Senior Release Manager

Our client is embarking on a significant evolution in how they deliver software and services to their customers. They are searching for an accomplished and visionary Senior Release Manager to lead this transformation. This pivotal role will be instrumental in defining and executing a modern, efficient release strategy, fundamentally reshaping our current processes around releases, and actively driving the hands-on development and deployment of our virtual assets. Leveraging your deep expertise in release management, your proven track record in driving organizational change, and your strong technical background (ideally rooted in Java development), you will ensure their releases are delivered with unparalleled speed, quality, and predictability.

Responsibilities:

• Strategic Release Leadership: Define, communicate, and implement a holistic release strategy across the organization, encompassing major product releases, feature deployments, and critically, a complete overhaul of current delivery mechanisms.
• Release Lifecycle Management: Own and manage the end-to-end release lifecycle for multiple products and services, from planning and scheduling to coordination, communication, and post-release validation.
• Change Agent: Act as a primary change agent, driving adoption of new release processes, tools, and methodologies across development, QA, operations, and business teams. Your previous experience in successfully implementing organizational change from a release perspective is key.
• CICD Transformation Lead: Lead the strategic implementation, adoption, and continuous improvement of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) pipelines and practices across the organization, heavily leveraging Microsoft technologies.
• Hands-on Virtual Asset Development & Deployment: Actively engage with and guide technical teams in the development, packaging, and automated deployment of virtual assets, drawing upon your technical background to ensure robust and repeatable processes.
• Environment Management: Oversee the management and configuration of release environments, ensuring consistency, availability, and proper versioning within the Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure (Azure).
• Risk & Dependency Management: Proactively identify, assess, track, and mitigate release risks and dependencies, escalating issues and coordinating resolutions with relevant stakeholders.
• Stakeholder Communication: Establish and maintain robust communication channels with all stakeholders, including executive leadership, product management, engineering, QA, and operations, providing clear and concise updates on release status, risks, and timelines.
• Process Optimization: Continuously analyze and improve release processes, identifying bottlenecks and implementing solutions to enhance efficiency, quality, and velocity.
• Metrics & Reporting: Define, track, and report on key release metrics (e.g., lead time, deployment frequency, change failure rate, mean time to recovery), using data to drive continuous improvement.
• Tooling & Automation: Select, implement, and optimize release management tools, with a strong focus on automation using Microsoft technologies.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 5+ years of progressive experience in Release Management, with at least 2-3 years specifically in a Senior Release Manager role.
• Strong preference for candidates with a professional background in Java development, providing a deep understanding of software architecture, coding practices, and the development lifecycle.
• Demonstrated, proven experience in driving significant organizational change in release methodologies and processes.
• Extensive hands-on experience implementing and optimizing Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CICD) pipelines in a previous role.
• Expert-level experience with Microsoft Cloud Infrastructure (Azure) and a comprehensive understanding of Microsoft technologies related to CI/CD and environment management, including:
• Azure DevOps (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Test Plans, Artifacts)
• Azure Pipelines (advanced YAML configuration, multi-stage pipelines, release gates)
• Azure Resource Manager (ARM) Templates and/or Bicep for infrastructure as code.
• Azure CLI for scripting and automation.
• Must-have proficiency in PowerShell scripting for automation, configuration management, and environment orchestration.
• Solid understanding of version control systems (e.g., Git) and branching strategies.
• Experience with virtualized assets, their lifecycle, and deployment strategies.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence and collaborate across all levels of an organization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a keen eye for detail.
• Experience working in Agile/Scrum or SAFe environments.