Release Train Engineer

SUMMARY:
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POSITION INFO:

Job Details

Who are we?

Company Group Technology is responsible for the provision of a digitally enabled technology service as a group COE, drive business and transformation and provide group-wide digital and data architecture. We operate the various technology platforms and shared services, ensure Cyber and Information Security resilience, and act as technology governance and risk orchestrator for technology across Company.

What will you do?

In order to meet business objectives and evolving client needs, it is necessary to ensure continuous business improvement through the introduction of new products, enhancement of existing products or changes to systems, processes or business capabilities that enable improved optimization and/or efficiency. This involves introducing some level of change into the business. The squads within an agile release train (ART) define, design, build, test and deliver these changes and ensure their integration into existing business processes. The Release Train Engineer (RTE) has a solid grasp of how to scale lead and agile practices and understands the unique opportunities and challenges associated with continuously aligning a large development program.  The Release Train Engineer manages and optimizes the flow of value through the ART. The RTE facilitates the ART events & processes and assists teams in delivering value. The RTE communicates with a wide range of stakeholders, escalates impediments, helps manage risk and drives relentless improvement.

What will make you successful in this role?

• Manages and optimizes the flow of value through the ART using various tools such as the program Kanban and other dashboards.
• Establishes and communicates the annual calendars for iterations and program increments (PIs).
• Facilitates PI Planning readiness by fostering a continuous exploration process which drives the synthesis of a vision, roadmap and backlogs, and through pre and post PI Planning meetings.
• Facilitates the PI Planning event (end state).
• Summarizes squad PI objectives into program PI objectives and publishes them for visibility and transparency.
• Assists in tracking the execution of features and capabilities.
• Facilitates periodic synchronization meetings including the ART sync at the essential level.
• Assists with economic decision making through facilitating feature and capability estimation by squads and the roll up to epics.
• Assists in enabling leaders, teams and agile facilitators with lean agile practices and mindsets.
• Helps manage risk and dependences across squads within the ART.
• Escalates and tracks impediments.
• Provides input on resourcing to address critical bottlenecks.
• Encourages collaboration between squads.
• Works with product management, product owners and other stakeholders to ensure strategy and execution alignment.
• Improves the flow of value streams by enhancing and assessing the practices associated with Devops and release on demand in the continuous delivery pipeline.
• Understands and operates with lean budgets and ensures adherence to guardrails.
• Facilitates system demos.
• Drives relentless improvement via inspect and adapt workshops; assesses the agility level of the ART on an ongoing basis.
• Fosters communities of practice and the use of engineering and built-in quality practices.

Qualifications

• Matric
• Any relevant IT Qualification (IT Diploma or Degree) will be a strong recommendation
• RTE certification recommended.

Experience

Management of Release for

• At least 4 years of working in an agile environment
• At least 2 years of coordinating a sizeable release train

Knowledge/experience within the Life Assurance industry (or in broader Financial Services industry)

Knowledge & Skills

• Thorough knowledge of agile practices, rituals and ceremonies
• Good understanding of engineering practices
• Thorough knowledge of Jira and Confluence
• Good understanding of how agile works at scale 
• Thorough understanding of how to utilize dashboards, KPI/metrics & burn down charts 
• Good understanding of Behavior Driven Development methodology practiced in Company.
• Solid grasp of how to scale lean and agile practices.
• Understanding of the unique opportunities and challenges associated with facilitating and continuously aligning a large development program 
• Servant leadership
• Systems thinking 
• Problem solving 
• Influencing 
• Strong facilitation skills 
• Negotiation 

Personal Attributes

• Decision quality - Contributing through others
• Optimises work processes - Contributing through others
• Plans and aligns - Contributing through others
• Action orientated - Contributing strategically
• Collaborates - Contributing strategically
• Cultivates innovation - Contributing strategically

Core Competencies

• Being resilient - Contributing through others
• Collaborates - Contributing through others
• Cultivates innovation - Contributing through others
• Customer focus - Contributing through others
• Drives results - Contributing through others