Release Train Engineer

Job Description

Every day we deliver safe and secure energy to homes, communities, and businesses. We are there when people need us the most. We connect people to the energy they need for the lives they live. The pace of change in society and our industry is accelerating and our expertise and track record puts us in an unparalleled position to shape the sustainable future of our industry.

To be successful we must anticipate the needs of our customers, reducing the cost of energy delivery today and pioneering the flexible energy systems of tomorrow. This requires us to deliver on our promises and always look for new opportunities to grow, both ourselves and our business

The Gas Business Enablement project is a major long-term investment in our US gas business to enhance compliance, improve customer service, rate case strategy and performance. This program is a significant undertaking for the business as we standardize and simplify our operational processes, upgrade the technical systems they run on, build on our compliance programs in a rapidly changing external environment, develop and enhance how we use technology in the field and ensure we have the right talent and resource plans to successfully deliver to our customers.

This role is a leadership position within an Agile Release Train (ART), a large team of agile teams. The RTE is a servant leader and coach, facilitating communication and aligning agile teams to deliver value within the GBE program. The RTE will facilitate program ceremonies, manage prioritization of the backlog, communicate with stakeholders, and champion continuous improvement at the team and program levels. The RTE supports all teams in the ART by escalating, managing and mitigating risks and impediments. This role work closely with other ART leadership roles as well as solution and program leadership.

• Manage and optimize the flow of value through the Agile Release Train using various tools, such as the Program Kanban and other information radiators
• Facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning readiness by fostering a Continuous Exploration process which drives the synthesis of a Vision, a Roadmap, and Backlogs, and through Pre- and Post-PI Planning meetings
• Facilitate the PI planning event
• Summarize Team PI Objectives into Program PI Objectives and publish them for visibility and transparency
• Assist tracking the execution of features and capabilities
• Facilitate periodic synchronization meetings, including the ART sync at the Program Level and the value stream sync for Solution Trains
• Assist with economic decision-making by facilitating feature and capability estimation by teams and the roll-up to Epics, where necessary
• Coach leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in Lean-Agile practices and mindsets
• Help manage risks and dependencies
• Escalate and track impediments
• Manage teams using Jira and Jira Align (formerly AgileCraft)
• Provide input on resourcing to address critical bottlenecks
• Encourage collaboration between teams and System and Solution Architects/Engineering
• Work with Product and Solution Management, Product Owners, and other stakeholders to help ensure strategy and execution alignment
• Work with the Agile Program Management Office (APMO) on program execution and operational excellence
• Understand and operate within Lean Budgets and ensure adherence to Guardrails
• Facilitate System Demos and Solution Demos
• Drive relentless improvement via Inspect and Adapt workshops; assess the agility level of the ART and Solution Train and help them improve
• Foster Communities of Practice and the use of engineering and Built-In Quality practices

Capability Requirements

• An aptitude for strategic thinking and analytical skills
• Ability to build relationships within all levels of the organization
• Ability to identify roadblocks, evaluate needs, and drive solutions proactively and effectively
• Drive for continuous development, both personally and as a key team member

• Five years in software development or IT operations required.
• Two years in scrum master or project management role required.
• One year in Agile Scrum framework required.
• Experience as Agile coach preferred.
• Experience in Scaled Agile Framework preferred.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s Degree required.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management preferred.
• MBA preferred.

PREFERRED CERTIFICATION

• Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Business Management or related field
• 5+ years experience in software development or IT operations
• 2+ years experience in scrum master or project management role
• 1+ year of experience in Agile Scrum framework

Preferred Experience

• Experience as Agile coach
• Experience in Scaled Agile Framework
• Energy/Utility industry experience not required but beneficial

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA
• Scrum Master Certification
• Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
• Professional Scrum Master (PSM I)
• SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)
• Scaled Agile Framework Certifications
  • SAFe Agilist (SA)
  • SAFe Prgram Consultant (SPC)
  • Release Train Engineer (RTE)
• Professional Project Manager (PMP)
• Lean Six Sigma Green or Black Belt

This position has a career path which provides for advancement opportunities within and across bands as you develop and evolve in the position; gaining experience, expertise and acquiring and applying technical skills. Internal candidates will be assessed and provided offers against the minimum qualifications of this role and their individual experience.

National Grid is an equal opportunity employer that values a broad diversity of talent, knowledge, experience and expertise. We foster a culture of inclusion that drives employee engagement to deliver superior performance to the communities we serve. National Grid is proud to be an affirmative action employer. We encourage minorities, women, individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to join the National Grid team.