IT Release Management Lead

As an IT Release Management Lead, you will join us on our transformation journey and undertake a high-impact role responsible for leading and governing the end-to-end Release Management function across our technology estate.

You will ensure technology releases are planned, managed and deployed safely, efficiently and in line with business priorities, enabling the successful delivery of change while protecting service stability and customer experience. Working collaboratively with business stakeholders, project teams, service operations, suppliers and technology partners, you will coordinate complex release activities, manage risks and dependencies, and provide clear oversight of release performance across the organisation.

This role offers a unique opportunity to make a tangible impact by driving continuous improvement in release governance, processes and tooling, helping to shape the future of our technology services and the communities we serve. You will play a critical role in delivering technology innovation safely and effectively, ensuring releases support both current business needs and long-term strategic objectives.

How our people behave is as important to Post Office as what is delivered. The IT Release Management Lead will role model Post Office behaviours, demonstrate a Postmaster First mindset, and champion a culture of collaboration, accountability, continuous improvement and service excellence.

What you’ll do

• Own and govern the end-to-end Release Management process, ensuring alignment with ITIL v4, Change Enablement practices and organisational governance standards.
• Manage and maintain the enterprise release calendar, coordinating multiple releases across projects, technology teams and third-party suppliers.
• Ensure all releases are effectively planned, risk assessed, approved, communicated and deployed with minimal impact to live services and customers.
• Lead release planning, readiness reviews and deployment activities, ensuring operational acceptance criteria and business preparedness are met.Coordinate internal and external delivery teams, proactively managing dependencies, risks, conflicts and competing priorities across a complex technology landscape.
• Act as the primary escalation point for release-related issues, driving timely resolution and informed decision-making.
• Chair release governance forums and provide oversight of release quality, compliance, deployment readiness and risk management.
• Produce and present release performance metrics, KPI reporting and management information, identifying trends and opportunities for improvement.
• Drive continual improvement across release processes, controls, tooling and ways of working to enhance service stability, efficiency and delivery outcomes.
• Work closely with Change, Incident, Problem, Project Delivery and Service Operations teams to ensure effective service transition and operational readiness.
• Support post-implementation reviews and major incident investigations, identifying lessons learned and implementing actions to improve future release success.
• Lead, coach and develop the Release Management team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and professional growth.

• ITIL v4 qualified with strong knowledge of Release Management, Change Enablement and Service Transition best practices.
• Extensive experience managing end-to-end release processes within large, complex and multi-supplier IT environments.
• Strong understanding of release governance, CAB processes and organisational risk controls.
• Proven ability to coordinate releases across technical teams, business stakeholders and third-party suppliers while managing complex dependencies.Experience working across Agile, Waterfall, DevOps and CI/CD delivery environments.
• Expertise in release planning, scheduling, deployment coordination, release readiness and dependency management.
• Strong analytical and risk management skills, with the ability to identify, assess and mitigate release risks and service impacts.
• Experience managing enterprise release calendars and delivering successful production deployments with minimal business disruption.
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills, with the ability to engage effectively with senior leaders, suppliers and business partners.
• Proven experience chairing release governance meetings, readiness reviews and managing escalations in a fast-paced environment.

Pulled from the full job description

• Annual leave
• Employee discount
• Employee assistance programme

• Company pension, Our business is changing and we understand that attracting the right talent is pivotal in driving the positive change needed, to help us achieve our ambitious goals. Beyond a competitive salary, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• 27.5 days annual leave (rising to 30 after 2 years), plus bank holidays
• Up to 18% on target bonus opportunity
• Annual car allowance
• Generous pension scheme with minimum 9% employer contribution
• Access to 24/7 digital GP services and our Employee Assistance Programme
• 6 x Life assurance and income protection after 12 months service
• Over 400 online courses, mentoring, apprenticeships, and development programmes
• Access to our benefits platform for exclusive discounts & savings

At Post Office Ltd, we’re proud to be at the heart of communities across the UK, upheld by the dedication and service of our postmasters. We offer essential services that people rely on every day, from parcels and banking to identity and government services. While we continue to evolve with digital innovation, our commitment to personal, face-to-face service remains core to who we are.

Our journey is one of reflection, growth, and meaningful change. We’re looking for people who think differently. Those with resilience, purpose, and a deep sense of responsibility to our postmasters, partners and the communities they serve. If you’re driven by the chance to make a real impact and help shape a future, built on progress and integrity, we’d love to hear from you. For more details visit careers@postoffice.co.uk