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Leidos

Builds technology for defense and civil agencies

Senior Release Train Engineer

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/21/2026
$116.3k - $210.3k
Expert
Bachelor's
Annapolis Junction, MD, USA
In Person
Project & Program ManagementProgram Management
No H1B Sponsorship
US Top Secret Clearance Required

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering Science, Engineering Management, or a related discipline from an accredited college or university, and at least 12 years of relevant experience; additional experience may be substituted for a degree.
  • At least 5 years of experience leading large, complex technical teams, preferably in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Agile environment.
  • Experience supporting an Agile software development program and managing project timelines in roles such as Release Train Engineer, Scrum Master, Product Owner, and/or Technical Lead.
  • Hands-on experience with Agile project management tools such as Jira, VersionOne, Rally, and IBM Engineering Lifecycle Management (ELM).
  • Experience briefing leadership and customers on key aspects of project status, progress, and overall execution.
  • Experience communicating with and providing status updates to external stakeholders, including customer and government representatives.
  • Strong time-management skills and the ability to identify when issues require discussion, escalation, or triage.
  • Excellent written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
  • A high level of attention to detail and a strong focus on driving tasks through to completion.
  • Demonstrated ability to quickly understand technical concepts and communicate them effectively to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Proven ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment while working across diverse systems and stakeholder groups.
  • Must have Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information clearance with polygraph.
Responsibilities
  • Manage and optimize the flow of value through the Agile Release Train (ART).
  • Manage schedule execution and plan software and architecture releases for the program.
  • Facilitate Program Increment (PI) Planning readiness by fostering a Continuous Exploration process that drives the creation of the Vision, Roadmap, and Backlogs, and by leading pre- and post-PI Planning activities.
  • Facilitate PI Planning events, including logistics coordination and technical preparation.
  • Facilitate cross-team collaboration via Scrum of Scrums and other forums to support development, testing, and deployment efforts.
  • Summarize Team PI Objectives into Program PI Objectives and publish them for visibility and transparency.
  • Assist with tracking the execution of Features and Capabilities using metrics across the program’s Agile and DevOps teams.
  • Brief customers on development progress throughout the PI cycle, including the status of testing, deployment, and release readiness.
  • Coordinate release trains, assess impacts to other DevOps processes, and schedule release timelines for fixes and enhancements.
  • Develop an in-depth understanding of the large, complex software system, diverse customer needs, and associated risks.
  • Assess skillset needs and collaborate with leadership to staff program openings appropriately.
  • Coach teams, Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Project/Program leaders in Agile practices and lead teams toward higher Agile maturity.
  • Promote teamwork to achieve PI goals.
  • Assist with economic decision-making by facilitating Feature and Capability estimation and rolling up estimates to Epics when necessary.
  • Coach leaders, teams, and Scrum Masters in Lean-Agile practices and mindsets.
  • Escalate, track, and drive resolution of impediments.
  • Provide input on resourcing to address critical bottlenecks.
  • Work closely with the contractor Program Management Office (PMO) on program execution.
  • Understand and operate within budgets provided by the CAM/TTO Leads.
  • Drive relentless improvement across the ART.
  • Foster Communities of Practice and encourage the use of engineering excellence and Built-In Quality practices.
Desired Qualifications
  • Certifications such as Certified Scrum Master (CSM), SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), SAFe Agilist (SA), SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE), or a comparable Agile project management credential such as PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP).
  • Extensive hands-on experience across the software development lifecycle, including roles such as developer, tester, analyst, product manager, or project/program manager.
  • Demonstrated depth of experience in software development, testing, or systems engineering, with the technical foundation to contribute on program efforts in a participating engineering role such as developer, tester, or systems engineer.
  • Experience in Release Management, Project Management, or Program Management.
  • Demonstrated success influencing and driving change within Agile organizations.
  • Experience working with multi-disciplinary development teams in complex delivery environments.

About the company

Leidos develops technology and runs services for defense, intelligence and civilian agencies, as well as healthcare and commercial customers. It combines software and engineering work with systems integration, building secure networks and equipment used in demanding operations. Its portfolio includes medical services, energy infrastructure design and technology that supports military missions, linking specialist businesses under one parent. Customers pay through contracts for delivered systems and services, with payment tied to labor, costs or agreed project milestones. Leidos traces its roots to a company founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Reston, Virginia.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Reston, Virginia

Founded

1969

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Recognized sales are growing: Leidos reported fiscal Q2 revenue of $4.56 billion, up 7%, in August 2026.
  • Technical study gets support: Leidos lists 4,092 certification prep courses and tuition assistance for full time employees.
  • Future work includes funded contracts: Leidos reported $10.2 billion of funded backlog in August 2026.

