Release Manager

About the Role

We are seeking a highly technical and detail-oriented Release Manager/Lead to own the end-to-end software delivery lifecycle across our IT infrastructure. In this onsite role based in Milwaukee, you will bridge the gap between software development, quality assurance, DevOps, and IT operations. You will orchestrate the risk-managed deployment of code, configurations, and infrastructure changes into production environments, lead deployment war rooms, drive governance, and champion CI/CD automation to ensure continuous delivery with zero downtime.

Responsibilities

• Release Governance & Planning
  • Define, maintain, and enforce the enterprise-wide release management framework and governance policy.
  • Own the centralized IT release calendar, mapping out all scheduled software updates, hotfixes, and maintenance windows.
  • Conduct weekly Change Advisory Board (CAB) reviews to secure approvals for high-risk production deployments.
  • Lead Release Readiness, Milestone, and Go/No-Go reviews with IT product owners and engineering leadership.
• Deployment Execution & Onsite Coordination
  • Author, update, and coordinate the checkout plans across stakeholders for each release.
  • Orchestrate live production deployments, managing the end-to-end execution of technical runbooks.
  • Run the onsite deployment "War Room" during critical release windows, coordinating live troubleshooting and rollback protocols if issues arise.
  • Oversee environment code promotion, ensuring exact alignment across development, testing, staging, and production environments.
  • Manage and resolve cross-team code branch conflicts and environment dependencies.
• Risk Management & Compliance
  • Assess and mitigate risks associated with release scope, system dependencies, and infrastructure capacity.
  • Author and distribute comprehensive technical release notes, system documentation, and post-deployment reports.
  • Conduct Post-Implementation Reviews (PIR) to analyze release failures and implement preventive actions.

Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years in IT Release Management, Configuration Management.
• Version Control & Artifacts: Proficient in Git (GitHub/Bitbucket) and artifact repositories.
• ITSM & Agile Tools: High proficiency with Jira, Confluence, ServiceNow, or Remedy for change management and tracking.
• Project Delivery Experience: 8-10 years.

Skills

• Strong leadership skills to direct cross-functional technical teams.
• Sharp analytical mindset to diagnose deployment bottlenecks and configuration drifts.
• Clear verbal and written communication skills to translate complex technical statuses into executive summaries.

Pay

The expected compensation for this role ranges from $80,000 to $158,000. Final compensation will depend on various factors, including geographical location, minimum wage obligations, skills, and relevant experience.

Benefits

• Full range of medical and dental benefits options.
• Disability insurance.
• Paid time off (inclusive of sick leave).
• Other paid and unpaid leave options.

Note: Employment in some roles may be conditioned on successful completion of a post-offer drug screening, subject to applicable state law.