Senior Cluster Release Manager – Banking in Zürich

Senior Cluster Release Manager – Banking Transformation Introduction The Senior Cluster Release Manager will play a key leadership role in the end-to-end orchestration of complex, integrated software releases within a major transformation programme at Julius Baer, spanning approximately 25 interdependent value chains/projects across a complex Private Banking technology landscape . As a senior member of the Release Management Team, the role will take ownership of Release Management across a defined cluster of critical initiatives, ensuring that Release Planning, Dependency Management, Deployment Coordination, Quality Gates, Release Readiness, Risk Management, Governance and Communication are consistently executed to programme standards. Operating in a highly matrixed and regulated environment, the Senior Cluster Release Manager will act as the central release authority for the assigned cluster , coordinating Programme and Project Leads, Application Owners, Engineering teams, Testing, Environment Management, Infrastructure, Change Management, external suppliers and business stakeholders. The role requires strong leadership, sound judgement and the ability to challenge release readiness, drive decisions and escalating material risks where delivery quality, timelines or production stability may be compromised. Flexibility to support critical programme activities outside standard business hours, including Data Refreshes, Dress Rehearsals, Cutover and Production Deployment weekends , is required. Key Responsibilities Take senior ownership of the Release Management discipline across a cluster of up to 5 complex projects/value chains running in parallel , supported by Release Coordinators. Develop, own and maintain the integrated cluster release plan , aligned with programme milestones, dependencies, test cycles, deployment windows, environment availability and business priorities. Lead Release Management activities across SIT, UAT, Data Refresh, Dress Rehearsal, Cutover and Production Deployment . Coordinate complex dependencies across projects, applications, environments, infrastructure teams, business functions and external suppliers. Lead release readiness assessments and ensure required quality gates, entry/exit criteria, approvals and governance controls are achieved. Chair release governance and coordination meetings, driving decisions, resolving blockers and ensuring clear ownership of actions and risks. Act as the primary escalation point for release-related risks, dependencies and readiness issues within the assigned cluster. Ensure end-to-end traceability across requirements → design → development → testing → defects → deployment → production . Oversee the staging and promotion of application, code and configuration changes across environments in close collaboration with Environment and Deployment Management. Ensure appropriate deployment, rollback, contingency and recovery plans are established and validated for critical releases. Monitor release health through KPIs including deployment success rate, regression results, defect leakage, rollback frequency and production stability . Provide clear, decision-oriented reporting to Programme Release Management and senior programme stakeholders covering release status, milestones, dependencies, risks and readiness. Drive continuous improvement of Release Management processes and adapt governance and ways of working to the needs of the transformation programme. Lead post-release reviews and ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future release cycles. Provide guidance and mentoring to Release Managers, Release Coordinators and other delivery stakeholders where required. Professional Experience Minimum 12+ years of experience in IT delivery , ideally within complex banking or financial-services organizations. Minimum 5+ years in senior Release Management, Deployment Management or Programme Delivery roles. Proven track record leading complex, multi-project and interdependent releases within major transformation programmes. Direct experience managing release activities across SIT, UAT, Data Refresh, Dress Rehearsal, Cutover and Production Deployment . Experience working within large enterprise technology landscapes involving 500–1,000+ applications and multiple booking centres is highly desirable. Strong experience coordinating multiple projects, applications, technology teams, vendors and senior stakeholders simultaneously. Strong understanding of Private Banking / Wealth Management environments and banking products . Experience operating within highly regulated environments with strong governance, audit and change-control requirements. Demonstrated ability to identify, challenge and escalating significant release risks and dependencies. Experience adapting Release Management processes and governance to the requirements of complex transformation programmes. Technical Understanding Strong understanding of the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) . Strong knowledge of Release Management, Deployment Management, Change Management, Environment Management and Test Management . Experience with Waterfall, Agile, SAFe and hybrid delivery models . Good understanding of enterprise application landscapes, system integrations, infrastructure and environment dependencies. Strong working knowledge of JIRA, Confluence and similar ALM/delivery management platforms . Understanding of CI/CD and modern software delivery practices is advantageous. Leadership & Personal Attributes Strong leadership presence and ability to operate confidently with senior programme, technology and business stakeholders . Excellent stakeholder management and influencing capabilities across technical and non-technical audiences. Ability to challenge constructively, drive decisions and maintain control in high-pressure release situations. Strong ownership and accountability mindset. Pragmatic, solution-oriented and results-driven approach. Highly structured approach to complex planning, dependencies, risks and delivery. Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities. High emotional intelligence and diplomacy when navigating conflicting priorities in a matrix organization. Ability to operate autonomously and make sound decisions under pressure without compromising quality. Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English ; German or other languages are advantageous. High level of commitment and flexibility, including willingness to support critical weekend and out-of-hours release activities . Education & Certifications University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, Business Administration or a related discipline . Relevant certifications in ITIL, SAFe, Agile, Project/Programme Management, Release Management or Change Management are advantageous. Reporting The Senior Cluster Release Manager reports to the Programme Release Manager and works closely with Programme Leadership, Project/Value Chain Leads, Deployment Management, Test Management, Environment Management, Change Management, Application Owners, Infrastructure teams and senior business and technology stakeholders. Role Level This is a senior delivery leadership role , not a Release Coordinator position. The successful candidate is expected to independently manage a complex release cluster, provide direction to other release resources, challenge readiness where necessary, and act as a trusted partner to Programme Release Management throughout the transformation lifecycle. #J-18808-Ljbffr