Release Train Manager

absa; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Absa Bank Limited seeks a Release Train Engineer to lead a multi-team delivery system within Digital & AI. You will oversee the internal technology portfolio, align scope and governance, and enable predictable strategic delivery with a lean, evidence-based approach.

You will report to VP leadership and drive integrated planning, dependency management and continuous improvement across agile teams, platforms and enabling functions to realise portfolio outcomes.

Qualifications

• Senior multi-team delivery and portfolio-office experience.
• Mandatory SAFe certification.
• Experience enabling lean-agile delivery and value realisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated delivery system across multiple scrum teams and operate internal technology portfolio office.
• Own alignment, flow, dependency management, planning, governance and transparent portfolio insight.
• Drive predictable strategic delivery with minimal bureaucracy and a single view of outcomes, funding, capacity, risks and decisions.
• Coordinate investment planning, portfolio prioritisation, demand shaping and change control with senior leaders.
• Facilitate planning cadences, system reviews, and dependency management.
• Coach leaders and teams in lean-agile behaviours, flow and escalation.
• Ensure delivery data identifies bottlenecks and drives improvements.

Skills

Scaled Agile

Portfolio management

Lean delivery

Leadership

Education

National Certificate: Information Technology

Job description

Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together one story at a time.

With over 100 years of rich history and strongly positioned as a local bank with regional and international expertise, a career with our family offers the opportunity to be part of this exciting growth journey, to reset our future and shape our destiny as a proudly African group.

Job Summary

The Release Train Engineer is a leadership role responsible for predictable, aligned delivery across digital technology teams. The role combines scaled-agile leadership with operation of the technology portfolio office.

• It manages integrated planning, dependencies, governance, risks, capacity, funding and executive portfolio insight.
• It promotes lean delivery through flow metrics, evidence-based forecasting, embedded assurance and resolution of systemic constraints.
• First-year priorities include establishing the mandate, publishing the operating model and roadmap, improving governance and delivering visible portfolio outcomes.

Job Description

• VP leadership role reporting to the Chief Information Officer: Digital & AI.
• Leads the integrated delivery system across multiple scrum teams and operates the internal technology portfolio office.
• Owns alignment, flow, dependency management, planning, governance and transparent portfolio insight.
• Enables predictable strategic delivery without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
• Maintains a single prioritised view of outcomes, funding, capacity, dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Facilitates integrated planning and execution across agile teams, platforms and enabling functions.
• Runs cadences for planning, system reviews, dependency management, risk resolution and continuous improvement.
• Coaches leaders and teams in lean-agile behaviours, flow, outcome orientation and effective escalation.
• Creates team autonomy while maintaining alignment to enterprise commitments and controls.
• Operates the Digital Business Bank Technology portfolio office on behalf of the CIO.
• Maintains authoritative portfolio data covering scope, milestones, investment, capacity, dependencies, risks and decisions.
• Designs lean governance and decision-ready executive reporting that is consistent and traceable.
• Coordinates investment planning, portfolio prioritisation, demand shaping and change control with key leaders.
• Uses delivery data to identify bottlenecks, excessive WIP, ageing, capacity constraints and systemic risks.
• Drives resolution of cross-team dependencies and escalates constraints that teams cannot remove.
• Challenges unsupported status reporting and promotes evidence-based delivery confidence, forecasting and value realisation.
• Integrates QA, architecture, security and operational assurance into delivery rather than relying on late-stage gates.
• Measures success through predictability, portfolio alignment, flow metrics, dependency resolution, forecast accuracy, benefits and readiness.
• Requires senior multi-team delivery and portfolio-office experience, strong scaled-agile and lean portfolio skills, and mandatory SAFe certification.
• First-year priorities include establishing the mandate and baseline, publishing the operating model and roadmap, improving governance and delivering visible portfolio outcomes.

Education

National Certificate: Information Technology

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised