Agile Release Manager

About the job

Grow your career as an Agile Release Manager with an innovative global bank in Tampa, FL. Contract role with strong possibility of extension. Will require working a hybrid schedule 3 days onsite per week.

Join one of the world's most renowned global banks and trusted brand with over 200 years of continuously evolving financial services worldwide. You will work alongside some of the smartest minds in the industry who are excited to share their knowledge and to learn from you.

Duration: 12+ months

Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in technology delivery, program management, Agile leadership, or software engineering environments.

• Proven experience leading large-scale Agile programs, Agile Release Trains, or complex technology portfolios.

• Strong expertise in Agile, Scrum, Lean, and SAFe frameworks.

• Demonstrated experience facilitating PI Planning and ART-level events.

• Strong understanding of dependency management, delivery governance, and value stream management.

• Experience managing executive-level reporting, delivery metrics, and stakeholder communications.

• Advanced proficiency with JIRA and Agile reporting tools.

• Excellent leadership, coaching, facilitation, and influencing skills.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational capabilities.

• Experience working within large, complex, global organizations.

Desired Skills & Experience

• SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), PMP, or equivalent certification.

• Experience in Financial Services, Investor Services, Securities Services, Custody, Fund Services, or Transfer Agency technology environments.

• Experience with DevOps, Continuous Delivery, and modern software engineering practices.

• Experience working with geographically distributed teams and stakeholders.

What You Will Be Doing

• Agile Release Train Leadership

• Act as the primary leader, coach, and facilitator for the Agile Release Train (ART).

• Establish and communicate annual Program Increment (PI) calendars and planning schedules.

• Partner with the Agile Center of Excellence to ensure Agile standards, best practices, and governance are consistently applied.

• Work with Product Managers, Product Owners, Architects, and business stakeholders to maintain alignment between strategy, priorities, and execution.

• Facilitate ART-level ceremonies and events, including:

o Pre-PI Planning

o PI Planning

o Scrum of Scrums (SoS)

o Product Owner Syncs

o System Demos

o Inspect & Adapt Workshops

• Consolidate Team PI Objectives into Program PI Objectives and publish them to drive transparency and alignment.

• Foster collaboration and coordination across teams and stakeholders within the ART.

Program Delivery & Execution

• Own and oversee execution of complex, cross-functional technology initiatives delivered through the ART.

• Manage ART-level risks, dependencies, impediments, and escalations.

• Partner with Program Management and leadership teams to drive successful execution and operational excellence.

• Ensure delivery commitments are met through proactive planning, monitoring, and stakeholder engagement.

• Drive achievement of business outcomes with a target of delivering more than 80% of planned business value.

Metrics, Reporting & Governance

• Own ART-level metrics, reporting, and delivery performance tracking.

• Utilize JIRA dashboards, program boards, and reporting tools to provide visibility into delivery progress and health.

• Monitor and improve key performance indicators, including:

o Delivery predictability

o Velocity and throughput

o Business value achievement

o Flow efficiency

o Quality and defect metrics

o Dependency management

o Operational stability

• Provide regular updates, insights, and recommendations to stakeholders and leadership.

Continuous Improvement & Agile Coaching

• Drive relentless improvement through Agile maturity assessments and actionable improvement plans.

• Coach leaders, teams, Scrum Masters, and Product Owners in Lean-Agile principles, practices, and mindset.

• Facilitate Scrum Master and Product Owner Communities of Practice to encourage knowledge sharing and continuous learning.

• Identify opportunities to improve delivery effectiveness, team performance, quality, and predictability.

• Promote a culture of continuous improvement, learning, and innovation across the ART.

Value Stream & DevOps Optimization

• Manage and optimize the flow of value through the ART using value stream management principles.

• Improve delivery effectiveness through enhanced DevOps practices and Release-on-Demand capabilities.

• Identify bottlenecks and implement improvements within the Continuous Delivery Pipeline.

• Support teams in tracking and delivering Epics, Features, and User Stories.

• Partner with engineering teams to improve automation, efficiency, quality, and deployment processes.

Financial Management

• Manage Program Tracking System (PTS) updates and financial governance for ART-related initiatives.

• Support budget planning, forecasting, resource management, and investment tracking.

• Ensure effective utilization of resources across programs and teams.

Risk & Control Management

• Proactively identify, assess, manage, and escalate delivery and operational risks.

• Ensure adherence to organizational policies, governance standards, and regulatory requirements.

• Promote a culture of accountability, transparency, and effective risk management.