Release Management Specialist

About the Job
The Release Manager Team Lead is responsible for overseeing and managing the entire release management process for digital services. This role requires ensuring the successful planning, coordination, and deployment of releases across applications, infrastructure, and services in a high-demand environment for Portal and Mobile. The Release Manager will lead a team of 9-10 resources, ensuring efficient release execution, process adherence, and timely delivery while maintaining service stability and covering a 24/7 service environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a comprehensive release management strategy for digital services, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and business needs.
• Define, document, and refine release processes for consistent, repeatable, and high-quality releases.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (development, QA, infrastructure, and operations) to establish a clear release roadmap and prioritize releases based on business goals and capacity.
• Lead, manage, and mentor a team of 9-10 release engineers and coordinators, providing guidance and support in their day-to-day responsibilities.
• Ensure the team is adequately resourced and trained to meet the high demands of the release function, conducting regular performance reviews and implementing professional development plans.
• Own the end-to-end release planning process, including scope definition, scheduling, resource allocation, and risk assessment for all digital service releases.
• Ensure all release activities, including development, testing, and deployment, are completed on schedule and adhere to defined quality standards.
• Identify potential risks and issues related to releases, implementing strategies to mitigate them.
• Conduct thorough impact assessments for each release, particularly for high-impact services integrated with government entities and external partners.
• Lead release-related incident management to resolve disruptions swiftly and prevent future occurrences.
• Continuously refine and optimize release management processes to reduce lead time, improve efficiency, and enhance overall release quality.
• Implement automation where applicable to streamline deployment, rollback, and monitoring processes.
• Work closely with DevOps teams to integrate continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines and tools into the release process.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all release-related matters, maintaining clear communication with stakeholders and providing regular updates.
• Prepare detailed release reports and dashboards highlighting key achievements, risks, and future plans, ensuring compliance with governance, security, and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, or a related field; a Master's degree or relevant certifications are a plus.
• Extensive experience in ITIL standards and Service Management processes.
• In-depth understanding of release management best practices, Agile methodologies, and DevOps practices.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Strong analytical skills with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
• Excellent collaboration, communication, and stakeholder management abilities.

Experience

• 7+ years of experience in Release Management, with at least 2 years in a lead role.
• Hands-on experience with Dynatrace in an enterprise environment is essential.
• A solid background in SNOW tools and experience working with or within government entities is preferred.