Release Train Engineer

Leidos•Gaithersburg, MD

About The Position

Leidos is seeking an experienced Release Train Engineer (RTE) to join the Air Traffic Business Area within the Homeland Sector, supporting the development of next-generation flight service and air traffic management systems. This work supports the FAA's ongoing modernization of legacy flight service capabilities, replacing aging infrastructure with scalable, cloud-based platforms that enhance safety, resiliency, and operational efficiency—particularly in remote and high-dependency aviation environments. These mission-critical systems provide safety-critical flight services relied upon by the nation's pilot community. As part of a Scaled Agile (SAFe) software development organization, you will help lead the execution and delivery of a complex software program that combines proven, globally deployed technologies with modern cloud-native capabilities. Working closely with cross-functional Agile teams, engineering leadership, and program stakeholders, you will drive predictable delivery in a highly regulated, safety-critical environment. In this role, you will serve as the Release Train Engineer, facilitating Agile Release Train execution, promoting SAFe best practices, and enabling collaboration across multiple development teams. You will partner with Scrum Masters, engineering leaders, product management, and Builds & Controls to coordinate release activities, remove impediments, and ensure successful program execution. The ideal candidate is a collaborative servant leader with strong technical acumen, excellent communication skills, and experience leading software delivery in complex Agile environments. Candidate must be able to obtain an SF-85P Public Trust (Tier 2) suitability determination from the FAA. Due to contract requirements, U.S. citizenship is required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related technical field with 8–12 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree with 6–10 years of relevant experience.
Minimum of 3 years of experience serving in a technical leadership role (e.g., Release Train Engineer, Scrum Master, Technical Lead, Engineering Lead, or similar).
Experience leading Agile software development programs using SAFe, Scrum, or related Agile frameworks.
Experience coordinating software releases, build activities, and cross-team dependencies within a CI/CD development environment.
Working knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) practices and release management processes.
Experience with GitLab or similar version control and DevSecOps toolchains.
Working knowledge of Linux environments and shell scripting.
Experience collaborating with software engineering teams developing Java-based applications.
Experience with cloud-native architectures, microservices, and containerized application development.
Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Ability to obtain an SF-85P Public Trust (Tier 2) suitability determination.
U.S. citizenship is required.

Nice To Haves

Experience with AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot).
Knowledge of air traffic management, flight services, or other safety-critical operational systems.
Highly organized with the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, collaborative environment.

Responsibilities

Lead Agile Release Train execution by planning, coordinating, and delivering working software on schedule while maintaining the overall release roadmap and build plan.
Facilitate SAFe program events including Release Planning, Scrum of Scrums, Sprint Reviews, Release Exit, Engineering Reviews, and retrospectives to ensure alignment and execution across the program.
Manage cross-team dependencies, risks, and impediments, collaborating with Engineering, Scrum Masters, and technical leadership to proactively resolve issues that impact delivery.
Coordinate release and build readiness by partnering with Builds & Controls, Configuration Management, Engineering, and Test teams to support successful builds, informals, release audits, engineering change processes, and production readiness.
Monitor and communicate program health through Agile metrics, release dashboards, and performance reporting, providing leadership with visibility into delivery progress, quality, capacity, and forecasted risks.
Drive continuous improvement by facilitating root cause analyses, tracking action items, improving Agile processes, and identifying opportunities to automate workflows and increase team productivity.
Support engineering execution and governance by overseeing release readiness activities, defect management, software growth tracking, release documentation, and compliance with established development and release processes.
Serve as a servant leader and trusted program facilitator, coaching Agile teams, fostering collaboration, promoting transparency, and enabling high-performing teams to consistently achieve program objectives.