Cluster Release Manager / Cluster Release Manageress

Cluster Release Manager

The Cluster Release Manager plays a critical role in enabling end-to-end coordination of integrated software deliveries across 25 interdependent value chains within a major transformation programme at Julius Baer. This individual will be part of the Release Management Team, ensuring that all relevant processes related to Release Management are correctly performed. Key processes include Release Planning, Dependency Management, Deployment Management, Release Note Creation, Quality Gate Adherence, and Communication.

Operating in a highly matrixed environment, the Cluster Release Manager will act as a central orchestrator, interacting with diverse stakeholders, including senior management, project leads, technical teams, testing groups, application leads, infrastructure providers, and business stakeholders. The aim is to deliver coordinated, traceable, and quality-assured releases. This role also requires a willingness to work extra hours and weekends for specific activities such as Data Refresh or Dress Rehearsal Activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Responsible for the Release Management discipline for up to 5 projects in parallel (together with the Release Coordinator).
• Develop and maintain a comprehensive release plan aligned with delivery timelines, dependencies, risk profiles, and environment availability.
• Coordinate all aspects of release management execution across multiple projects and suppliers, ensuring alignment with enterprise change management principles.
• Chair regular release coordination meetings with stakeholders to track progress, resolve blockers, and manage risks.
• Ensure full traceability from requirements to design, development, test cases, defects, and deployments, leveraging tools such as JIRA, Confluence, or similar ALM platforms.
• Oversee the dependencies and risks related to releases being deployed to the environments.
• Oversee staging and promotion of code and configuration changes into environments, collaborating closely with Environment Management.
• Monitor release health via KPIs such as defect leakage, regression pass rate, rollback frequency, and deployment success rates.
• Prepare reporting on release status, risks, and key milestones for Release Management Leadership.
• Support readiness assessments prior to each test cycle and contribute to lessons learned after each release.

Professional Experience

• Prior experience in a similar role.
• Experience modifying processes to meet program needs.
• Minimum of 8 years’ experience in IT project delivery within complex banking or financial services organizations, managing 500 – 1000 applications across several booking centers.
• Proven track record as a Release Manager in small to mid-sized transformation projects.
• Direct experience managing multi-project release trains across SIT and UAT cycles in regulated environments.
• Familiarity with system landscape architectures commonly found in wealth management or private banking infrastructures.
• Banking experience and a profound understanding of private banking products.

Technical Understanding

• Strong grasp of SDLC methodologies (Waterfall, Agile, SAFe, hybrid models).
• Understanding of release management tools and technologies (e.g., JIRA).

Soft Skills & Personal Attributes

• Pragmatic and solution-driven mindset.
• Strong stakeholder engagement abilities across technical and non-technical audiences at various levels.
• High emotional intelligence and diplomacy in navigating conflicting priorities in a matrix organization.
• Results-oriented mindset with attention to detail and structured problem-solving capability.
• Ability to operate autonomously under pressure, meeting tight deadlines without compromising quality.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English; proficiency in German or other languages is beneficial.
• High willingness to contribute to the program's success and work on weekends.

Education & Certifications

University degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Business Administration, or a related field.

Apply online using the form below. Only applications matching the job profile will be considered.

AARK Tech Solutions GmbH
Seestrasse 11
8805 Richterswil