Program Manager - Release Management

Job Description

Job Description

Program Manager - Release Management

Location : Seattle, WA Job Description

Job Overview :

We are looking for an experienced Release Manager with strong Program Management expertise to oversee the full release lifecycle while also managing cross-functional initiatives that span multiple teams and product cycles. In this role, you will drive the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of our software release processes, while also ensuring that releases align with broader business and product goals. You will leverage your program management skills to coordinate and lead large, complex releases and ensure the delivery of high-quality, on-time software products.

Key Responsibilities :

• Develop and manage comprehensive release strategies and roadmaps across multiple product teams, ensuring alignment with business priorities and product development cycles. Work with engineering, product management, and operations teams to establish release milestones and timelines.
• Coordinate the scheduling, planning, and delivery of software releases across multiple teams and environments (development, QA, staging, and production). Act as the primary point of contact for all release-related communication, from inception to post-release support.
• Establish and manage a release calendar, ensuring coordination across all teams, balancing product demands with resource availability and minimizing the impact on ongoing development efforts.
• Maintain transparent communication with product, engineering, and business stakeholders to ensure alignment on release plans, progress, and any risks. Provide regular status updates to leadership, including release progress, risks, and resolutions.
• Own the program management of larger, cross-functional initiatives, such as system upgrades, new product launches, and multi-team development efforts. Align these programs with the overall company strategy and ensure all teams are working toward shared objectives.
• Identify, track, and manage cross-team dependencies to ensure that teams are aligned and dependencies are addressed early in the release lifecycle. Proactively identify potential risks to program and release timelines and develop mitigation strategies.
• Track key milestones for program deliverables and releases, ensuring timely delivery of features, fixes, and improvements. Take ownership of issue resolution, and proactively drive any corrective actions needed to ensure on-time delivery.
• Work with product management and engineering to define and refine the scope of releases. Ensure that resources (including people, tools, and environments) are allocated efficiently to meet program and release goals.
• Oversee the end-to-end release management process, including deployment to multiple environments (QA, staging, production). Ensure that releases are deployed with minimal disruptions and that all release artifacts (e.g., release notes, version control, testing documentation) are complete and accurate.
• Coordinate with infrastructure and operations teams to ensure that the necessary environments are available and properly configured for each release cycle. Manage deployment configurations, rollback plans, and post-release validation.
• Partner with QA teams to ensure that all necessary testing is completed before release. Ensure that User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is carried out effectively and that defects are tracked and resolved prior to deployment.
• Analyze and continuously improve release management processes, identifying opportunities to automate, streamline, and improve the efficiency of the release process. Implement best practices to enhance quality and reduce the risk of errors during deployment.
• Work closely with engineering and DevOps teams to support the automation of build, test, and deployment pipelines. Encourage and drive the adoption of Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery (CI / CD) best practices across the organization.
• Coordinate with operations and support teams to monitor the performance of releases post-deployment. Manage the resolution of any issues that arise after the release and ensure that feedback loops are created for future improvements.
• Develop and track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to the release process, such as release frequency, deployment success rates, defect rates, and cycle times. Use these metrics to guide decision-making and process improvements.
• Provide regular updates to senior leadership and key stakeholders on the status of programs and releases, highlighting progress, risks, and blockers. Deliver clear, data-driven insights to inform strategic decisions.

Required Skills & Qualifications :