Location: Haywards Heath, Home Office (Remote) or Manchester
Salary: £73,652 - £92,065 depending on experience
Department: Technology and Data
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. And that’s the same for our colleagues too; we won Insurance Employer of the Year at the British Insurance Awards 2024 and our Glassdoor score is pretty impressive!
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 orchestrating and facilitating 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 will 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 risks, 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 within a commutable distance from our offices in Salford Quays, Manchester, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, or Guernsey, with occasional office visits.
Core skills required:
* Leadership Skills: Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
* Critical and Systems Thinker: Anticipate downstream impacts, connect the dots across teams and value streams, and make data-informed decisions to optimise flow and alignment at scale.
* Lean Thinking: Ability to identify issues, analyse options, and implement effective solutions.
* Skilled facilitator & coach: Guide teams and stakeholders through Agile ceremonies and continuous improvement.
* Experience in coordinating concurrent initiatives efficiently.
* Ability to communicate risks, issues, and dependencies at all levels of the organisation.
* Deep understanding of Agile principles, methodologies, and practices, including SAFe.
* Strong conflict management and feedback skills.
* Change Management: Lead through organisational change with empathy and clarity.
What’s involved:
* Agile Release Train Management: Oversee and coordinate the progress and performance of ARTs aligned to the value stream, ensuring effective delivery of initiatives.
* Planning and Execution: Facilitate Quarterly Increment (QI) planning sessions and manage plan execution to meet milestones.
* Continuous Improvement: Drive a culture of ongoing enhancement within the ARTs.
* Agile Process Facilitation: Ensure consistent application of lean-agile practices and facilitate key ceremonies.
* People-first servant leader: Empower teams, build trust, and foster collaboration and growth.
* Risk and Dependency Management: Proactively identify, track, and mitigate risks and dependencies.
* Stakeholder Communication: Act as liaison between teams, stakeholders, and leadership, ensuring clear communication.
* Reporting and Metrics: Provide updates and use data to inform decisions and improve delivery.
* Coaching and Mentoring: Support and develop agile capability across teams.
* Agile Best Practice Advocacy: Promote and embed agile principles.
* Cross-Team Coordination: Facilitate alignment across multiple ARTs and teams.
Experience and Knowledge:
* Proven experience as an RTE or similar role in large-scale agile delivery.
* Deep understanding of Agile and SAFe frameworks.
* Experience leading high-performing agile teams.
* Ability to interpret performance metrics for continuous improvement.
* Knowledge of agile tools, preferably Azure DevOps.
* Experience managing dependencies across multiple teams or streams.
Skills:
* Leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
* Critical and Systems Thinking.
* Lean Thinking.
* Facilitation & coaching skills.
* Risk management and dependency coordination.
* Deep Agile & SAFe expertise.
* Conflict management and feedback skills.
* Change management capabilities.
Qualifications:
* SAFe Release Train Engineer certification is advantageous.
Behaviours:
* Results-driven, self-motivated, and proactive.
* Motivational leadership and role modeling.
* Aligned with company values.
* Organised, flexible, and positive attitude.
* Decision-making initiative.
* Focus on continuous improvement.
If you’re ready for the challenge and want to join our vibrant team, we want to hear from you today.
What can we do for you?
* People first approach with energetic, supportive workplaces.
* Perks include health plans, flexible holidays, electric car scheme, flexible working, and more.
* We support diversity and inclusion, including commitments to women in leadership roles.
Interested? Contact our Talent team for more info. We’re open to discussing flexible working options.
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