Senior SAP Release Manager

We're actively seeking a highly experienced and strategic Senior SAP Release Manager to join our dynamic IT team. The ideal candidate will possess a minimum of seven years of dedicated experience in SAP release management, demonstrating a proven track record of successfully overseeing the release lifecycle in complex SAP environments (S4 CRM7 C4). This senior-level position is critical to ensuring the stability, integrity, and efficiency of our SAP landscape through meticulous planning, coordination, and continuous process improvement.

The successful candidate will be a key driver in maturing our release management practices, with a strong emphasis on introducing and expanding automation to enhance speed and quality. This role requires a leader who can bridge the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders, ensuring smooth and predictable software delivery that aligns with our strategic objectives.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain the annual release plan in collaboration with build and operations teams to ensure alignment with business priorities and project roadmaps.
• Continuously improve the release management process through close collaboration with relevant technology teams.
• Review and approve change requests to ensure they meet the criteria for inclusion in upcoming releases.
• Conduct regular sanity checks on the production environment to guarantee system stability.
• Serve as the primary point of communication for all release-related matters, providing timely updates and managing stakeholder expectations across IT and the business.
• Lead weekly release status meetings to track progress, mitigate risks, and resolve any issues impacting quality or schedule.
• Provide guidance and training to project managers and team leads on release management processes and best practices.
• Facilitate post-release retrospectives to identify lessons learned and drive continuous improvement.
• Chair monthly Release Planning meetings to finalise the scope of upcoming major and minor releases.
• Present key release metrics and project overviews to senior management during review meetings.
• Drive the future of release management by championing process improvement and automation initiatives.
• Champion the adoption of automation tools and technologies to reduce manual effort and increase efficiency in testing, transport management, and deployment.
• Implement a data-driven approach to release readiness, utilising code quality and test coverage metrics to inform decision-making.

Requirements:

• Proven expertise in the SAP ecosystem, with in-depth knowledge of core modules (S4 BW, SCM), SAP Solution Manager (ChaRM, focused build), and the SAP Transport Management System (STMS).
• A minimum of 7 years of dedicated experience in SAP release management, with a proven track record of planning, scheduling, and controlling all phases of the release lifecycle.
• Hands-on experience with third-party SAP automation tools (e. g., Rev-Trac, UiPath, Tricentis) is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of IT service management and development methodologies, including ITIL, DevOps, and Agile, and their practical application within an SAP environment.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to develop and execute a long-term vision for release management that aligns with overarching business objectives.
• Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to effectively engage and build relationships with technical teams and senior business leaders.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a proven capacity to mitigate risks and resolve complex issues in a high-pressure environment.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple, parallel release tracks (e. g., major projects, minor enhancements, emergency fixes) and adapt to evolving priorities.
• A demonstrable track record of successfully driving process improvement and automation initiatives that have resulted in measurable gains in efficiency and quality.

Skills

ChaRM, Rev-Trac, SAP, STMS, Tricentis, UiPath, release