Release Train Engineer (Remote EST/CST)

Optum is a global organization that delivers care, aided by technology to help millions of people live healthier lives. The work you do with our team will directly improve health outcomes by connecting people with the care, pharmacy benefits, data and resources they need to feel their best. Here, you will find a culture guided by diversity and inclusion, talented peers, comprehensive benefits and career development opportunities. Come make an impact on the communities we serve as you help us advance health equity on a global scale. Join us to start Caring. Connecting. Growing together. 

You will be a Release Train Engineer (RTE) with the RQ Prospective Agile Project Management Office (APMO). RQ Prospective helps doctors and patients get the right care at the right time by preparing for visits in advance. We use data, outreach teams, and flexible assessment programs to identify care needs early, close important gaps in preventive and chronic care, and ensure medical records accurately reflect a patient’s health. This work improves care quality, supports better health outcomes, and helps the healthcare system function more effectively for everyone.

As an RTE, you will serve as the Agile leader and “value extractor” for the ART – a top‑5 critical role responsible for ensuring that the train reliably delivers on its PI and sprint objectives. You will take end‑to‑end ownership of ART health and execution: leading PI planning and ART‑level ceremonies, driving transparency through data and metrics, managing risks and cross‑team dependencies, and coaching Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and teams in Agile excellence. This is not a scheduling or coordination role; it is a hands‑on leadership position where you are expected to proactively identify gaps, remove impediments, foster collaboration, and continuously improve how the ART plans, executes, and delivers value.

You’ll enjoy the flexibility to work remotely * from anywhere within the U.S. as you take on some tough challenges.

For all hires in the Minneapolis or Washington, D.C. area, you will be required to work in the office for a minimum of four days per week.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Take full ownership of the Agile Release Train (ART) by monitoring its health, identifying gaps or risks early, and driving actions that improve delivery outcomes
• Lead and ensure successful delivery of Program Increment (PI) objectives, using data and proactive leadership to keep the ART on track
• Plan, facilitate, and add value to all ART level ceremonies, including PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, ART Syncs, Sprint Reviews, and PI System Demos
• Coach and mentor Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile teams, helping them strengthen Agile practices and resolve complex delivery challenges
• Identify, manage, and remove impediments and cross team dependencies that could impact delivery, partnering with Product, Engineering, and leadership as needed
• Drive transparency through metrics, including sprint/PI progress, quality measures, Time to Build/Time to Value (TTB/TTV), and other ART key performance indicators
• Lead release planning activities and ensure clear, coordinated communication across teams, stakeholders, and external partners
• Foster collaboration and alignment across all ART teams, encouraging continuous improvement, innovation, and a culture of accountability
• Serve as the ART’s Agile subject matter expert, applying SAFe principles and Agile best practices to optimize flow, quality, and team performance
• Ensure consistent use of the agile project management tool (e.g., Rally) and generate accurate reports, dashboards, and insights to support decision making
• Leverage enterprise-approved AI tools to streamline workflows, automate tasks, and drive continuous improvement 

You’ll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear directions on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in related fields
• 5+ years of experience working in a fast-paced environment leveraging Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• 2+ years of experience as a Release Train Engineer 
• 2+ years of experience as a Scrum Master OR Product Owner OR Engineer 

Preferred Qualifications:

• Certified in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Certified SAFe Scrum Master
• Certified in the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Certified SAFe® Release Train Engineer
• 2+ years of experience programming in a programming language
• Knowledge/working experience with Rally, Aha and Confluence
• Great skills and knowledge with facilitation, coaching, mentoring, conflict resolution, continual improvement and empowerment
• Proven superior analytical, evaluative, and problem-solving abilities
• Proven solid leader skills – works well with people; able to determine roles needed to complete a project; ability to manage project and self effectively; comfortable communicating up & down the org chart
• Proven exceptional (verbal and written) communication and organizational skills
• Proven planning skills and the ability to work with limited supervision
• High-level understanding of software architecture and software delivery lifecycle to provide context of teams work to management as needed
• Solid understanding of the telemetry and monitoring practices required to continuously track Agile execution and enable timely, data-driven feedback loops
• Solid prompt engineering skills to leverage AI to accelerate and automate common agile tasks
• Prior technology leadership skills, demonstrating the importance of good decision making and strategic discipline through example and mentorship

*All Telecommuters will be required to adhere to UnitedHealth Group’s Telecommuter Policy.

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you’ll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $91,700 to $163,700 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable. 

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. 

Application Deadline: This will be posted for a minimum of 2 business days or until a sufficient candidate pool has been collected. Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants. 

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone–of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location, and income–deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups, and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes — an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug - free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.

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