Release Train Engineer

We’re 1st Central, a market-leading insurance company utilising smart data and technology at pace. Rapid growth has been based on giving our 1.4 million customers exactly what they want: great value insurance with an excellent service. We’re on the hunt for experienced Release Train Engineers (RTEs) to join our Technology and Data team.

The Release Train Engineers (RTE) will be responsible for the orchestration and facilitation of the Agile Release Trains (ARTs) that deliver strategic initiatives across the Value Stream. This role ensures the consistent, timely, and high-quality coordination of cross-functional teams to deliver business value aligned with the value stream’s objectives. You’ll champion agile best practices and principles across the Value Streams, actively removing impediments, managing risks, and driving continuous improvement.

You’ll work closely with Portfolio Leads, Product Owners, Architects, Business Owners, and other stakeholders to ensure alignment, transparency, and delivery of outcomes that support the broader portfolio strategy. Collaboration is key; you’ll coordinate with other RTEs across value streams and domains to manage risk, coordinate dependencies, align delivery timelines, and ensure seamless integration of change initiatives. This role requires strong relationship management across technical, business, and executive levels.

The RTE will thrive in a dynamic environment, drawing satisfaction from enabling teams to deliver impactful, customer-centric solutions that advance the organisation’s strategic goals. We value flexible working arrangements, so you can choose to work remotely or maybe you live within a commutable distance from one of our offices in Salford Quays, Manchester, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, or Guernsey, and want to work in the office occasionally.

Core skills we’re looking for to succeed in the role:

• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to anticipate downstream impacts, connect the dots across teams and value streams, and make data-informed decisions to optimise flow and alignment at scale.
• Ability to identify issues, analyse options, and implement effective solutions.
• Guide teams and stakeholders through Agile ceremonies and continuous improvement.
• Experienced in coordinating concurrent initiatives with efficiency.
• Ability to communicate risks, issues, and dependencies at all levels of the organisation.
• Deep understanding of Agile principles, methodologies, and practices.
• Strong conflict management and feedback skills.
• Lead through organisational change with empathy and clarity.

What’s involved:

• Oversee and coordinate the progress and performance of Agile Release Trains (ARTs) aligned to the value stream, ensuring effective delivery of strategic initiatives.
• Facilitate Quarterly Increment (QI) planning sessions and manage the execution of plans, ensuring milestones and objectives are met across the ARTs.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement within the ARTs, enhancing team performance, delivery cadence, and product quality.
• Ensure consistent application of lean-agile methodologies across the value stream, facilitating key ceremonies and fostering a collaborative, high-performing environment.
• Empower teams, build trust, and foster a culture of collaboration and growth.
• Proactively identify, track, and mitigate risks and interdependencies that could impact delivery across the value stream and wider portfolio.
• Act as the primary liaison between cross-functional teams, stakeholders, and leadership, ensuring clear, timely, and transparent communication.
• Provide regular updates on ART progress, challenges, and achievements. Champion the use of data and metrics to inform decisions and improve delivery performance.
• Support and mentor Portfolio Leads, Product Owners, team members, and wider business to strengthen agile capability and maturity across the value stream.
• Promote and embed agile principles and best practices to optimise delivery flow and maximise value realisation.
• Facilitate alignment and synchronisation across multiple ARTs and teams to ensure cohesive and integrated delivery of value stream outcomes.

Experience and Knowledge:

• Proven experience as a Release Train Engineer or in a similar agile delivery leadership role, ideally within a value stream or large-scale transformation context.
• In-depth understanding of Agile principles and methodologies, with hands-on experience applying the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) in complex delivery environments.
• Extensive experience leading high-performing agile teams, whether as a Scrum Master, Agile Delivery Lead, or RTE.
• Demonstrated ability of collecting, analysing, and interpreting performance metrics to drive transparency, identify trends, and support continuous improvement through data-driven insights and reporting.
• Strong working knowledge of agile delivery tools, preferably Azure DevOps, with the ability to leverage them for planning, tracking, and reporting.
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate multiple teams and manage dependencies across a value stream or programme of work.

Qualifications:

• SAFe Release Train Engineer certification is advantageous.
• Relevant Agile/Lean certification.

Behaviours:

• Commercially focused and results driven.
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic.
• Acts as a role model and motivates others.
• Embraces, embeds, and incorporates the Company values.
• An organised and pro-active approach.
• Ability to lead and influence.
• A flexible approach and positive attitude.
• Takes initiative to make decisions.
• Drives relentless improvement through retrospectives and feedback loops.

So, if you’re up for the challenge and would like to join our vibrant and busy team, we want to hear from you today.

What can we do for you?

People first. Always. We’re passionate about our colleagues and know the best people deserve an extraordinary working environment. Our workplaces are energetic, inspirational, and supportive.