Release Train Engineer

Leidos; Gaithersburg (MD); On-site; USD 108,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

Leidos is seeking an experienced Release Train Engineer to join the Air Traffic Business Area within Homeland, supporting modernization of flight service and air traffic management systems. You will lead SAFe agile teams, coordinate releases, and drive continuous improvement in a highly regulated environment. The position requires U.S.

citizenship and ability to obtain an SF-85P Public Trust (Tier 2). Strong collaboration with Scrum Masters, engineering leadership, and product management is

Qualifications

• 8–12 years of relevant experience with a related degree.
• 3 years in technical leadership roles (RTE, Scrum Master, etc.).
• Experience with SAFe, Scrum, or related Agile frameworks.
• Experience coordinating releases, build activities, and CI/CD.
• Knowledge of SDLC practices and DevSecOps tooling.
• Experience with cloud-native, microservices, and containers.

Responsibilities

• Lead Agile Release Train execution and maintain release roadmap.
• Facilitate SAFe program events and align multiple teams.
• Manage cross-team dependencies, risks, and impediments.
• Coordinate release and build readiness with value streams.
• Monitor program health with Agile metrics and dashboards.
• Drive continuous improvement and automation opportunities.
• Oversee release readiness, defect management, and governance.
• Serve as servant leader and program facilitator.

Skills

SAFe leadership

Technical leadership

Communication

Java apps

GitLab/DevSecOps

Linux scripting

Cloud-native

Cross-functional

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE/IS

Master's degree in related field

Tools

GitLab

CI/CD tooling

Job description

Description

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.

Primary 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.

Basic Qualifications

• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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.

If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares.

Pay Range

Pay Range $107,900.00 - $195,050.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline onlyand not a guarantee of compensation or salary.

About Leidos

Leidos is an industry and technology leader serving government and commercial customers with smarter, more efficient digital and mission innovations. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, with 47,000 global employees, Leidos reported annual revenues of approximately $16.7 billion for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2025. For more information, visit www.Leidos.com.

Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available at www.leidos.com/careers/pay-benefits.

Commitment to Non‑Discrimination

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.