SAFe Release Train Engineer

Position: Consultant Premium II (SAFe Release Train Engineer / Agile Program Consultant)

Location: Washington, DC 20433

Duration: 06 Months (Long-Term Contract)

Work Model: Hybrid – 4 days onsite per week from Day 1, transitioning to 100% onsite in the near future.

Job Description:

We are seeking an experienced Consultant Premium II with strong expertise in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Agile Program Management, and enterprise-level project delivery. This individual will serve as a key leader across Agile Release Trains (ARTs), ensuring successful planning, execution, governance, and continuous improvement of large-scale Agile initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have extensive experience facilitating SAFe ceremonies, coordinating cross-functional teams, managing risks and dependencies, coaching Agile teams, and driving enterprise Agile best practices. The candidate should also possess hands-on experience with Azure DevOps (ADO), Azure Boards, Jira, and Confluence for Agile planning, backlog management, reporting, and delivery tracking.

Key Responsibilities

ART Facilitation & SAFe Execution

• Facilitate all ART-level SAFe ceremonies, including:
• Program Increment (PI) Planning
• ART Sync (Scrum of Scrums & Product Owner Sync)
• System Demos
• Inspect & Adapt Workshops
• Ensure Agile ceremonies are conducted on schedule and result in transparent, committed, and measurable outcomes.
• Drive collaboration across multiple Agile teams to ensure alignment with business objectives.

Flow & Program Execution

• Manage and optimize the flow of work across the Agile Release Train using Program/ART Kanban.
• Utilize Azure DevOps (ADO), Azure Boards, Jira, and Confluence to manage:
• Features
• User Stories
• Epics
• Sprint Planning
• Program Increment Objectives
• Backlogs
• Delivery Milestones
• Track program progress and ensure commitments are visible to stakeholders.
• Develop dashboards and reports within Azure DevOps (ADO) to provide accurate delivery metrics and program visibility.

Risk, Dependency & Impediment Management

• Identify, monitor, and resolve cross-team dependencies.
• Manage program risks using SAFe practices such as ROAM.
• Remove organizational impediments affecting delivery.
• Escalate critical issues beyond the Agile Release Train when necessary and ensure timely resolution.

LACE Coordination & Communication

• Serve as the primary liaison between the business unit and the Lean Agile Center of Excellence (LACE).
• Communicate SAFe standards, governance updates, tooling enhancements, and Agile process improvements throughout the organization.
• Ensure PI progress, metrics, risks, decisions, and continuous improvement initiatives are communicated accurately and on time.
• Maintain a consistent reporting cadence between leadership, delivery teams, and LACE.

Program Management Support

• Consolidate ART progress into executive-level reporting.
• Support program planning by aligning delivery with budgets, staffing, and resource availability.
• Identify and communicate cross-program dependencies and organizational risks.
• Provide leadership with actionable insights to support strategic decision-making.

Azure DevOps (ADO) Administration & Reporting

• Manage Agile work items, sprint boards, Kanban boards, and backlogs within Azure DevOps (ADO).
• Create and maintain dashboards, queries, delivery metrics, burndown charts, and progress reports.
• Ensure work item traceability and accurate reporting across Agile teams.
• Support Agile governance through standardized Azure DevOps workflows and reporting.

Coaching & Continuous Improvement

• Coach Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Product Managers, Team Coaches, and Agile teams on SAFe and Lean-Agile best practices.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Drive measurable improvements based on Inspect & Adapt workshop outcomes.
• Mentor teams on Agile maturity and enterprise Agile adoption.

Project Management Standardization

• Standardize Agile project management processes across the organization.
• Develop reusable project plans, governance templates, reporting frameworks, and documentation.
• Promote consistency in project execution and delivery methodologies.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field.
• 7 years of experience in Agile Project Management, Program Management, or Agile Delivery.
• 3 years of experience working within a SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) environment.
• Hands-on experience serving as a Release Train Engineer (RTE), Agile Program Manager, or similar leadership role.
• Experience facilitating:
• PI Planning
• Scrum of Scrums
• Product Owner Syncs
• System Demos
• Inspect & Adapt Workshops
• Strong experience using Azure DevOps (ADO) for:
• Sprint Planning
• Backlog Management
• Work Item Tracking
• Azure Boards
• Dashboard Creation
• Agile Reporting
• Experience using Jira and Confluence in enterprise Agile environments.
• Strong understanding of:
• SAFe Framework
• Scrum
• Kanban
• Lean Agile Principles
• Agile Release Trains
• Experience managing:
• Cross-functional teams
• Enterprise programs
• Risks
• Dependencies
• Stakeholder communications
• Excellent facilitation, coaching, leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) Certification.
• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) Certification.
• PMP Certification.
• PMI-ACP Certification.
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM).
• Experience with Azure DevOps administration and dashboard configuration.
• Experience supporting enterprise Agile transformations.
• Experience working in financial services, government, or other highly regulated industries.
• Knowledge of Agile portfolio management and Lean Portfolio Management.

Required Skills:

• SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework)
• Release Train Engineering (RTE)
• Agile Program Management
• Program Increment (PI) Planning
• Agile Release Train (ART)
• Scrum
• Kanban
• Lean Agile
• Azure DevOps (ADO)
• Azure Boards
• Azure Dashboards & Reporting
• Work Item Tracking
• Sprint Planning
• Backlog Management
• Jira
• Confluence
• Program Kanban
• ROAM Risk Management
• Cross-Team Dependency Management
• Stakeholder Management
• Agile Coaching
• Continuous Improvement
• Executive Reporting
• Project Governance
• Resource Planning
• Delivery Metrics & Reporting

Ideal Candidate:

The ideal candidate is an experienced Agile leader with a proven track record of leading SAFe Agile Release Trains, facilitating enterprise Agile ceremonies, coordinating multiple cross-functional teams, and driving successful program delivery. They are highly skilled in Azure DevOps (ADO), Azure Boards, Jira, and Confluence, using these tools to manage Agile planning, delivery tracking, reporting, and governance. They possess exceptional communication, coaching, and stakeholder management skills and are passionate about improving Agile maturity, operational excellence, and enterprise-scale delivery.

Mindlance is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of – Minority/Gender/Disability/Religion/LGBTQI/Age/Veterans.