The release manager will oversee the planning, scheduling, and controlling of software releases to ensure the smooth and coordinated deployment of new features, bug fixes, and updates across various applications and systems.

The individual will collaborate with multiple stakeholders, including developers, QA teams, and Infrastructure team, to manage the release lifecycle and deliver high-quality software efficiently.

Key responsibilities :

Release planning :

- Define and manage the release calendar, ensuring release windows and cycles are well coordinated and align with project milestones

- Work closely with project management teams to ensure that release processes are integrated into the overall project planning

- Weekly release planning meetings where the next production release is discussed including any preparations that are needed as well as prioritising and discussion release candidates for upcoming SIT and UAT releases

- Ensure confluence documentation for is prepared for each production release.

- Facilitate release readiness meetings to discuss the progress on release preparations for upcoming production releases

- Liaise with developers and QA teams to ensure readiness for any upcoming scheduled production release

Release coordination :

- Collaborate with development, QA and infrastructure teams to ensure all components of the release are ready and meet the relevant quality standards

- Facilitate release readiness reviews, stakeholder meetings, and Go/No-Go decision-making processes

Technical release execution :

- Perform DEV to SIT, SIT to UAT and UAT to PROD releases

- Perform commit and pull requests as part of the release process

- Ensure various stage gates are completed and signed-off by the relevant owners e.g. Unit test signoffs, SIT signoffs etc.

- Any issues that happen during deployment are identified and delegated to the relevant person. The release manager then decides the best path forward (e.g. reverting the change that caused the issue and redeploying) to ensure that e.g., SIT/UAT is not blocked for others.

- Planning which releases branch should go into e.g. SIT/UAT when a production release fix needs to be deployed

- Aiding developers by answering queries such as whether their JIRA ticket has gone into SIT, how to cherry pick into the SIT branch, when the next SIT release will take place, requesting a delay on the release so they can get their JIRA tickets into the next release

- Helping developers diagnose why their PR has conflicts with the SIT branch and fixing the conflicts locally if they cannot

- Updating the CI/CD pipelines as needed with updated parameters or new features

- Configuring global parameters for each environment

Risk Management :

- Identify potential risks in the release pipeline and works with relevant teams to mitigate these risks before they impact timelines

- Implement and monitor rollback plans and contingencies in the event of release failures

Communication and documentation :

- Maintain clear communication with all stakeholders about release status, including any potential issues or delays

- Document release notes, processes, and lessons learned from each release cycle to ensure continuous improvement

Automation and continuous improvement :

- Promote the adoption of DevOps practises, including continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD)

- Identify opportunities to automate release processes to improve efficiencies and reduce human error

Post-release monitoring :

- Ensure proper monitoring and validation of system performance after releases, coordinating with support and infrastructure teams to address any post-release issues promptly

Key qualifications :

Experience :

- 5+ years of experience in release management and software development

- Experience with Agile and DevOps environments essential

- Proven experience in managing complex software releases across multiple teams and environments

Technical skills :

- Solid understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC)

- Familiarity with release management tools (e.g. Git, Azure Dev Ops, JIRA, Bitbucket, Confluence)

- Knowledge of automation and CI/CD practises

- Expert software knowledge in Azure Data Factory, Azure Databricks, SQL, Python and Bash scrips

Soft skills :

- Strong Organisational and multi-tasking abilities

- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills

- Ability to manage stress and make decisions under pressure

Preferred qualifications :

- Certification in project management (e.g. PMP, Prince 2)

- Experience with cloud-based environments (e.g. Azure)