Release Manager

This Release Manager role at Public Storage involves end-to-end release orchestration, from scheduling and change management to stakeholder communication and post-release validation. The manager will coordinate between Development, QA, Product, Operations, and Business teams to ensure controlled, auditable, and risk-mitigated software deployments across web, mobile, and backend services. Key responsibilities include release planning, change management using ServiceNow, comprehensive documentation, cross-functional coordination, risk management, and continuous process improvement to enhance release efficiency and quality.

Must Have

• Own end-to-end release orchestration
• Coordinate release windows and dependencies
• Create and manage Change Request (CR) tickets in ServiceNow
• Ensure all releases follow established change management policies and procedures
• Attend and represent changes at weekly/bi-weekly Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings
• Develop clear, comprehensive Release Notes
• Communicate release schedules, feature updates, and potential impacts to stakeholders
• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, QA, DevOps, Infrastructure, and Business teams
• Facilitate go/no-go meetings and readiness reviews
• Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) completion and sign-offs
• Identify and escalate release risks, blockers, and dependencies early
• Drive resolution of issues that could impact release timelines or quality
• Coordinate emergency hotfixes and out-of-cycle releases
• Conduct post-release retrospectives and implement continuous improvement initiatives
• Establish and maintain release management best practices, templates, and standards
• Define and enforce "Definition of Done" criteria for release readiness
• Implement metrics and reporting to track release velocity, quality, and predictability
• Drive automation and tooling improvements to increase release efficiency
• 5–8+ years of hands-on Release Management or similar experience
• 2–4+ years managing releases across multiple Agile/Scrum teams simultaneously
• Proven experience managing 50+ releases annually in a complex, multi-team environment
• Strong understanding of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and modern deployment practices
• Hands-on experience with ServiceNow (or similar ITSM platforms) for change management
• Experience participating in and presenting to Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings
• Deep familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and release cadences
• Understanding of web and mobile application deployment processes
• Knowledge of DevOps practices, automation tools, and deployment strategies
• Experience with version control systems (Git), build tools, and deployment automation

Good to Have

• ITIL Foundation certification or equivalent change management training
• Background in website and mobile app release management
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes)

Perks & Benefits

• Option to take up to three flexible remote days per month

This role will own end-to-end release orchestration—from scheduling and change management through stakeholder communication and post-release validation. The Release Manager will serve as the central coordination point between Development, QA, Product, Operations, and Business stakeholders to ensure controlled, auditable, and risk-mitigated software deployments.

Key Responsibilities

Release Planning & Scheduling

• Own the release calendar across all software development teams and platforms (web, mobile, backend services)
• Coordinate release windows and dependencies across multiple concurrent initiatives
• Establish and maintain release schedules aligned with business priorities and operational constraints
• Proactively identify scheduling conflicts, resource constraints, and cross-team dependencies

Change Management & Governance

• Create and manage Change Request (CR) tickets in ServiceNow for all software releases
• Ensure all releases follow established change management policies and procedures
• Attend and represent changes at weekly/bi-weekly Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings
• Present release scope, risk assessments, rollback plans, and business justification to CAB stakeholders
• Obtain necessary approvals and document decisions in an audit-ready manner

Release Documentation & Communication

• Develop clear, comprehensive Release Notes for technical and non-technical audiences
• Communicate release schedules, feature updates, and potential impacts to stakeholders across the organization
• Maintain a centralized repository of release documentation, runbooks, and post-mortems
• Create stakeholder communication plans tailored to different audiences (executives, operations, support teams, end users)

Cross-Functional Coordination

• Partner closely with Product, Engineering, QA, DevOps, Infrastructure, and Business teams to ensure release readiness
• Facilitate go/no-go meetings and readiness reviews prior to each release
• Coordinate User Acceptance Testing (UAT) completion and sign-offs
• Ensure deployment teams have clear runbooks and rollback procedures

Risk Management & Issue Resolution

• Identify and escalate release risks, blockers, and dependencies early
• Drive resolution of issues that could impact release timelines or quality
• Coordinate emergency hotfixes and out-of-cycle releases when necessary
• Conduct post-release retrospectives and implement continuous improvement initiatives

Process Improvement & Standards

• Establish and maintain release management best practices, templates, and standards
• Define and enforce "Definition of Done" criteria for release readiness
• Implement metrics and reporting to track release velocity, quality, and predictability
• Drive automation and tooling improvements to increase release efficiency

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 5–8+ years of hands-on Release Management or similar experience in a technology-focused environment
• 2–4+ years managing releases across multiple Agile/Scrum teams simultaneously
• Proven experience managing 50+ releases annually in a complex, multi-team environment
• Strong understanding of SDLC, CI/CD pipelines, and modern deployment practices
• Hands-on experience with ServiceNow (or similar ITSM platforms) for change management
• Experience participating in and presenting to Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings

Technical & Process Knowledge

• Deep familiarity with Agile/Scrum methodologies and release cadences
• Understanding of web and mobile application deployment processes
• Knowledge of DevOps practices, automation tools, and deployment strategies (blue/green, canary, rolling)
• Experience with version control systems (Git), build tools, and deployment automation
• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) is a plus

Core Competencies

• Exceptional organizational skills — ability to manage multiple concurrent releases without dropping details
• Strong communication skills — both written and verbal, with ability to communicate effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders at all levels (including Directors and VPs)
• Proactive and self-directed — anticipates needs, identifies risks early, and drives resolution independently
• Calm under pressure — maintains composure during critical releases and incidents
• Detail-oriented — ensures accuracy in documentation, approvals, and compliance requirements
• Collaborative mindset — builds strong relationships across teams and functions

Preferred Qualifications

• ITIL Foundation certification or equivalent change management training
• Background in website and mobile app release management