At a Glance
- Tasks: Manage software releases, ensuring smooth deployment and communication across teams.
- Company: Join Pay.UK, the backbone of UK retail payment systems, ensuring safe and innovative transactions.
- Benefits: Enjoy a 12% pension, 30 days leave, fitness subsidies, and flexible working options.
- Other info: We embrace diversity and support accessibility for all applicants.
- Why this job: Be part of a vital industry, enhancing payment systems that impact everyday lives.
- Qualifications: Experience in IT release management and knowledge of SDLC, CI/CD, and Agile methodologies required.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
The IT Release Manager will be responsible for the management of software releases for Pay.UK, ensuring people, processes, and best practices are established and adhered to within Pay.UK and the UK Payments Industry. This is an ideal permanent opportunity for Release Managers with an interest in Payments.
Key Accountabilities
- Release Planning: Responsible for planning and scheduling all Pay.UK software releases across multiple products, liaising with 3rd party partners, identifying and understanding dependencies and potential risks to the UK Payments Ecosystem. Accountable as the primary contact for release progress, providing updates, performance metrics, and recommendations to stakeholders at all levels. Use experience to implement best practice, improve delivery and release processes to enhance performance, and alignment with business goals. Promote adherence to organisational policies and procedures by working closely with Change Management, Risk, and Assurance. Design, implement and maintain a forward-looking view/calendar (usually up to 6 months) of planned deployments/releases. Stay current with industry best practices and technologies related to release management.
- Release Preparation: Manage and collaborate with 3rd party vendor development, multiple varied internal stakeholders, and cross-functional teams to define release requirements and deliverables through the release cycle. Develop and communicate release plans and progress/status updates to all internal and 3rd party stakeholders. Develop, review, maintain and embed all release documentation, including release notes, deployment procedures and timings, and rollback plans to ensure a smooth documented process. Readily identify, assess and mitigate risks associated with releases, highlighting potential impact and/or dependencies and escalating to relevant stakeholders where required. Identify and ensure sufficient resources are in place to support deployment activity, highlighting gaps with relevant stakeholders to ensure resource requirements are met in a timely manner. Communicate planned outages to internal and external stakeholders.
- Release Execution: Coordinate release activities, ensuring alignment and a smooth and timely deployment process across multiple teams, including external 3rd party vendors, customers, and the Bank of England. Develop and manage communication and coordination plans for each release with internal and external stakeholders, keeping them informed about release progress and potential issues. Maintain a full record of release activities and timings against the release plan e.g., planned start/finish versus actual start/finish. Conduct post-release reviews with all stakeholders, internal and external, to gather feedback and identify areas for improvement, feeding back into the ongoing process.
Qualifications, Skills and Experience
- Experience in IT release management, with a history of effective software releases within Financial Services.
- Thorough understanding of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) principles.
- Experience of stakeholder negotiation to align interests, overcoming obstacles with strategic intent and technical proficiency.
- Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional, multi-vendor, and multi-customer environment.
- Experience with release management tools and version control systems.
- Knowledge of ITIL practices.
- Experience of Agile methodologies and familiarity with DevOps practices.
- Knowledge of the regulatory and supervisory regime as it applies to Pay.UK.
- Commercially aware and insightful with the ability to solve complex multi-stakeholder obstacles while ensuring company and customer buy-in.
- Skilled communicator and influencer.
- Ability to handle challenging scenarios and critical problem-solving.
At Pay.UK, we value diversity and inclusivity. We encourage all qualified candidates to apply, regardless of how closely their skills and experience match the requirements. We are committed to supporting accessibility needs and creating a welcoming environment for all employees.
About Us
Pay.UK maintains and develops the UK retail payment systems and standards that are core to the economy being able to function on a day-to-day basis. From Bacs to Faster Payments and cheques – we act as the single operator for all UK retail payments. We put the needs of consumers and businesses at the heart of everything we do, working in the public interest to ensure that the systems the country relies on for its banking transactions are safe, open, innovative, and resilient. Our payment systems underpin the services that enable funds to be transferred between people and institutions.
Benefits & Additional Information
- 12% Non-contributory pension
- Discretionary annual bonus
- 30 days annual leave (excluding bank holidays)
- Employee assistance programme
- Cycle to Work Scheme
- Season ticket loan
- Annual fitness subsidy of up to £500 per annum
- Working from home policy - minimum 40% in the office (e.g., 2 days in the office over a 5-day working week)
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land IT Release Manager in London
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the UK Payments Industry and Pay.UK's role within it. Understanding the specific challenges and trends in this sector will help you demonstrate your knowledge during interviews and discussions.
✨Tip Number 2
Network with professionals in the IT release management field, especially those with experience in financial services. Attend industry events or join relevant online forums to connect with potential colleagues and learn about best practices.
✨Tip Number 3
Brush up on your knowledge of Agile methodologies and DevOps practices, as these are crucial for the role. Consider taking a short course or certification to enhance your understanding and show your commitment to continuous learning.
✨Tip Number 4
Prepare to discuss your experience with stakeholder negotiation and conflict resolution. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've successfully navigated complex situations in previous roles, as this will be key in demonstrating your fit for the position.
We think you need these skills to ace IT Release Manager in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV highlights relevant experience in IT release management, particularly within Financial Services. Emphasise your understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and any experience with Agile methodologies or DevOps practices.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter:In your cover letter, express your enthusiasm for the role at Pay.UK and how your skills align with their needs. Mention specific experiences where you've successfully managed software releases and collaborated with cross-functional teams.
Showcase Your Communication Skills:Since the role requires effective communication with various stakeholders, include examples in your application that demonstrate your ability to negotiate and influence others, especially in challenging scenarios.
Highlight Your Problem-Solving Abilities:Provide instances where you've identified and mitigated risks during the release process. This will showcase your critical problem-solving skills and your ability to handle complex multi-stakeholder situations.
How to prepare for a job interview at Pay.UK
✨Understand the Software Development Lifecycle
Make sure you have a solid grasp of the software development lifecycle (SDLC) and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) principles. Be prepared to discuss how these concepts apply to your previous experiences in release management.
✨Showcase Your Stakeholder Management Skills
Highlight your experience in negotiating with stakeholders and aligning their interests. Prepare examples of how you've successfully navigated complex situations and ensured buy-in from multiple parties in past roles.
✨Familiarise Yourself with ITIL Practices
Since knowledge of ITIL practices is essential for this role, brush up on these principles and be ready to explain how you've applied them in your previous positions. This will demonstrate your understanding of best practices in release management.
✨Prepare for Scenario-Based Questions
Expect questions that assess your problem-solving abilities in challenging scenarios. Think of specific instances where you've had to manage risks or resolve conflicts during a release process, and be ready to share those stories.
