Lead Release Train Engineer

Manulife Financial; Toronto; On-site; CAD 113,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Incentive programs

Competitive compensation

Job summary

Manulife Financial is seeking a Senior Release Train Engineer to lead agile delivery across multiple teams for the U.S. Retirement business. The role emphasizes strategic execution, partnerships with business and tech leaders, and governance to ensure high-quality releases.

Hybrid work arrangement: in-office and remote days, with strong focus on coaching Scrum Masters and aligning priorities with stakeholders. 8+ years of senior delivery experience expected.

Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience leading agile delivery in complex, multi team environments as a Release Train Engineer, Program Manager, Development Manager, Senior Scrum Master, or similar leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework).
• Proven experience managing multiple initiatives, dependencies, risks, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Experience leading distributed teams and coordinating release management activities.
• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the planning and delivery of large scale initiatives, epics, features, and releases across multiple agile teams.
• Maintain integrated program roadmaps, delivery milestones, and risk management plans.
• Coordinate application releases and provide clear executive level status updates.
• Coach and mentor Scrum Masters, Project Managers, and Business Systems Analysts.
• Partner with Product Owners, Engineering Leaders, and business stakeholders to align delivery with strategic objectives.

Skills

Agile leadership

SAFe

Stakeholder mgmt

Distributed teams

Communication

Education

SAFe RTE or Scrum Master certification

Tools

Jira

ServiceNow

Microsoft Office

Job description

Senior Release Train Engineer (RTE)

Hybrid (Office: Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | Remote: Monday, Friday)

Are you an experienced agile leader who thrives at the intersection of strategy, execution, and people leadership? We're looking for a LeadRelease Train Engineer (RTE) to lead the delivery of complex, cross functional initiatives that support our U.S. Retirement business.

In this role, you'll partner with business and technology leaders to align priorities, manage dependencies, and drive predictable, high quality delivery across multiple agile teams. You'll play a key role in enabling teams to achieve meaningful business outcomes while fostering a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

What You'll Do

Agile Delivery & Execution

• Lead the planning and delivery of large scale initiatives, epics, features, and releases across multiple agile teams.
• Maintain integrated program roadmaps, delivery milestones, and risk management plans.
• Coordinate application releases and provide clear executive level status updates.

Leadership & Collaboration

• Coach and mentor Scrum Masters, Project Managers, and Business Systems Analysts.
• Partner with Product Owners, Engineering Leaders, and business stakeholders to align delivery with strategic objectives.
• Foster strong collaboration across employee, vendor, onshore, and offshore teams.

Governance & Continuous Improvement

• Manage cross team dependencies, risks, and impediments.
• Ensure delivery aligns with agile best practices and governance standards.
• Track key performance metrics and drive continuous improvement across teams and programs.
• Lead retrospectives and promote a culture of learning and adaptability.

Operational Excellence

• Support delivery planning, financial tracking, and benefit realization activities.
• Drive process improvements and establish scalable delivery practices.
• Partner with stakeholders to enhance operational efficiency and delivery outcomes.

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 8 years of experience leading agile delivery in complex, multi team environments as a Release Train Engineer, Program Manager, Development Manager, Senior Scrum Master, or similar leadership role.
• Strong knowledge of Agile methodologies and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework).
• Proven experience managing multiple initiatives, dependencies, risks, and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Experience leading distributed teams and coordinating release management activities.
• Outstanding communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) or Scrum Master certification.
• Experience within financial services, retirement services, or other regulated industries.
• Proficiency with tools such as Jira, ServiceNow, and Microsoft Office.

What Will Make You Successful

• A servant leadership mindset focused on coaching, empowerment, and team development.
• The ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders around common goals.
• Strong problem solving skills and comfort navigating ambiguity.
• A passion for continuous improvement and delivering meaningful business outcomes.

Why Join Us?

• Work on strategic initiatives that directly impact our U.S. Retirement business.
• Collaborate with talented teams in a supportive and inclusive environment.
• Grow your career while helping shape the future of agile delivery at scale.
• Enjoy a flexible hybrid work model: remote Mondays and Fridays, in office Tuesdays through Thursdays.

If you're an experienced agile leader who enjoys building high performing teams and delivering complex programs at scale, we'd love to hear from you.

The role being advertised is an existing vacancy.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [e-mail].

Referenced Salary Location CAN, Ontario, Toronto, 250 Bloor Street East

Working Arrangement Hybrid

Salary range is expected to be between $113,260.00 CAD - $210,340.00 CAD

Employees also have the opportunity to participate in incentive programs and earn incentive compensation tied to business and individual performance. The actual salary will vary depending on local market conditions, geography and relevant job-related factors such as knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience, and education/training. If you are applying for this role outside of the primary location, please contact [e-mail] for the salary range for your location.

Manulife offers eligible employees a wide array of customizable benefits, including health, dental, mental health, vision, short- and long-term disability, life and AD&D insurance coverage, adoption/surrogacy and wellness benefits, and employee/family assistance plans. We also offer eligible employees various retirement savings plans (including pension and a global share ownership plan with employer matching contributions) and financial education and counseling resources. Our generous paid time off program in Canada includes holidays, vacation, personal, and sick days, and we offer the full range of statutory leaves of absence. If you are applying for this role in the U.S., please contact [e-mail] for more information about U.S.-specific paid time off provisions.

We use data and analytics technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), and automated processing tools, to analyze and process the information you provide to us or third parties in the application process. For more information, please refer to our personal information collection statement.