Vice President - Release Train Engineer and Technical Program Manager

VP- Release Train Engineer/Tech Program Manager (L12)

Job Description:

Role Title: VP- Release Train Engineer/Tech Program Manager (L12)

Company Overview : Synchrony (NYSE: SYF) is a premier consumer financial services company delivering one of the industry’s most complete digitally enabled product suites. Our experience, expertise and scale encompass a broad spectrum of industries including digital, health and wellness, retail, telecommunications, home, auto, outdoors, pet and more.

• We have recently been ranked #2 among India’s Best Companies to Work for by Great Place to Work. We were among the Top 50 India’s Best Workplaces in Building a Culture of Innovation by All by GPTW and Top 25 among Best Workplaces in BFSI by GPTW. We have also been recognized by AmbitionBox Employee Choice Awards among the Top 20 Mid-Sized Companies, ranked #3 among Top Rated Companies for Women, and Top-Rated Financial Services Companies.

• We provide best-in-class employee benefits and programs that cater to work-life integration and overall well-being.

• We provide career advancement and upskilling opportunities for all to take up leadership roles.

Organizational Overview:

We are seeking a dynamic VP, SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) to lead multiple Agile Release Trains composed of Scrum and Kanban teams focused on ServiceNow & workforce experience. The ideal candidate will drive agile execution, aligning teams to business outcomes, accelerating value delivery, and enhancing operational resiliency. This leadership role requires expertise in SAFe practices, DevOps integration, and scaling Agile in regulated industries such as financial services or energy. Strong servant leadership, stakeholder collaboration, and continuous improvement skills are essential.

Role Summary/Purpose:

Lead Agile Scrum/Kanban teams focused on the ServiceNow platform, driving modernization and governance to deliver critical IT service solutions. Coach teams on Agile best practices, enforce governance standards, and collaborate with senior leaders to ensure successful project delivery and alignment with enterprise goals. Drive innovation, process improvements, and sustainable outcomes supporting mission-critical initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead large/enterprise Agile initiative, utilizing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

• Facilitate and continuously align a large development program.

• Provide active, hands-on management of scrum master's and project coordinators may be direct or indirect reports

• Manage risk to ensure value delivery

• Facilitate PI planning events

• Track execution of features and capabilities

• Identify process gaps; plan, execute and drive process enhancements

• Coach leaders, teams and scrum masters in lean/Agile practices and mindset

• Plan and communicate with business, IT Leadership, and other key stakeholders regarding agile program status, milestones, issue resolution, and escalation.

• Interact with business users to gather/validate requirements/epics and develop detailed roadmap that meets business objectives.

• Lead, manage and direct cross-functional resources (IT and Business) as required throughout agile lifecycle

• Create an overall Agile program plan that tracks critical program milestones/releases.

• Oversee new dependencies, risks, and priority changes that are introduced to the Agile program.

• Develop effective communication strategy across projects and constituencies.

• Perform other duties and/or special projects as assigned

Required Skills/Knowledge:

• Minimum 6-8 years of experience as a Scrum Master for software development teams, consistently applying Scrum principles and performing RTE or equivalent role

• At least 2 years of direct experience as a Release Train Engineer (RTE), with a track record of successfully launching and managing three or more Program Increments (PIs) in a SAFe environment.

• Experience in running Infrastructure Program

Skills and Expertise:

SAFe Mastery: Deep, hands-on expertise in applying and tailoring the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to optimize value delivery at the program level.

• Tooling: Expert-level proficiency with tools such as Jira and Jira Align for managing Agile Release Trains (ART), including generating program-level metrics.

• Communication & Conflict Resolution: Outstanding oral and written communication skills, with demonstrated ability to facilitate discussions and resolve conflicts among teams and stakeholders.

• Servant Leadership: Proven servant leadership capabilities, including facilitation, situational awareness, conflict resolution, and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Desired Skills/Knowledge:

• Advanced Certifications:

• SAFe Program Consultant (SPC) or other advanced SAFe certifications, such as SAFe Advanced Scrum Master (SASM)

• Domain Expertise:

• Prior experience working in the financial services – Service now domain

WORK TIMINGS: 2PM to 11PM IST

(This role qualifies for Enhanced Flexibility and Choice offered in Synchrony India and will require the incumbent to be available between 06:00 AM Eastern Time – 11:30 AM Eastern Time (timings are anchored to US Eastern hours and will adjust twice a year locally). This window is for meetings with India and US teams. The remaining hours will be flexible for the employee to choose from. Exceptions may apply periodically due to business needs. Please discuss this with the hiring manager for more details.

For Internal Applicants:

• Understand the criteria or mandatory skills required for the role, before applying

• Inform your manager and HRM before applying for any role on Workday

• Ensure that your professional profile is updated (fields such as education, prior experience, other skills) and it is mandatory to upload your updated resume (Word or PDF format)

• Must not be on any corrective action plan (First Formal/Final Formal, LPP)

• L10+ Employees who have completed 18 months in the organization and 12 months in current role and level are only eligible.

• L10+ Employees can apply.

Level / Grade : 12

Job Family Group:

Information Technology

Experience Level

Executive Level