The Senior Release Train Engineer (SRTE) has the primary purpose of supporting and coaching an Agile Release Train (ART) by steering it to success and navigating the complexity of delivering software in large, cross-functional environments. In this role you will help resolve and escalate impediments, manage risk, help assure value delivery, and drive program level continuous improvement. The RTE is accountable for the overall planning, coordination, execution, and delivery of value through the program.
What you’ll own and accomplish...
- Facilitate the coordinated preparation and execution of release planning for the ART.
- Participate with management and cross-functional teams as subject matter expert to develop and improve operating policies and procedures related to Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and be an advocate in adopting Agile and SAFe best practices and processes.
- Working with the ART team who prioritizes the features to be considered in the next program increment (PI) planning cycle.
- Manage program level coordination, such as creating timelines, milestones, and cadence of increments and releases.
- Facilitating the ART team’s refinement of features to be considered in the next PI planning cycle to meet the Feature Definition of Ready.
- Assists the ART in communication and coordination with stakeholders and customers during feature definition and delivery.
- Ensuring effective communication and coordination for and during quarterly planning.
- Managing change to the ART’s PI plan and the impacts of those changes.
- Drive cross team, ART, and departmental impediments, planning, collaboration, and coordination.
- Provide regular and open communication across the program and stakeholders for transparency and awareness of progress and impediments.
- Understand, visualize and manage upstream/downstream dependencies.
- Drive delivery and continuous improvement by utilizing feedback and metrics (quality, delivery rate, etc.) to identify areas of opportunity.
- Work across stakeholders and teams to continuously improve.
- Ensure the overall cost, schedule, and performance of the program.
- Lead project teams and provide leadership; act as consultant/coach to management in resolving unusually difficult problems.
- Act as a galvanizing force for sharing Agile and SAFe knowledge across the organization.
What you’ll need to be successful...
- 8-10 years progressive experience with demonstrated proficiency in multiple disciplines / technologies / processes related to the position.
- 3-5 years managing teams and / or significant complex projects.
- Strong knowledge and experience in software development in an Agile environment.
- Broad range of program management and leadership skills required.
- Proven, prior experience as Release Train Engineer for long lived value streams and Products.
- Demonstrated Release Train Engineer experience in organizing, planning and executing large-scale projects from conception through implementation. Experience coordinating multiple teams in a technology environment.
- Demonstrated effective verbal and written communication skills for the purpose of providing and explaining technical and project related information to clients, vendors, senior management and staff.
- Ability to easily build new relationships and proactively establish a variety of contacts across the organization.
- Ability to work in multi-disciplinary, multi-cultural teams.
- Bachelor's or master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, MIS.
You’ll really stand out if…
- You have a Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) certification or equivalent..
- You have a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC4) certification or equivalent.
- You have a SAFe Certified Release Train Engineer certification or equivalent.
Why you’ll love working at Aktana…
Aktana is the category creator and leader of intelligent engagement in the global life sciences industry. By ensuring that every customer experience is tailored to individual preferences and needs, Aktana helps life science companies strengthen their relationships with healthcare providers to inspire better patient care. Today, commercial and medical teams from nearly 300 brands use Aktana’s AI-enabled Contextual Intelligence Engine to coordinate and optimize personalized omnichannel engagement at scale. More than half of the top-20 global pharmaceutical companies are Aktana customers. Headquartered in San Francisco, Aktana has offices in every major biopharma region around the world.
