Release Manager

We are looking for a Release Manager! Reach out if you are interested and feel free to refer friends/colleagues!

Type of Employment: Contract
Title: Release Manager
Term: 6-month – 37.5 hours/ week
Location: Remote
Job ID number: C1133

Brief description of duties:

Monitors, restores service, changes, supports, and handles day-to-day activities 7/24/365 required to run the mission critical systems for the company ensuring business service levels are met and environments are managed. Monitors and ensures service restoration of infrastructure, applications (online and offline), and security, while meeting service level agreements. Provides the Help/Service Desk support, as well as coordinates and facilitates Incident Management, deploys changes to the production environment, and engages 3rd party providers contracted to the Bank during an incident. Provides immediate response to production program or system problems. Participates in testing cycles to ensure the ability to deploy and operability of infrastructure and applications. Deploys, implements, provisions applications and infrastructure per deployment plans and infrastructure build guides.

• Lead end-to-end planning and integration of changes into IT service lifecycle for Technology Platforms.
• Act as single point of contact for all matters related to release planning, scheduling, and governance.
• Develop and execute release strategy that provides direction on holistic approach to ensure release implementation aligns with business objectives and technology imperatives.
• Establish and lead release gating processes and reporting.
• Identify and manage release risks, issues, and dependencies.
• Ensure that all component relationships of an IT service are considered when the service is changed.
• Define and enable release process steps that are repeatable, controllable, scalable, and sustainable.
• Work with Delivery Leads to ensure Pods have the right release planning support with technical/domain knowledge and capabilities to support release scope.
• Apply a risk-based approach to prioritize releases based on highest business impact areas while aligning to Journey and Platform roadmaps.
• Work with stakeholders to identify, track and resolve dependencies that are impacting end-to-end delivery
• Track and monitor release DIT, SIT and UAT through weekly meetings
• Review and provide inputs to Software Configuration Management document
• Verify check QA exit report, obtain approval from application owner/business partner
• Ensure DevOps / QA maintains the baseline in QA environments prior to release QA test cycle
• Coordinate with PM, BA, Dev, Environment Manager, DevOps and Shared services and schedule weekly status meetings to achieve release milestone activities
• Prepare release Fallback and ensure fallback test is certified by QA
• Handle conflicts on environment matrix usage for Development Integration Test (DIT), System Integration Test (SIT), User Acceptance Test (UAT) and Performance Test
• Coordinate with Line of Businesses/Stakeholders on release testing (such as regression/performance) and user demos on implementation
• Prepare and present Pre-Implementation gating deck for stakeholders Go/No-Go decision
• Maintain release documents/signoffs on SharePoint
• Manage Release engineers for build and deployment process
• Coordinate with Dev Leads + SCM/ Deployment team to review and validate release level code artifacts for CR cross impacts / dependency and finalize the build package
• Schedule review meetings to review build guide; ensure final build guide and package (application / database) are approved and uploaded in Artifactory
• Manage and review the build guide for dry run on the final logical build package for each release
• Ensure all Release governance (Release Checklist) are met and approved by internal audit team prior to the implementation date
• Schedule and facilitate the release knowledge transfer session with production support team
• Prepare and review the Implementation checklist with Implementation, Production and Platform leads
• Prepare and publish Release Notes
• Continuously look for improvements in release and change process
• Act as an escalation point for quick resolution
• Highlight release, project risk, issues and provide mitigation plan
• Prepare, publish and present weekly release status update to stakeholders and senior management
• Streamlined the release and change process through defined RACI matrix and frequent process updates
• Act as gate keeper to ensure no changes goes to production without the release and change governance
• Knowledge on Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI / CD) through GIT process
• Exposure to Agile model
• It’s an asset if you have experience with Agile methodologies, Program/Portfolio Management, Release Trains & Release Management, HP Planview, JIRA, Confluence and knowledge of the Software Delivery Life Cycle (SDLC). It’s an asset if you have previous work experience managing implementation of releases.
• Provides technical expertise and oversight on the production floor, understanding the full process requirements (compliance, equipment, regulatory) in order to best understand and resolve production issues.
• Manages complexity across business value, technology and interaction models.
• Recommends and implements solutions based on analysis of issues and implications for the business.
• Identifies emerging issues and trends to inform decision-making.
• Conducts independent analysis and assessment to resolve strategic issues.
• Establishes deep relationships at all levels within IT and business units, to effectively collaborate in business strategy.
• Monitors and tracks performance, and addresses any issues.
• Breaks down strategic problems, and analyses data and information to provide insights and recommendations.
• Participates in both internal and external regulatory inspections.
• Works with other operations personnel to develop and implement the counter-measures necessary to improve production and equipment reliability as well as the compliance posture of the team.
• Provides end to end technology support including computer, applications, network and storage, and root-cause analysis etc.
• Drives and/or promotes new processes, systems, technology, and operations and expanded capabilities for performance, with the flexibility to align to the unique requirements of the project teams and deliverables.
• Proactively monitors system performance and identifies operational improvements, in ensuring smooth and consistent customer and business partner delivery.
• Supports deployment activities, managing implementation issues to resolution.
• Provides initial triage, investigation and ensures fast turnaround times on issue/incident resolution.
• Monitors technical infrastructure, applications and/or business transactions through automated systems and instrumentation across the environment.
• Provides inbound call assistance to end-users for application, technical, and IMACD needs leveraging the knowledge base and/or run books available.
• Collaborates and engages with the appropriate areas across the bank.
• Develops or helps to develop the knowledge assets required for the operation.
• Promotes adherence to standards and industry best practices.
• Develops an understanding of organizational interactions and complexity to engage with the appropriate matrix areas.
• Identifies opportunities to strengthen the operational capability, such as: sharing expertise to promote technical development, mentoring employees, building communities of practice and networks across technology.
• Stays abreast of industry technical and business trends through participation in professional associations, practice communities & individual learning.
• Focus is primarily on business/group within the organization; may have broader, enterprise-wide focus.
• Provides specialized consulting, analytical and technical support.
• Exercises judgment to identify, diagnose, and solve problems within given rules.
• Works independently and regularly handles non-routine situations.
• Broader work or accountabilities may be assigned as needed

MUST haves:

• Typically 4-7 years of work experience in IT or business environment and/or BS/BA or MBA/MS in computer science, engineering, information systems, math or business.
• Understanding of Information Technology operating processes used for systems to ensure effective delivery including but not limited to IT Operations mandatory operating standards for monitoring, logging, and alerting.
• Knowledge of support and operations practice, concepts, and technology obtained through formal training and/or work experience.
• Technical and/or business functional knowledge of systems, tools, timing, and dependencies.
• Deep knowledge and technical proficiency gained through extensive education and business experience.
• Verbal & written communication skills – In-depth.
• Collaboration & team skills – In-depth.
• Analytical and problem solving skills – In-depth.
• Influence skills – In-depth.
• Data driven decision making – In-depth.