignment, and cadence-based delivery across the enterprise.

Product Transformation & Operating Model Leadership

Champion the enterprise shift from project to product thinking, integrating Lean-Agile ways of working into the operating model.

Advise senior leaders on product funding models, value stream organization, and roadmap alignment with business strategy.

Partner with Product Managers, Product Owners, and Portfolio leaders to ensure prioritization aligns with customer outcomes and organizational goals.

Define governance structures that support product-led decision making, investment prioritization, and value realization.

SAFe Adoption & Agile Coaching

Drive SAFe implementation across portfolios and Agile teams, scaling best practices in alignment with enterprise goals.

Coach teams on Agile roles, ceremonies, metrics, and delivery practices to increase maturity and engagement.

Mentor Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Product Managers in Lean thinking and SAFe execution.

Lead Agile education efforts, workshops, and training across business and technology.

Organizational Change Management (OCM) & Culture Enablement

• Design and implement an OCM strategy to support Agile and product adoption across the enterprise.
• Facilitate leadership alignment, stakeholder engagement, and workforce communication during transformation.
• Address cultural and operational resistance, fostering a mindset shift toward continuous learning, experimentation, and customer-centricity.

Technology & Delivery Optimization

• Work with enterprise architects, DevOps leaders, and platform teams to align Agile delivery with scalable technology infrastructure.
• Promote Agile tooling, automation, and workflow transparency (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps) to optimize value delivery pipelines.
• Guide teams in Value Stream Mapping and the use of Lean metrics to continuously refine the flow of value.

Global Team Coordination

• Support distributed Agile delivery across regions, ensuring consistency in Agile execution and integration of offshore/nearshore teams.
• Define engagement models that support global collaboration and time zone alignment.
• Standardize practices for remote Agile ceremonies, communication, and team enablement.