About the Role

We are looking for an experienced IT Release & Change Manager to oversee and strengthen the organization's IT Change and Release Management practices.

The role is responsible for ensuring that all changes introduced into the production environment are properly assessed, planned, approved, communicated, implemented, and reviewed in accordance with standardized IT Service Management processes.

The successful candidate will work closely with IT teams, business stakeholders, project managers, and change requestors to minimize operational risks, protect service availability and quality, and ensure that IT changes and releases are delivered efficiently and with minimal business disruption.

This position will also play a key role in developing a strong Change Management culture through continuous improvement, governance, documentation, reporting, and the adoption of industry best practices.

Key Responsibilities:

Change Management

Define, enhance, document, implement, and maintain standardized IT Change Management policies, procedures, guidelines, and processes.
Ensure business and IT stakeholders consistently follow approved Change Management methodologies and procedures.
Receive, log, review, and prioritize Requests for Change (RFCs) in coordination with change requestors.
Ensure that all change requests are complete and adequately assessed before implementation.
Identify and document the risks, business impact, urgency, dependencies, and resource requirements associated with proposed changes.
Classify change requests according to their urgency, category, and applicable change models.
Coordinate the development, testing, approval, and implementation of changes into the production environment.
Work closely with change requestors and technical teams to ensure changes are appropriately planned and executed.
Validate that implemented changes have been successfully completed and achieved their intended business and technical outcomes.
Conduct and coordinate Post-Implementation Reviews (PIRs) to evaluate change effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
Manage change-related issues, conflicts, escalations, and exceptions, ensuring that critical matters are appropriately communicated to management.

Release Management:

Develop and maintain a comprehensive Release Management planand supporting procedures.
Collaborate with stakeholders to define release objectives, scope, timelines, dependencies, risks, and resource requirements.
Coordinate with business, IT, project managers, and relevant stakeholders to ensure release plans are aligned with business priorities.
Coordinate enhancements, rollouts, fixes, upgrades, and releases across relevant IT teams.
Ensure that releases are properly assessed, tested, scheduled, communicated, and implemented.
Monitor release activities to ensure successful delivery while minimizing disruption to business operations.

Change Advisory Board (CAB)

Facilitate and manage Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings.
Coordinate technical assessment reviews and ensure relevant stakeholders participate in the change approval process.
Present and facilitate discussions around planned changes, associated risks, impacts, dependencies, and implementation plans.
Ensure decisions, approvals, actions, and outcomes are properly documented and followed up.

Risk Management & Rollback Planning

Develop and maintain effective rollback and recovery plans for changes and releases.
Collaborate with IT teams to define, validate, and test rollback procedures.
Ensure rollback plans are clearly communicated to relevant stakeholders and are readily available during implementation.
Coordinate the execution of rollback plans when required to minimize the impact of failed or unsuccessful changes.

Reporting & Continuous Improvement

Prepare and provide daily, weekly, and ad-hoc Change Management reports and statistics.
Monitor the efficiency and effectiveness of Change Management processes.
Analyze change performance and identify opportunities to improve service quality and operational efficiency.
Provide recommendations for process improvements based on change trends, performance, and recurring issues.
Promote continuous improvement and the integration of recognized IT Service Management best practices.
Build and develop a strong Change Management culture across the organization.

Stakeholder Communication

Ensure effective communication of planned, scheduled, and implemented changes.
Communicate the expected impact of changes and relevant events to management, business stakeholders, IT teams, and affected users.
Work effectively with internal and external stakeholders, including business partners, IT teams, customers, and suppliers.
Act as a key point of coordination between technical teams and business stakeholders throughout the change and release lifecycle.

Operational Support

Provide 24/7 Change Management support as required by business needs and priorities.
Manage escalations and urgent change-related matters when required.
Perform other relevant responsibilities aligned with business requirements.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor's degree or diploma in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related discipline.
8+ years of experience working within an IT Service Management environment.
Strong practical knowledge and experience in IT Change Management.
Strong understanding of IT Service Management processes and best practices.
Solid knowledge of Incident, Problem, Configuration, and Release Management.
Proven experience coordinating IT enhancements, rollouts, fixes, releases, and upgrades.
Strong project management knowledge with practical experience delivering initiatives within complex and fast-changing environments.
ITIL Foundation certification is considered an advantage.

Technical Skills

Strong knowledge of IT Change Management processes and methodologies.
Familiarity with Change Management tools.
Knowledge of tools and practices used for Release Management, Configuration Management, and Version Control.
Strong documentation skills, with the ability to maintain accurate records of changes, releases, approvals, and related processes.
Strong reporting and analytical capabilities.
Good understanding of emerging IT Service Management trends, technologies, and tools.

Core Competencies

Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills.
Excellent facilitation and coordination skills.
Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
Planning and organizational skills.
Excellent verbal and written communication.
Strong customer focus and results orientation.
Ability to work effectively as part of a cross-functional team.
Strong attention to detail and documentation.
Ability to take initiative and drive continuous improvement.
Ability to communicate, implement, and promote IT policies, standards, and procedures.
Ability to manage multiple priorities and work effectively in a fast-changing environment.

What You Will Bring

The ideal candidate will be an experienced IT Service Management professional with a strong background in Change and Release Management, excellent stakeholder management capabilities, and a proven ability to establish structured processes in complex IT environments.

You should be comfortable working across technical and business teams, facilitating governance forums, managing risks and dependencies, handling escalations, and driving continuous improvement across the Change Management lifecycle.

Other Requirements

Flexibility to work across different shifts when required.
Flexibility to travel when required.
Ability to provide 24/7 Change Management support based on business requirements.

IT Release & Change Management