Release Manager

The Release Manager is responsible for the end-to-end management of the software release process. This includes planning, scheduling, communicating, coordinating, and overseeing software releases across multiple environments & multiple applications. You must have extensive experience to manage and track the release lifecycle effectively, ensuring that software releases are delivered on time, within scope, and with high quality. Release Planning and Coordination: Develop and maintain detailed release deployment schedules, incorporating inputs from development, testing, and operations teams. Coordinate release activities and resources to ensure successful software deployments. Utilise Jira to track release progress, manage issues, and communicate updates. Process Management: Establish, implement, and manage release processes for code through development, test, and production environments. Create and maintain documentation of release processes, roles, and responsibilities. Work closely with the rest of the release management team for cross training and overlap of application management, if applicable. Communication: Serve as the primary point of contact for release communications between development, QA, operations, and other stakeholders. Provide regular status updates on release progress, issues, and risks. Chair release status meetings & other meetings as and when required and issue meeting minutes and documentation. Construct release content documentation and ensure release communications are made available to internal parties (and external clients when required), according to the published Release Deployment Schedule; and participate in any walk-through required or answer any questions arising from the documents. Risk Management: Identify, document, and mitigate risks associated with the releases process. Ensure comprehensive impact analysis and risk assessments are conducted for each release cycle. Quality Assurance: Ensure that all releases are thoroughly tested and validated at each stage of the release process. Collaborate with QA teams to develop and implement effective testing strategies. Review & help manage with the QA lead, any defects raised during testing. Understanding their severities and timelines for fixing. Deployment & Live Implementation: Prepare live implementation runbooks and ensure these are agreed with all parties. Coordinate and manage the deployment of software releases, ensuring minimal impact on service availability, mid-week and/or weekends. Arrange and manage any client confidence testing required post live implementation. Oversee post-live activities & releases, including the collection and documentation of lessons learned. Continuous Improvement: Continuously refine and improve release management processes, leveraging Jira and other tools to enhance efficiency. Promote the adoption of best practices in release management and automation. What You Will Bring: 5+ years of experience in software release management, configuration management, or a related field. Extensive experience with Jira, including configuration, workflow management, and report generation. Proven experience in a DevOps environment is highly desirable. Skills: In-depth understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and agile methodologies. Strong project management and organisational skills. Including being able to prioritise effectively to ensure deadlines are met. Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities. Superior communication and interpersonal skills. Including confidence to chair & participate in meetings. Accountable of the completion of objectives and tasks within given timelines. Working in co-operation with other people in a way that maximizes personal effectiveness, encourages teamwork and achieves the required outcomes. Certifications: ITIL Foundation, JIRA administration, or other relevant certifications are a plus. Key Competencies: Leadership: Ability to lead cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality software releases. Attention to Detail: Strong attention to detail to ensure reliability and quality in releases. Adaptability: Capacity to adapt to changing priorities and manage multiple tasks in a dynamic environment. Problem-solving: Strong problem-solving skills to address and resolve issues promptly. Collaboration: Excellent collaboration skills to work effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders. This role is essential for ensuring the efficient and reliable delivery of software products to customers. You will play a key role in optimizing the release process, contributing to the delivery of successful releases and customer satisfaction.,