The Release Manager owns the end-to-end release lifecycle for mobile applications and games across multiple platforms, including iOS and Android. This role ensures that releases are delivered on time, to quality, and in full compliance with platform and security requirements.
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Working closely with the QA Manager, development teams, and studio leadership, the Release Manager safeguards build integrity, manages localization sign-off, oversees store submissions and propagation, and provides clear visibility into release readiness and live incidents. This role plays a critical part in maintaining operational excellence and delivering seamless experiences to a global audience.
Key Responsibilities:
- Own and maintain the release calendar, aligning studio priorities, testing milestones, and external deadlines.
- Track release scope, dependencies, and risks using JIRA.
- Partner with the QA Manager to ensure test phases, certification, and sign-off are fully integrated into release plans.
- Manage release build pipelines, ensuring stable, validated builds are delivered to internal teams and external platforms.
- Oversee store submissions and full store propagation across Apple App Store, Google Play, and other distribution channels.
- Ensure compliance with platform guidelines, submission requirements, and versioning standards.
- Identify, track, and resolve build, environment, or deployment blockers.
- Work closely with QA teams using TestRail to validate release readiness, including regression, performance, and compliance testing.
- Produce clear, professional release reports for stakeholders, covering test coverage, risk assessments, and go/no-go status.
- Ensure rollback, hotfix, and recovery procedures are defined and ready when required.
- Coordinate localization testing and sign-off across all supported languages and regions.
- Ensure translated content is accurate, culturally appropriate, and fully integrated into release builds.
- Partner with QA and localization vendors to validate functionality and user experience across locales.
- Monitor releases during submission and launch windows, providing real-time incident reporting to relevant stakeholders.
- Communicate incident impact, mitigation actions, and resolution timelines clearly and concisely.
- Maintain incident logs and contribute to post-mortems and root-cause analysis.
- Act as the primary point of contact for release status and readiness across development, QA, and leadership teams.
- Facilitate release reviews and retrospectives to capture lessons learned and improve processes.
- Ensure consistent, transparent communication throughout the release lifecycle.
- Coordinate with third-party partners (e.g., cybersecurity, audit, or holding group teams) to meet compliance and security requirements.
- Monitor changes to platform policies (Apple, Google) and adapt release practices accordingly.
- Drive efficiency and reliability through automation and CI/CD improvements.
- Champion best practices to reduce release cycle times and improve release quality.
- Maintain up-to-date documentation for release processes, standards, and compliance requirements.
Skills & Experience:
- Proven experience in mobile release management across iOS and Android.
- Strong working knowledge of JIRA and TestRail.
- Hands-on experience with build management, store submissions, localization workflows, and incident handling.
- Familiarity with CI/CD tools such as Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or Fastlane.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent releases in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
- Understanding of security, compliance, and audit considerations for mobile applications.
