Agile Release Engineer

KBR Careers; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 156,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

AD&D

FSA

Disability

Paid time off

Flexible work schedule

Job summary

KBR is seeking an Agile Release Engineer to provide SETA support and lead CI/CD, SAFe processes, and release planning for high-security DoD/IC systems. You will design, implement, and automate large-scale software releases across intertwined teams, leveraging Jira, Confluence, and Azure DevOps.

You will guide ARTs, mentor Scrum Masters, and ensure compliant, scalable delivery within a fast-paced, security‑driven environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS, SE, or related field.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph.
• 10+ years in Agile/SAFe roles; RTE or Scrum Master experience.
• 5+ years as Release Engineer or similar.
• Strong SDLC and release management knowledge.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Artifactory, etc.).
• Experience with AWS, Kubernetes, and infra automation.
• DevOps and automation skills for large-scale systems.
• Experience as RTE or Agile program lead; SAFe proficiency.
• Lean and systems thinking.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Problem-solving and adaptability.

Responsibilities

• Own and evolve CI/CD frameworks to support Agile delivery, ensuring speed, reliability, and scalability of releases.
• Design, implement, and maintain automation for large-scale, complex software systems, reducing manual effort and improving release predictability.
• Facilitate Agile Release Trains (ARTs), aligning teams on vision, roadmap, and backlog priorities, and ensuring adherence to SAFe or other Agile scaling frameworks.
• Coordinate program-level processes across multiple Scrum and product teams, resolving dependencies, risks, and integration issues.
• Manage release planning and execution, including backlog grooming, PI planning, and change management for delivery plans.
• Coach and mentor technical teams, Scrum Masters, and stakeholders on Lean-Agile practices, continuous improvement, and quality standards.
• Leverage Agile lifecycle management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps) for planning, tracking, and reporting.
• Drive operational excellence by improving release processes, reducing defects, and increasing delivery velocity.

Skills

CI/CD tooling

Agile/SAFe

Release engineering

Jira/Confluence

Azure DevOps

AWS/Kubernetes

DevOps automation

Lean-Agile

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Software Engineering

Tools

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Artifactory

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure DevOps

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

Title

Agile Release Engineer

Why Join Us?

• Innovative Projects: KBR’s work is at the forefront of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions.
• Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace.
• Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in designing and optimizing defense systems that ensure national security and shape the future of space defense.

Who You Are

KBR is looking for a motivated Agile Release Engineer to join our team and provide Systems Engineer Technical Advisor (SETA) support for the Intelligence Community Customer Ground Enterprise Directorate (GED). GED plays a critical role in enabling the Intelligence Community Customer to plan and execute intelligence-gathering missions, transforming collected data into useful information for the Intelligence Community (IC) and Department of Defense (DoD) users.

In this role, you will have the chance to design, develop, test, and deliver products that support our customers’ advanced systems. In support of GED Front Office, Chief Architect, Integrated Intelligence Program Office, Advanced Ground Office, and Enterprise Data Applications and Platforms. You'll collaborate with multi-disciplinary teams focused on hardware, software, system integration, and data analysis to help achieve important missions and meet requirements.

This is a contingent position based upon contract award

Primary Responsibilities

• Own and evolve CI/CD frameworks to support Agile delivery, ensuring speed, reliability, and scalability of releases.
• Design, implement, and maintain automation for large-scale, complex software systems, reducing manual effort and improving release predictability.
• Facilitate Agile Release Trains (ARTs), aligning teams on vision, roadmap, and backlog priorities, and ensuring adherence to SAFe or other Agile scaling frameworks.
• Coordinate program-level processes across multiple Scrum and product teams, resolving dependencies, risks, and integration issues.
• Manage release planning and execution, including backlog grooming, PI planning, and change management for delivery plans.
• Coach and mentor technical teams, Scrum Masters, and stakeholders on Lean-Agile practices, continuous improvement, and quality standards.
• Leverage Agile lifecycle management tools (e.g., Jira, Confluence, Azure DevOps) for planning, tracking, and reporting.
• Drive operational excellence by improving release processes, reducing defects, and increasing delivery velocity.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Must possess an active TS/SCI clearance and Polygraph.
• 10+ years of relevant experience in Agile/SAFe roles, with prior RTE or Scrum Master experience.
• 5+ years as a Release Engineer or similar role.
• Strong SDLC and release management knowledge.
• Expertise with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Artifactory, etc.).
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Kubernetes) and infrastructure automation.
• DevOps and automation skills for large-scale systems.
• Experience as a Release Train Engineer (RTE), Chief Scrum Master, or Agile program lead.
• SAFe Agile methodology proficiency.
• Lean and systems thinking.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Problem-solving, prioritization, and adaptability.

Basic Compensation

$156,400 –215,100 annum (This range is for the VA area only)

The rate offered will be based on the selected candidate’s work location, knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience, contract affordability and consideration of internal parity.

Additional Compensation

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short-term incentives, long-term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

KBR Benefits

• 401K plan with company match
• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• AD&D
• flexible spending account
• disability
• paid time off
• flexible work schedule

We support career advancement through professional training and development

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR

At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team of team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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