Lead Release Manager

Lead Release Manager (Hybrid - Columbia, SC)

The Lead Release Manager oversees the planning, coordination, and governance of software releases to ensure timely, secure, and compliant deployments. This role acts as the central point of contact for release activities, enforces process adherence, and drives continuous improvement in release management practices.

What You'll Do:

Release Planning and Coordination 

• Develop and maintain release schedules and calendars in collaboration with development and operations teams.
• Coordinate release timelines to ensure alignment across cross-functional teams.
• Schedule and manage deployments across all required environments.
• Define and continuously improve release management processes and standards.
• Resolve conflicts and bottlenecks during the release cycle to maintain delivery predictability.

Collaboration and Communication 

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all release-related activities.
• Ensure all required sign-offs and reviews are completed in accordance with change management procedures.
• Communicate release status, risks, and issues to stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Mentor application teams on release and change management policies and best practices.

Governance and Compliance 

• Verify that all releases meet organizational standards, security policies, and audit requirements.
• Produce and maintain reporting, metrics, and audit evidence for compliance reviews.
• Conduct audit testing and generate reports for controls monitored by the release management team.

What You'll Need:

• An associate's degree in computer science or a related field is required; a bachelor's degree is preferred.
• 4-6 years of comparable work experience with knowledge of the software development lifecycle.
• Knowledge of release management processes.
• Experience with Agile, Scrum, and Kanban principles and practices.
• Guide Release Coordinators with priorities for ensuring deadlines and engagements are completed within the service level agreements in our standards. 
• Knowledge of CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery) and Azure DevOps practices within Change/Release Management.
• Ability to express technical information to the users in a non-technical manner.

AgFirst Farm Credit Bank provides financing, as well as technology and other value-added services, to association partners so they can lend to rural residents and agricultural operations of all sizes. We take pride in investing in our employees, our partners and our community.

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