Release Manager

Job Title: Release Manager / Senior Project Manager (SDLC)

Experience: 10+ Years

Location: Hyderabad

Work Mode: Hybrid

Shift Timing: 3:00 PM 12:00 AM IST

Notice Period: Immediate to Short Joiners Preferred

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced Release Manager who operates as an end-to-end Project Manager, owning delivery accountability across scope, schedule, quality, and financial controls. This role requires strong collaboration with Product Managers, Engineering Leads, Scrum Masters, and Release/Build teams to ensure successful delivery of business initiatives from ideation through production release.

The ideal candidate will be highly adaptable, comfortable working in hybrid AgileWaterfall environments, and capable of tailoring delivery approaches to varying levels of team maturity and business constraints.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery & Project Management

• Own end-to-end delivery accountability, ensuring projects meet defined goals, timelines, and quality expectations.
• Plan, track, and manage delivery across the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Partner closely with Product Managers to translate business requests into executable delivery plans.
• Work with Engineering and Development Leads to ensure build activities align with agreed scope and timelines.
• Collaborate with Scrum Masters to ensure sprint execution runs smoothly and delivery risks are addressed proactively.

Agile & Hybrid Delivery Management

• Manage delivery in a hybrid Agile / Waterfall environment, running sprints within a broader waterfall framework.
• Support multiple value streams, each with varying levels of process maturity and autonomy.
• Ensure teams follow core Agile practices:
• Two-week sprints
• Sprint goal definition aligned to product goals
• Daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives
• Track sprint progress using story points and delivery metrics.
• Support adoption of flow-based metrics and delivery insights using tools such as Power BI and Agile analytics platforms.

Release & Change Management

• Own and manage the release process, coordinating with build masters and release teams.
• Ensure all release readiness criteria are met prior to production deployment.
• Manage releases in a controlled, non-CI/CD (waterfall-style) release model with strict governance.
• Coordinate dependencies, approvals, documentation, and deployment readiness activities.

Financial & Resource Management

• Maintain financial governance across projects, including:
• Resource planning and tracking
• Monthly forecasting and budget monitoring
• Invoice consolidation and financial reporting
• Ensure compliance with enterprise financial controls and reporting standards.

Stakeholder Communication & Leadership

• Act as a collaborator, communicator, and delivery driver across business and technology stakeholders.
• Provide clear status updates, risk assessments, and mitigation plans to leadership.
• Adapt delivery and communication styles based on project needs, team capability, and business context.
• Balance business priorities, operational constraints, and delivery realities within a large corporate environment.

Required Qualifications & Experience

10+ years of experience in Project Management / Release Management roles within IT or software delivery organizations.

• Strong hands-on experience across the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).
• Proven experience working in Agile, hybrid AgileWaterfall, or evolving Agile environments.
• Experience coordinating complex releases with multiple stakeholders and dependencies.
• Strong understanding of financial controls, forecasting, and resource management in enterprise projects.
• Excellent communication, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills.

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Experience working in large, enterprise or corporate IT environments.
• Exposure to Product Management tools such as Aha, Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
• Familiarity with flow metrics, delivery analytics, and reporting dashboards.
• Domain experience in timeshare, hospitality, or regulated business environments is a plus (not mandatory).

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership without formal authority
• High adaptability to different delivery models and team maturities
• Excellent problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to operate under business constraints and governance models
• Strong organizational and multitasking abilities