Release Train Engineer

Ascend Learning; Burlington (MA); Hybrid; USD 97,000 - 139,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Parental leave

Employee assistance program

Wellness programs

Job summary

Ascend Learning is seeking a Release Train Engineer to facilitate SAFe ART processes, elevate impediments, manage risk, and drive program-level continuous improvement. The role coordinates across teams in Ascend’s Healthcare category and supports hybrid and remote work within the United States.

The RTE will drive Agile delivery, plan Increment events, coach teams in SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban, and collaborate with stakeholders to prioritize work and measure progress.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required; bachelor’s degree in software engineering or related field preferred.
• 3+ years of experience working in an Agile IT or Enterprise Environment
• 3+ years of experience managing IT programs
• Direct experience working as an RTE
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with both technical and non-technical partners
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Experience implementing SAFe or a similar Agile scaling framework preferred
• SAFe certification a plus
• Organizational Change Management experience preferred
• Prior experience with higher education and/or healthcare preferred

Responsibilities

• Facilitate customer-focused delivery of products across technical teams
• Lead and facilitate teams on the ART through development and delivery
• Plan and facilitate all aspects of Planning Increment activities
• Facilitate the Sync meetings and coach at the Program level
• Provide guidance in Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe and lead Agile delivery teams
• Support ART teams with ART Launch and Agile transformations
• Serve as an expert on Agile software principles to other team members
• Engage with stakeholders to define mission value and prioritize work
• Collaborate with communities of practice and deploy key metrics for continuous improvement
• Support scrum ceremonies for the team where needed
• Facilitate impediment resolution and coordinate with other teams and stakeholders
• Track and produce key metrics and manage cross-ART planning and dependencies

Skills

Agile methods

SAFe

Scrum

Kanban

Program management

RTE experience

Cross-functional

Analytical

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in software engineering or related field

High school diploma or GED

Tools

SAFe certification

Job description

We Impact Lives Through Purpose-Driven Work in A People First Culture

Ascend Learning, a leading healthcare and learning technology company,is the connection between a powerful portfolio of brands serving students, educators, and employers with outcomes-based, data-driven solutions across the lifecycle of learning.From testing to certification, Ascend Learning products are used by physicians, emergency medical professionals, nurses, allied health professionals, certified personal trainers, financial advisors, skilled trades professionals and insurance brokers.

Headquartered in Burlington, MA, with additional office locations and hybrid and remote workers in cities across the U.S., Ascend Learning was recognized by Newsweek and Plant-A Insights Group as one of America’s 2025 Greatest Workplaces as well as America’s Best Places to work for Mental Well-Being for 2025.

We're always looking for talented, passionate professionals to join us in our mission to help change lives. If this sounds like an environment where you'd thrive, read on to learn more.

What You’ll Do

The Release Train Engineer (RTE) will facilitate the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Agile Release Train (ART) processes and program execution, elevate impediments, manage risk, and help drive program-level continuous improvement. The RTE will be responsible for facilitating program level work within the SAFe framework and coordinating with a number of teams across a sub-segment of Ascend’s Healthcare category. Leawood, Kansas/hybrid office preferred.

WHERE YOU’LL WORK

This position will work a hybrid schedule from one of our office locations in Leawood, KS or Burlington, MA strongly preferred. Remote work within the United States may be considered.

How You’ll Spend Your Time

• Facilitate customer-focused delivery of products across technical teams
• Lead and facilitate teams on the ART through development and delivery
• Plan and facilitate all aspects of Planning Increment activities
• Facilitate the Sync meetings and facilitate/coach at the Program level
• Provide guidance in Agile, Scrum, Kanban, and SAFe and lead Agile delivery teams to deliver value consistently
• Support ART teams with ART Launch and Agile transformations
• Serve as an expert on Agile software principles to other team members
• Engage directly with stakeholders to define mission value, prioritize work, and build intellectual capital in Agile techniques
• Collaborate with communities of practice, develop, and conduct Agile-oriented training, and identify and deploy key metrics to enable continuous improvement
• Support scrum ceremonies for the team where needed (Planning, Retrospective, Refinement & Review/Demo)
• Facilitate impediment resolution in a timely, cost-effective manner; act as a conduit to other teams and lines of business stakeholders
• Track and produce key metrics (e.g., feature cycle time, feature say/do, burn-down, burn-up charts, etc.)
• Manage cross-ART planning and dependencies as needed

What You’ll Need

• High school diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree in software engineering or other technology-related field or equivalent work experience preferred.
• 3+ years of experience working in an Agile IT or Enterprise Environment
• 3+ years of experience managing IT programs
• Direct experience working as an RTE
• Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with both technical and non-technical partners
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Experience implementing SAFe or a similar Agile scaling framework preferred
• SAFe certification a plus
• Organizational Change Management experience preferred
• Prior experience with higher education and/or fields of healthcare preferred

HIRING RANGE

The current full-time, annualized base pay hiring range for this role is $97,200.00-$139,040.00. In accordance with applicable state laws, we are providing the expected pay range for this position. Individual compensation will be determined by various factors, including relevant experience, qualifications, current business needs and local market factors. Most regular, full-time employees are eligible to participate in an Ascend incentive bonus or sales plan.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Company paid life Insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and parental leave
• Employee assistance program
• Other wellness programs such as Headspace and Airvet
• Charitable matching program

Fostering A Sense of Belonging

Our values-driven culture unifies our teams and inspires a mindset of action, innovation, and collaboration, with a relentless focus on customers. We seek out and celebrate all people and perspectives and cultivate an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive, feel valued, and be authentic. Our culture is firmly rooted in the belief that by embracing our differences and drawing on diverse perspectives, we are a stronger, more innovative, and more successful organization where employees experience a sense of belonging.

Ascend Learning, LLC is proud to be an equal opportunity employer (M/F/Vets/Disabled). No agency or search firm submissions will be accepted. Applications for U.S.-based positions with Ascend Learning, LLC must be legally authorized to work in the United States, and verification of employment eligibility will be required at the time of hire.