A Release Coordinator is a member of the Release Management team. The release management team is responsible for Change Advisory Board (CAB) and Release Coordination. The Release Coordinator specifically may lead/participate in the CAB process and will then validate the release deployment plan is accurately prepared and followed. The Release Coordinator will ensure that all release deliverables (usually in the form of Release Activities or entry/exit criterion) have been completed in line with the release dates and deadlines. Typically, we would expect to see release notes, approvals, communications, contact lists and pre and post-release verification activities also managed by the Release Coordinator.
Responsibilities:
Facilitates release planning meetings with key stakeholders to identify proper sequencing of release packages. Ensures that issues and risks are identified, understood, and dealt with in a manner that mitigates risk to scope and schedule.
Participates in or facilitates the Change Advisory Board meetings and process.
Defines and documents the release recommendation for each release and/or change to production. Includes release scope, schedule, deliverables, and roll back plan. Reviews release recommendation with key stakeholders.
Oversees release decisions and processes in terms of the big picture/cross-departmental impacts.
Maintains release management schedule for specific (or assigned) system(s).
Documents and communicates all changes for a release in release notes which are published to the internal team.
Identifies opportunities to make tactical improvements to the release management process.
Maintains documentation of all processes.
Creates release management standards to be followed. Educates on the release methodology and strategy.
Collects feedback from the users of release management standards and identifies the need to modify or retire a standard based on the feedback.
Lead and coordinate the Go-Live activities including the execution of deployment plans and checklist.
Work with engineers and project teams to understand impacts of branches and code merges
Performs other related duties as assigned by management.
Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree (BA) from four-year college or university, or one to two years of related experience and/or training, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
Working knowledge of change release management best practices and of risk management.
Proven experience in release management, project coordination, or a similar role.
Strong understanding of software development and release processes.
Excellent organizational and communication skills.
Ability to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
Knowledge of version control systems and deployment tools.