Release Manager

Release Manager

Responsibilities
Own end-to-end release lifecycle for cloud platform services across Azure, AWS, and GCP, including release planning, scheduling, cutover coordination, and post release validation.
Define and enforce release policies, runbooks, rollback procedures, and approval workflows to ensure predictable, auditable deployments.
Integrate CI/CD and Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices into release processes, promoting pipeline-as-code, artifact promotion, and automated gates (unit, integration, security, smoke).
Perform release readiness checks covering configuration, capacity, security, testing, observability, and support readiness.
Embed security and compliance controls in release pipelines, including vulnerability scanning, automated compliance checks, and coordination with security teams.
Manage SOX-compliant release controls: enforce segregation of duties, change authorization, traceability of build/artifact promotion, audit logging, and evidence collection for audits.
Coordinate cross functional and vendor stakeholders (engineering, product, operations, and sourced teams) to minimize risk and service disruption.
Maintain release documentation, communicate release notes/status to stakeholders, and preserve audit trails for regulatory and internal requirements.
Track release KPIs (deployment frequency, change failure rate, mean time to restore, lead time) and drive continuous improvement.
Establish and exercise incident and rollback playbooks; lead post release post mortems and root cause analysis.
Monitor and report on Agile DORA metrics (deployment frequency, change failure rate, mean time to restore, and lead time) to evaluate team performance and drive continuous improvement in the release management process.

Experience:
Proven experience in release management, preferably in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, GCP).
Experience in software development, DevOps, or IT operations.
Experience working in Agile environments and familiarity with Agile frameworks (e.g., Scrum, Kanban).
Knowledge of Agile DORA metrics and their application in measuring team performance.
Strong organizational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple releases and priorities simultaneously.
Experience with project management tools (e.g., Jira, Azure DevOps Boards).
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.
Ability to present complex technical information to non-technical audiences.
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating risks in the release process.
High level of attention to detail and commitment to quality, ensuring that releases are thoroughly tested and validated before deployment.
Ability to adapt to changing technologies and processes, with a willingness to learn and implement new tools and methodologies.
Understanding of CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and automation tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Terraform, Ansible).