Optum Tech, part of UnitedHealth Group, is seeking a Release Train Engineer to join the RQ Prospective Agile Project Management Office (APMO). In this hands-on leadership role, you will serve as the Agile leader and ‘value extractor’ for an Agile Release Train (ART). You will be responsible for ensuring the train reliably delivers on its Program Increment (PI) and sprint objectives by proactively identifying gaps, removing impediments, fostering collaboration, and driving continuous improvement.
What You'll Do
- Take full ownership of the Agile Release Train by monitoring its health, identifying gaps or risks early, and driving actions that improve delivery outcomes.
- Lead and ensure successful delivery of Program Increment objectives, using data and proactive leadership to keep the ART on track.
- Plan, facilitate, and add value to all ART level ceremonies, including PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, ART Syncs, Sprint Reviews, and PI System Demos.
- Coach and mentor Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile teams to strengthen Agile practices and resolve complex delivery challenges.
- Identify, manage, and remove impediments and cross-team dependencies that could impact delivery, partnering with Product, Engineering, and leadership as needed.
- Drive transparency through metrics, including sprint/PI progress, quality measures, Time to Build/Time to Value, and other ART key performance indicators.
- Lead release planning activities and ensure clear, coordinated communication across teams, stakeholders, and external partners.
- Foster collaboration and alignment across all ART teams, encouraging continuous improvement, innovation, and a culture of accountability.
- Serve as the ART’s Agile subject matter expert, applying SAFe principles and Agile best practices to optimize flow, quality, and team performance.
- Ensure consistent use of the agile project management tool and generate accurate reports, dashboards, and insights to support decision making.
- Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor’s Degree in related fields.
- 5+ years of experience working in a fast-paced environment leveraging Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).
- 2+ years of experience as a Release Train Engineer.
- 2+ years of experience as a Scrum Master, Product Owner, or Engineer.
Nice to Have
- Certified SAFe Scrum Master or Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer.
- 2+ years of experience programming in a programming language.
- Knowledge or working experience with Rally, Aha, and Confluence.
- Great skills and knowledge with facilitation, coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution, continual improvement, and empowerment.
- Proven superior analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving abilities.
- Proven solid leader skills – works well with people; able to determine roles needed to complete a project; ability to manage project and self effectively; comfortable communicating up & down the org chart.
- Proven exceptional (verbal and written) communication and organizational skills.
- Proven planning skills and the ability to work with limited supervision.
- High-level understanding of software architecture and software delivery lifecycle.
- Solid understanding of telemetry and monitoring practices for Agile execution.
- Solid prompt engineering skills to leverage AI to accelerate and automate common agile tasks.
- Prior technology leadership skills, demonstrating good decision making and strategic discipline.
Technical Stack
- Rally
- Aha
- Confluence
Team & Environment
You will be part of the RQ Prospective Agile Project Management Office (APMO).
Benefits & Compensation
- Annual compensation range: $91,700 to $163,700.
- Comprehensive benefits package.
- Incentive and recognition programs.
- Equity stock purchase.
- 401k contribution.
Work Mode
This is a hybrid role open to candidates located in the United States.
UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.
