Be a Part of our Team!

Join a working family that is dedicated to the mission of the work we do!

Teaching Strategies is an innovative edtech organization focused on connecting teachers, children, and families. As front runners in the early childhood education market, we build dynamic, top-quality digital products that integrate all of the essential elements of a high-quality solution: curriculum, assessment, professional development, and family engagement. We are building a team of results-oriented individuals who will thrive in a collaborative, work-hard/play-hard culture. We pride ourselves on the impact we have on the early childhood field through supporting teachers who are doing the most important work there is, teaching children to become creative, confident thinkers.

Position Overview

As a Release Train Engineer, you will be responsible for leading and managing complex software projects, improving team delivery, and supporting individual teams to ensure the successful implementation of short and long-term team goals. Partnering with scrum teams, you will implement Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and team level agile best practices to increase productivity and help raise the bar on quality. Managing and analyzing team and project data, you will sustain changes made through coaching a collection of product teams. You will be an expert in full life cycle agile program and product management, portfolio management, and governance. Additionally, you will work closely with cross-functional business and software development teams to solve problems and implement new solutions.

Specific Roles & Responsibilities:

Improving Relentlessly

• Participate in sprint reviews, drive continuous improvement through meaningful retrospectives, actively driving change
• Run agile inceptions to define scope, resources required, and anticipated timeline and level of effort for large complex multi-department programs
• Track sprint metrics and work with the teams to identify areas of improvement in predictability, velocity, and quality
• Conduct detailed analysis on team's Scrum Metrics

Facilitating PI Planning

• Ensure planning readiness in: Strategic alignment and organizational readiness, Leadership and team preparedness for the event, and manage logistics for the event
• Effectively runs PI Planning events including opening the event, reviewing purpose, agenda, expectations, logistics, facilitating planning adjustments and team breakouts, reviewing final plans and risks, holding confidence vote and planning any rework
• Facilitate periodic synchronization events including dependency & risk reviews, and PI Demos

Optimizing Flow

• Clarify, expedite and drive commitments, as well as establish clear chains of accountability
• Manage the full life cycle of Agile Product, Program, and SDLC management
• Ensure that the Jira boards are accurate and have good hygiene to aid in sprint, quarterly and annual analysis
• Improve the team's estimation of work at the project and task level

Coaching the Agile Release Train (ART)

• Own multiple related projects across larger initiatives, tracking project performance to ensure successful implementation of short- and long-term goals
• Be an agile advocate to the team by being a strong promoter of best practices and informing and teaching the teams on scrum methodology
• Consult with team members to work through conflict and serve as a bridge between Product and Technology
• Ensuring consistent application of process across the ART

Supporting PI Execution

• Assist in tracking execution of Features ensuring the team meets its definition of done
• Coordinate impediment removal across teams and use working solutions in the Demos as measurement of progress
• Perform Scrum Master role for multiple teams as needed
• Apply technical experience to influence outcomes and ensure decisions lead to valuable results
• Budget tracking, including data accuracy for capitalization, R&D tax credits, and time tracking
• Providing broader visibility to leadership on team's plans, blockers, and risks

Tracking and managing timing of dependencies across the entire ART and ensuring cross-team communications, mitigating risks for feature and project delivery

Qualifications:

• 8+ years of industry experience leading initiatives as a Scrum Master
• 5+ years of demonstrated knowledge and experience with managing software (product) development projects through their entire life cycle (including launch and implementation) using automated management tools
• 3+ years' experience within a SAFe environment, preferably as an RTE
• Progressive record of successful delivery of complex software systems or services
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence business and technical leaders
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
• Knowledge of agile software development practices and experience implementing SaaS applications
• A passion for coaching and team-building

Preferred qualifications:

• Hands-on experience with Atlassian Tools (JIRA, Confluence) or comparable Agile suite
• Knowledge of DevOps, test automation, and ability to organize data and generate metrics, reports, dashboards, etc.
• EdTech experience at any level

Why Teaching Strategies

At Teaching Strategies, our solutions and services are only as strong as the teams that create them. By bringing passion, dedication, and creativity to your job every day, there's no telling what you can do and where you can go! We provide a competitive compensation and benefits package, flexible work schedules, opportunities to engage with co-workers, access to career advancement and professional development opportunities, and the chance to make a difference in the communities we serve.

Let's open the door to your career at Teaching Strategies!

Some additional benefits & perks while working with Teaching Strategies

Teaching Strategies offers our employees a robust suite of benefits and other perks which include:

• Competitive compensation package, including Employee Equity Appreciation Program
• Health insurance benefits
• 401k with employer match
• 100% remote work environment
• Unlimited paid time off (which includes paid holidays and Winter Break)
• Paid parental leave
• Tuition assistance and Professional development and growth opportunities
• 100% paid life, short and long term disability insurance
• Pre-tax medical and dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSA)
• Voluntary life and critical illness insurance

Teaching Strategies, LLC is committed to creating a diverse workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer of Minorities, all Genders, Protected Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities.