AVP Release Train Engineer / Senior Program Manager

lplfinancial; Fort Mill, Charlotte (SC, NC); On-site; USD 114,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

LPL Financial in Fort Mill, SC seeks an AVP, Release Train Engineer & Program Manager to lead enterprise-scale technology delivery within the EPMO.

You will partner with SVPs and cross-functional teams to align roadmaps with business priorities, provide executive status reporting, and coach teams toward operational excellence.

This role emphasizes SAFe practices, governance of scope, timeline, budget, and risk, plus driving continuous improvement across delivery organizations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or related field required.
• 8+ years of experience in Agile delivery leadership as Release Train Engineer and Program Management in a large enterprise, preferably financial services.
• 8+ years experience facilitating Agile Release Trains (SAFe RTE certifications strongly preferred).
• 5+ years experience with executive presence and engaging SVPs and C‑level leaders.
• 5+ years experience with large-scale enterprise transformation programs and technology operations.

Responsibilities

• Facilitate Agile Release Train events (PI Planning, Inspect & Adapt) ensuring alignment to goals.
• Unite Scrum Masters to identify dependencies, mitigate risks, and resolve cross-team impediments.
• Drive backlog grooming and sprint planning; evaluate train health and velocity trends.
• Manage Releases to ensure on-time SDLC and milestone delivery.
• Coordinate with external RTEs/Portfolio Leads for system dependencies and RTE syncs.
• Provide status updates and dashboards for technology and business leadership.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Executive presence

Cross-functional collaboration

Agile delivery leadership

Stakeholder management

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in Information Technology/CS/Engineering/Business Administration

MBA or Master's degree

Tools

JIRA

JQL

Confluence

Excel

PowerPoint

Cursor AI

Job description

Where Ambition Meets Innovation

Build a career that matches all your initiative with an impressive dose of innovation. From cutting-edge resources and a collaborative environment to the freedom to make an impact and more, you’ll find the ingredients you need at LPL Financial to shape your success while helping clients pursue their financial goals.

Job Overview:

The Assistant Vice President (AVP), Release Train Engineer (RTE) & Program Manager, will serve as a strategic leader within the Enterprise Program Management Office (EPMO) organization. This role combines Agile leadership with Technical Program Management expertise to drive enterprise-scale delivery of technology initiatives. The AVP will partner closely with Senior Vice Presidents and cross‑functional stakeholders to align roadmaps with business priorities, provide transparent executive‑level status reporting, and coach delivery teams to achieve operational excellence.

Release Train Engineer (RTE) Leadership:

• Facilitate Agile Release Train (ART) events (e.g., PI Planning, Inspect & Adapt, etc..), ensuring alignment to organizational goals.
• Unite Scrum Masters from all teams on the train to identify dependencies, mitigate risks, and resolve blockages occurring across team borders.
• Bring together Scrum Masters, Product Owners and Technology Leads to drive backlog grooming and sprint planning, evaluate train‑level health, review velocity trends, and adjust sprint goals.
• Manage Releases ensuring on‑time completion of SDLC and Release milestones
• Collaborate with RTEs/Portfolio Leads of external teams to co‑ordinate system dependencies and run RTE syncs with impacted teams.
• Drive continuous improvement across delivery teams, embedding Agile best practices in Technology Infrastructure & Operations.
• Remove delivery impediments by coordinating across teams, leaders, and external stakeholders.
• Serve as a servant leader and coach for ART members, leaders, and stakeholders.

Program Management & Execution:

• Manage large‑scale programs and portfolio deliverables, ensuring scope, timeline, budget, and risk are effectively governed.
• Deliver clear and concise executive‑level updates, dashboards, and status reporting for technology and business leadership.
• Coordinate across multiple initiatives to ensure dependencies are understood, managed, and communicated effectively.

Responsibilities:

• Be proactive and exercise initiative in identifying, tracking, and removing impediments to program success.
• Understand how individual projects affect the program & portfolio and exercise judgement in raising issues and risks to the program/portfolio level
• Monitor team velocity and burn rates, identifying trends and areas for improvement.
• Adherence to System Development Lifecycle and SDLC artifact compliance.
• Coordinate with Quality Assurance teams to ensure successful testing and deployment of new features
• Provide status updates to stakeholders throughout the software delivery lifecycle

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for strong collaborators who deliver exceptional client experiences and thrive in fast‑paced, team‑oriented environments. Our ideal candidates pursue greatness, act with integrity, and are driven to help our clients succeed. We value those who embrace creativity, continuous improvement, and contribute to a culture where we win together and create and share joy in our work.

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, or related field.
• 8+ years of experience in Agile delivery leadership as Release Train Engineer and Program Management within a large enterprise, preferably financial services.
• 8+ years experience facilitating Agile Release Trains (SAFe RTE certification strongly preferred).
• 5+ years experience with executive presence, demonstrated ability to engage, influence, and provide insight to SVPs and C‑level leaders.
• 5+ years experience and deep understanding of technology, operations, and large‑scale enterprise transformation programs.

Core Competencies:

• Strategic thinking with ability to balance tactical execution.
• Strong problem‑solving and decision‑making skills.
• Relationship builder with ability to navigate complex organizational structures and challenging situations.
• Continuous improvement mindset with a focus on delivering business value.
• Leadership presence and credibility in front of senior executives.
• Strong working knowledge of JIRA, JQL, Confluence or similar tools and has advanced Excel skills and Powerpoint skills
• Experience using AI Tools like Cursor AI to incorporate efficiencies in project management.

Preferences:

• MBA or Master's degree
• PMP, PgMP, SAFe certifications
• Knowledge of financial services regulatory and compliance requirements.

Pay Range:

$113,918.00 - $189,829.00Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play – such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that LPL has to offer!

Company Overview:

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor‑mediated marketplace(6) , LPL supports over 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services, and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.

Information on Interviews:

LPL will only communicate with a job applicant directly from [e-mail] address and will never conduct an interview online or in a chatroom forum. During an interview, LPL will not request any form of payment from the applicant, or information regarding an applicant’s bank or credit card. Should you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact LPL’s Human Resources Solutions Center at(855) 575-6947.

EAC 5.19.26