Release Train Engineer

Overview:

Provides servant leadership and coaching to a program level Agile Release Train (ART) containing multiple cross-functional agile teams through the effective application of Agile principles, including Program Increment (PI) planning and Scrum of Scrums.  Ensures all teams within the ART are positioned to deliver value to the Company, maintains transparency into program delivery predictability and forecasting and keeps all stakeholders and team members informed of the ART’s progress.  Supports the ART teams by removing impediments, maintaining a focus on the delivery of value and ensuring the program backlog is clearly defined and prioritized.  Keeps the program on track to ensure successful delivery of value for the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Organize and facilitate program level communication and ceremonies, including PI planning events, Scrum of Scrums, ART Synchs (synchronizations) and retrospective ceremonies.
• Work closely with Senior Product Owners to ensure alignment on the value of features, facilitate the intake of work, prioritize the program backlog and distribute work to the teams within the ART.
• Keep stakeholders informed of the ART’s progress utilizing program level reporting, tools and dashboards to ensure alignment with program objectives and overall vision of the organization.
• Ensure successful delivery of value by enabling program level transparency, predictability, forecasting and coordinating release planning activities.
• Manage risks, facilitate alignment, provide transparency, identify dependencies and remove impediments within the ART.
• Lead and coach Scrum Masters within the ART.
• Influence senior leaders and coach the ART teams to ensure use of Agile practices and principles.
• Work with other RTEs across the organization to resolve process issues and optimize execution based on key metrics and performance indicators.
• Participate within and grow Agile Communities of Practice to foster continuous improvements to agile practices and delivery.
• Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.
• Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Design, implement, maintain and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
• Promote an environment that supports diversity and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
• Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
• Complete other related duties as assigned.

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:

The jobholder has direct management responsibility for 4 – 10 Scrum Masters working on teams within the ART. 

Commercial Banking – We work with our business partners in the Commercial Bank to define far-reaching technology strategies to evolve our customer experiences, to make us easier to do business with and to deliver solutions that provide real value in a timely manner. This includes all Treasury Management, Commercial Payments, Capital Markets, Commercial Servicing. and Commercial Lending capabilities. We also actively work to minimize risk and optimize efficiencies for the bank through our deliverables by engaging with SMEs from Risk, Finance, Architecture, Infrastructure, Operations, and more.
Provides servant leadership and coaching to program-level Agile Release Trains (ARTs) containing multiple cross-functional agile teams through the effective application of Agile principles, including Program Increment (PI) planning, and all S2 and S3-level ceremonies.  Ensures all teams within the ART are positioned to deliver value to the Company, maintains transparency into program delivery predictability and forecasting and keeps all stakeholders and team members informed of the ART’s progress.  Supports the ART teams by removing impediments, maintaining a focus on the delivery of value (i.e.,OKRs, KRIs) and ensuring the program backlog is clearly defined and prioritized.  Keeps the program on track to ensure successful delivery of value for the organization.

Primary Responsibilities:

Organize and facilitate program-level communication and all S2 and S3-level ceremonies, including PI planning events, Scrum of Scrums, and retrospective ceremonies.
Work closely with Senior Product Owners to ensure alignment on the value of features, facilitate the intake of work, prioritize the program backlog and distribute work to the teams within the ART.
Keep stakeholders informed of the ART’s progress utilizing program-level reporting tools and dashboards to ensure alignment with program objectives and overall vision of the organization.
Ensure successful delivery of value by enabling program-level transparency, predictability, forecasting and participate in release planning activities
Manage risks, facilitate alignment, provide transparency, identify dependencies and remove impediments within the ART.
Lead and coach Scrum Masters within the ART.
Influence senior leaders and coach the ART teams to ensure use of Agile practices and principles.
Work with other RTEs across the organization to resolve process issues and optimize execution based on key metrics and performance indicators.
Participate within and grow Agile Communities of Practice to foster continuous improvements to agile practices and delivery.
Exercise usual authority of a manager concerning staffing, performance appraisals, promotions, salary recommendations, performance management and terminations.
Understand and adhere to the Company’s risk and regulatory standards, policies and controls in accordance with the Company’s Risk Appetite.  Design, implement, maintain and enhance internal controls to mitigate risk on an ongoing basis.  Identify risk-related issues needing escalation to management.
Promote an environment that supports diversity and reflects the M&T Bank brand.
Maintain M&T internal control standards, including timely implementation of internal and external audit points together with any issues raised by external regulators as applicable.
Complete other related duties as assigned.

Education and Experience Required:

Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of 7 years’ experience working at the program level across multiple cross-functional teams, with a focus on work prioritization, removal of obstacles and leading communication with stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of value for the organization, or in lieu of a degree, a combined minimum of 11 years’ higher education and/or work experience, including a minimum of 7 years’ experience working at the program level across multiple cross-functional teams, with a focus on work prioritization, removal of obstacles and leading communication with stakeholders to ensure successful delivery of value for the organization

Minimum of 2 years’ proven managerial, supervisory and/or work leadership experience

Education and Experience Preferred:

Minimum of 5 years’ experience as a member of an agile team
Minimum of 3 years’ experience as a Scrum Master, Product Owner or minimum 1 year as an RTE
Depth of knowledge in an IT execution role (e.g., Scrum Master, Release Train Engineer or Product Owner)
Proven track record of success executing in a scaled Agile environment
Prior experience with program-level reporting
Prior experience fostering team self-organization and continuous improvement
Knowledge of Agile and Lean principles and practices
Experience developing/managing projects and program capabilities in a Commercial Bank setting strongly recommended
Understanding of Design Thinking principles
Strong verbal and written communication skills
Prior experience leading through influence

Managerial/Supervisory Responsibilities:
The jobholder has direct management responsibility for 4 – 10 Scrum Masters working on teams within the ART.

At M&T Tech, we’re a team of makers, doers, and builders, working to create the most advanced technology solutions in banking.  We’re not your stereotypical suit and tie bankers: we’re an innovative team of leading tech experts, pushing boundaries, and taking risks.  We’re building an agile team of the most skilled and creative workers to solve complex problems, architect solutions, write high-performance software, and chart our new path, all to make the lives of our customers, and the communities that we serve, better.  Join us and be part of something new as we build tomorrow’s bank, today

#MTBTechCareers, #MTBTechLife, #LI-KB1

Location

Buffalo, New York, United States of America