Release Train Engineer

Are you looking to make an impactful difference in your work, yourself, and your community? Why settle for just a job when you can land a career? At ICW Group, we are hiring team members who are ready to use their skills, curiosity, and drive to be part of our  journey as we strive to transform the insurance  carrier space. We're proud to be in business for over 50 years, and its change agents like yourself that will help us continue to deliver our mission to create the best insurance experience possible.

Headquartered in San Diego with regional offices located throughout the United States, ICW Group has been named for ten consecutive years as a Top 50 performing P&C organization offering the stability of a large, profitable and growing company combined with a focus on all things people. It's our team members who make us an employer of choice and the vibrant company we are today. We strive to make both our  internal and external communities better everyday! Learn more about why you want to be here!

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

The purpose of this job is to oversee the successful delivery of product roadmaps for a large-scale Agile Release train (ART). The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of Agile methodologies, experience managing multiple teams, and a proven track record of driving strategic initiatives through to completion. In this role, you will facilitate the planning, coordination, and execution of product roadmaps across multiple Agile teams, ensuring alignment with business objectives and delivery on time, within scope, and budget.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Oversees all planning and roadmap execution for highly visible insurance products and services. 

• Works closely with product managers, architects, and business stakeholders to ensure the ART’s objectives align with business strategy and that there is clear communication throughout the release train.

• Ensures key ceremonies such as PI Planning, ART Syncs, and Scrum of Scrums are effectively executed.

• Leads PI planning sessions by coordinating pre-planning activities, driving cross-team planning, and ensuring objectives, timelines, and goals are aligned across teams.

• Ensures efficient allocation of resources across Agile teams to optimize performance and meet deadlines.

• Oversees and guides the teams in the ART to ensure alignment in goals, processes, and delivery cadence, ensuring timely and continuous delivery of value.

• Works with Scrum masters and Agile coach to implement Agile practices and facilitate Agile ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives, and demos across teams.

• Collaborates with teams to ensure DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automation are embedded into the delivery process.

• Fosters strong collaboration between Agile teams, Product Owners, and other stakeholders to align priorities and ensure seamless execution.

• Fosters a culture of continuous improvement by identifying and implementing processes to improve efficiency and reduce bottlenecks within the ART.

• Sets up the Working Agreements for the Agile teams and several other non-Agile teams.

• Identifies and manages program-level risks, dependencies, and impediments, ensuring transparency and proactive risk mitigation across the ART.

• Provides visibility into program status, velocity, risks, and quality through reporting tools and dashboards.

• Communicates program status, risks, and outcomes to stakeholders at all levels of the organization, ensuring transparency and alignment with business objectives.

• Manages program budgets, track expenses, and ensures the financial health of the large-scale ART.

• Identifies opportunities for improving Agile practices across the organization and implement changes to drive efficiency and team productivity.

• Partners with LACE leader to execute the Agile transformation strategy and roadmap.

• Defines and tracks key performance metrics related to Agile adoption and team performance. Uses data to drive discussions around team effectiveness and continuous improvement.

• Coaches Product Managers on rapid Product Prototyping, Value streams, Roadmap Creation, Prioritization techniques, and MVP identification.

• Provides hands-on coaching and guidance to Agile teams, ensuring adherence to Agile values, principles, and best practices.

SUPERVISORY RESPONISBILITIES

Directly supervises 5 or more Scrum masters and carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with company policies and applicable laws. These responsibilities include interviewing, hiring, and training employees; planning, assigning, and directing work; conducting performance and salary reviews; rewarding and disciplining employees; addressing complaints and resolving problems; coaching, mentoring, and developing team members to further their skills and knowledge; creating and monitoring development plans; setting performance expectations/goals; forecasting staffing needs and planning for peak times and absences; enforcing department policies and procedures.

• Bachelor's degree from a four-year college or university is required with a major or emphasis in Business, Finance, Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.

• Minimum of 6-8 years of related experience inclusive of managing technical teams, collecting business needs, and translating requirements to a technical audience.

• Experience in the insurance industry highly desired.

• Minimum 5 years of leadership as a Senior Project Manager, Program Manager, or similar role, with a track record of successfully launching and managing core insurance products or platforms.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS

Certified SAFe certifications (e.g., SAFe 6.0 Practitioner, SPC, RTE) are highly desirable.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

• Solid working knowledge of the Agile Scrum development process.

• Ability to lead, manage, coach and mentor a team.

• Must display organizational agility; able to develop and leverage effective relationships and networks; know how to get things done through both formal channels and informal networks.

• Technical background with a good understanding of software development processes, cloud technologies, APIs, and data integration.

• Competencies in analytical thinking and decision-making. Must be results driven.

• Ability to develop and present complex data or information in a clear and simple format to all levels of the business.

• Ability to translate business goals into concrete strategy and tactical plans.

• Experience working with cross-functional teams in a matrixed organization, with a demonstrated ability to build strong relationships and collaborate effectively across departments and geographies.

• Excellent communication skills (verbal/written), good interpersonal and leadership skills.

• Experience in building strong and collaborative relationships within internal IT partner organizations.

• Experience in negotiation and management of contracts and SOWs with third parties, internal Legal and vendor management teams.

• Working knowledge of MS office products & Jira.  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

This job operates in a professional office environment and is regularly required to talk or hear, as well as frequently sit, stand, walk, and bend during working hours. Requires manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination. May be required to lift light objects. Requires normal or corrected vision and hearing corrected to a normal range.

WORK ENVIRONMENT 

This position operates in an office environment and requires the frequent use of computer, telephone, copier and other standard office equipment.

We are currently not offering employment sponsorship for this opportunity.

#LI-TP1 #LI-HYBRID

The current range for this position is

This range is exclusive of fringe benefits and potential bonuses.  If hired at ICW Group, your final base salary compensation will be determined by factors unique to each candidate, including experience, education and the location of the role and considers employees performing substantially similar work.

WHY JOIN ICW GROUP? 

• Challenging work and the ability to make a difference 

• You will have a voice and feel a sense of belonging 

• We offer a competitive benefits package, with generous medical, dental, and vision plans as well as 401K retirement plans and company match 

• Bonus potential for all positions 

• Paid Time Off

• Paid holidays throughout the calendar year 

• Want to continue learning? We’ll support you 100% 

ICW Group is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. ICW Group will not discriminate against an applicant or employee on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex/gender, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state or local law.

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