What critics are saying

  • Federal budgets dominate demand: Leidos' February 2026 filing attributed 87% of fiscal 2025 revenue to U.S. government work.
  • Cleared cyber roles restrict access: Leidos' live Fort Meade analyst posting requires active Top Secret clearance with a polygraph.
  • Cost overruns threaten margins: firm fixed price work accounted for 43% of Leidos' fiscal 2025 revenue.

What makes Leidos unique

  • Runway capacity improves through software: Leidos and UK navigation provider NATS optimize landing spacing with Intelligent Approach.
  • Leidos reaches patients directly: its QTC medical exam business connects over 15,000 providers with more than 90 clinics.
  • Leidos builds battlefield hardware: it is the Army's prime contractor for Enduring Shield, a mobile air-defense launcher.

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Benefits

  • Medical, dental, & vision insurance
  • Health Savings account
  • Income protection
  • PTO
  • Paid parental leave
  • Jury duty pay
  • Bereavement leave
  • 401(k) Retirement Plan
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Family Benefits

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

8%

1 year growth

8%

2 year growth

8%
PR Newswire
Oct 14th, 2026
Leidos wins one-year MOD logistics extension to 2029, building on $508M in benefits

Leidos has won a one-year extension to its Logistics Commodities and Services Transformation (LCST) contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD). The deal continues logistics support to the UK Armed Forces through June 2029. Leidos has been prime contractor since 2015. It manages more than 70,000 commodity NATO Stock Numbers, supports distribution to more than 600 locations worldwide, and runs the £83 million Defence Fulfilment Centre at MOD Donnington. The company estimates it has delivered £400 million in benefits to the MOD. During the extension, Leidos will work on supply chain resilience, inventory visibility, and digital capability. The programme supported the MOD through the COVID-19 pandemic and urgent needs related to Ukraine.

INSURASALES
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1B financing for Analogic merger with three Leidos units

Blackstone Credit & Insurance (BXCI) is leading a $1 billion financing package for the merger of Analogic Corporation with three Leidos units: Security Enterprise Solutions, Ports & Borders, and Industrial Automation. The combined business will make imaging and detection technology for sectors such as aviation security and healthcare. BXCI is lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Brad Colman, BXCI's head of healthcare investing, called the deal proof of its strength in building large credit strategies with flexible solutions. Analogic is based in Salem, New Hampshire. Leidos employs 50,000 people and earned $17.2 billion in fiscal 2026. BXCI managed $443 billion in assets at the end of 2025. Roughly 75% of Blackstone's credit assets are backed by institutional and insurance clients.

GFM Limited
Oct 13th, 2026
Blackstone leads $1bn private credit financing for Leidos-Analogic security merger

Blackstone is leading a $1bn private credit financing to support the combination of the security enterprise solutions businesses of Leidos Holdings and Analogic Corporation, Bloomberg reported. Blackstone Credit & Insurance is reportedly lead lender and joint lead arranger, alongside HPS Investment Partners, Bank of America, and Wells Fargo. Leidos, a listed engineering and technology services company based in Virginia, serves government and commercial clients. It generated $17.2bn in revenue in 2025. Analogic develops imaging, detection, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies. Private equity firm Altaris acquired it in a $1.1bn take-private deal in 2018. Blackstone was reportedly also among the lenders in a recent financing for Waymo, which was increased to $5bn.

PR Newswire
Oct 12th, 2026
Leidos joins US Army's Reveille Forge, a "permanent hackathon" for early tech integration testing

Leidos is taking part in Reveille Forge, the US Army's new permanent integration and testing environment, to help spot technology integration problems sooner. The Army set up the site after its Operation Jailbreak exercise earlier this year. Reveille Forge replaces periodic events with a continuous "integrate-first" approach. Government, industry, and academia can test how technologies work together before they reach soldiers in the field. Leidos recently completed Jailbreak Sprint 1.5 at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. It followed the first sprint at Fort Carson, Colorado, in June, where the company tested its IFPC Inc 2, MXR, and ALPS systems. "Now, Reveille Forge gives the Army and industry an enduring environment to integrate early, test together and mature capabilities faster," said Matt Becker, a Leidos vice president.

PR Newswire
Oct 12th, 2026
Leidos picks X-Bow to supply rocket motors for US Army's low-cost cruise missile

X-Bow Systems, a US maker of solid rocket motors, has been selected by Leidos to develop and produce booster motors for the US Army's new Low-Cost Containerized Munition (LCCM), a low-cost cruise missile. The company announced the deal on October 12, 2026, at the Association of the United States Army annual meeting in Washington. X-Bow will handle design, qualification testing, and static fires before full-rate production in 2027. Leidos will build the munitions in large quantities under the Department of War's "Arsenal of Freedom" initiative. "Modern conflict is decided by how many rounds you can put downrange, not how exquisite each one is," said chief executive officer Jason Hundley. It is the sixth new propulsion program X-Bow has won in 2026. The company recently completed its first major production contract, delivering more than 2,100 rocket motors.