IT Release Manager – Job Description

Overview

The IT Release Manager is responsible for planning, scheduling, coordinating, and managing the deployment of software releases across the organization. This role ensures that releases are delivered efficiently, on time, and with minimal disruption to business operations, while maintaining high quality and compliance standards.

Key Responsibilities

Release Planning & Coordination

• Define and manage the release strategy, schedule, and roadmap
• Coordinate across development, QA, operations, and business teams to ensure readiness
• Manage release calendars and maintain visibility of all upcoming releases

Deployment & Delivery

• Oversee end-to-end release lifecycle, from development through production deployment
• Ensure smooth, controlled deployments with minimal downtime
• Validate production readiness, including risk assessments and rollback plans

Change & Risk Management

• Work closely with Change Management to ensure proper approvals and compliance
• Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with releases
• Ensure adherence to ITIL processes and organizational policies

Communication & Stakeholder Management

• Act as the central point of contact for all release-related communications
• Provide regular updates to stakeholders, leadership, and business units
• Coordinate release status reporting, including issues and escalations

Quality Assurance

• Ensure releases meet quality standards and have passed all testing requirements
• Collaborate with QA teams to verify test plans, results, and sign-offs
• Monitor post-release performance and manage incident resolution

Process Improvement

• Continuously improve release management processes and tools
• Implement automation and DevOps best practices where applicable
• Conduct post-implementation reviews and lessons learned sessions

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
• 5+ years of experience in IT, including release or change management
• Experience with software development lifecycle (SDLC) and DevOps practices
• Strong understanding of ITIL processes (Certification preferred)
• Experience with release management tools (e.g., Jira, ServiceNow, Azure DevOps)

Key Skills

• Strong project management and organizational skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management
• Risk management and problem-solving abilities
• Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines and automation tools
• Ability to work under pressure in fast-paced environments
• Attention to detail and commitment to quality

Preferred Qualifications

• ITIL certification
• PMP, Scrum Master, or Agile certifications
• Experience with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, Google Cloud Platform)
• Familiarity with version control and deployment tools (Git, Jenkins, etc.)