Release Train Engineer at NCBA Group

JOB PURPOSE STATEMENT

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) role is pivotal in orchestrating and facilitating the Agile Release Train (ART) within the organization. The RTE leads and guides multiple Agile teams in planning, coordinating and executing program increments, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timely delivery of high-quality software products.

The RTE’s focus will be on fostering collaboration, removing impediments, and driving continuous improvement across the ART, enabling successful delivery of value to our customers while promoting a culture of agility and innovation within the organization.

The RTE is highly organized and structured in their approach. They will not only work alongside Product Managers in handling unique challenges for each product in our pipeline, but also play a critical role in the continuous discovery feedback loop providing insights of opportunities for product and service enhancements.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES (DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES)

Facilitator (15%)

• Facilitate ART events and ceremonies, including Program Increment (PI) planning, Scrum of Scrums, Inspect and Adapt (I&A) workshops, and system demos.
• Ensure effective communication and collaboration among Agile teams, Product owners, scrum masters and other key stakeholders.

Program Management (30%)

• Prioritize and drive backlogs, balancing strong foundations for future development, solving the most meaningful user needs, and getting solutions into users’ hands as quickly as possible
• Identify, track and manage risks and dependencies within the ART.
• Proactively address issues and mitigate risks to ensure smooth program execution
• Monitor and track the performance of Agile teams and the ART against key performance indicators (KPIs) and program metrics.
• Identify areas for improvement and drive continuous improvement initiatives.
• Coordinate and facilitate the release planning process, ensuring alignment with business objectives and stakeholders’ expectations.
• Collaborate with release management and other stakeholders to ensure successful release execution.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for communication between the ART and stakeholders, including executives, customers and external partners.
• Provide regular updates ad status reports on program progress and performance.
• Ensure adherence to Agile principles, SAFe practices and organizational processes within the ART.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and drive implementation of best practices
• Act as a change agent for Agile transformation initiatives within the organization.
• Advocate for Agile values and principles, driving cultural change and mindset shifts.
• Manage escalations and critical issues within the ART, collaborating with appropriate stakeholders to resolve them in a timely manner.

Customer (30%)

• Identify potential opportunity areas, determine how much impact we can have for our customers, evaluate and implement the most effective course of action.
• Develop commercial models that directly impact top line revenue and bottom-line operating costs and do it while delivering best in class product experiences across our channels.
• Understand the ecosystem markets, competition, and user requirements in-depth.
• Partner with Go-to-Market teams and Services teams to maximize the product's impact on both customers and our business.

Learning & Growth (25%)

• Serve as a servant leader to Agile teams, removing impediments and barriers to their success.
• Coach Agile Teams, Product owners, and scrum masters on Agile Principles, practices and ceremonies.
• Mentor teams on continuous improvement, problem-solving and self-organization
• Foster a culture of trust, transparency, and collaboration within the ART
• Model team norms and contribute to positive team dynamics, leading to continuous team performance improvement.
• Foster an environment of trust, effectively communicating within the Agile teams and with an ecosystem of stakeholders.
• Define and implement recruitment, learning and performance management strategies, as well as cultural practices that attract, nurture and retain the best talent within the Delivery function.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS

Academic:

• At least an undergraduate degree Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related quantitative subject area; or equivalent experience. MBA or a Master’s degree in a business field is desirable.
• Agile Project Management, Certified SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE), Leading SAFe and PMP or Prince2 Practitioner certifications are desirable.

Desired Work Experience:

• At least 10 years’ work experience, 5 of which should have been in a senior program manager capacity in a similar sized organization having led successful business and product development projects and/or initiatives.
• Familiarity with the latest technologies and trends in the industry and the ability to work closely with engineers to ensure the feasibility and technical soundness of product ideas
• Experience working at both early stage startups as well as larger companies, to demonstrate adaptability to different environments and the ability to thrive in both
• A strong understanding of Agile frameworks, including SAFe, Scrum and Kanban.
• Excellent communication, facilitation and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to influence multiple stakeholders without direct authority.
• Business Skills: Expert at business case creation. Capable of managing business results across a range of product domains. Ability to manage internal partnerships and external partners to optimize growth.
• Communication Skills: Capable of representing Digital Business externally at partner meetings, customer meetings. Solid presentation skills at all levels of the company. Appropriately influences & persuade others to a course of action.