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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Software Development Manager - Release Management - **Company:** McDonald's - **Location:** Chicago, IL, United States - **Experience:** Experienced - **Salary:** $127,332.0 - $159,165.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Agile Methodology, Data Analysis, Information Systems, Continuous Integration, DevOps, Systems Development Life Cycle, Release Management, Software Engineering, Strategies of Testing, Cloud Platform System, DevOps Tools - Open-source, Mttr, Information Technology, Data Analytics, Multiplatform - **Published:** July 22, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/8A4E57BCD0E5437898042BC31EC7DD9A/job/ ## About the Role * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Software Engineering, or a related technical field. * More than 5 years of experience in software development, release management, DevOps, or comparable technical leadership positions. * More than 2 years of experience managing people, including proven ability in assessing and developing talent. * Strong understanding of SDLC, Agile practices, defect lifecycles, and release governance. * Experience collaborating with external vendors, offshore personnel, and extensive multi-functional groups. * Excellent communication, risk management, and problem-solving capabilities. * Ability to lead teams in fast-paced, high-complexity environments., * Experience in large enterprise, multi-platform, or high-transaction environments. * Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, DevOps tooling, cloud environments, and automation frameworks. * Experience leading distributed global teams. * History of using important metrics and analytics to drive continuous improvement. ## Description * Coordinate the full release lifecycle, ensuring planning, validation, documentation, communication, and deployment are accomplished effectively. * Guide and support Release Coordinators and Defect Coordinators, including assessing performance and encouraging talent through structured mentoring and development plans. * Maintain release calendars, deployment timelines, readiness assessments, and governance compliance. Sprint & Release Close-Out * Guide sprint and product launch wrap-up ceremonies, including: * Scope completion validation * Defect review and prioritization * Documentation of risks and known issues Multi-functional communication of results * Drive post-release retrospectives and follow-up on improvement actions. Defect & Issue Management * Coordinate defect triage, prioritization, assignment, and root-cause analysis. * Ensure consistent defect lifecycle processes and strong RCA documentation. * Partner with engineering to drive defect burn-down and long-term product stability. Quality, Testing & Compliance Alignment * Collaborate alongside Test Leads to ensure accurate implementation of testing strategies, regression plans, and acceptance criteria. * Ensure releases meet performance, accessibility, security, and functional quality gates. * Advance risks or quality concerns proactively and openly. Release Management Special Projects Coordinate special projects including: * Tooling and automation improvements Process and governance modernization * Reporting and analytics improvements Pilot rollout frameworks and enablement strategies * Collaborate across departments including the project management office dedicated to solution preparation, Engineering, Product, and Ops. Operational Excellence & Benchmark Ownership * Partner with senior leadership to define release adoption strategies and operational readiness plans. * Develop, track, and report benchmarks measuring release predictability, defect leakage, cycle time, MTTR, testing compliance, and overall release quality. * Use data-driven insights to improve processes and elevate team performance. * Maintain clear dashboards and operational reporting. Cross-Functional & Vendor Collaboration * Collaborate closely with Engineering, Product, PMO, Solution Readiness, Operations, and partner teams. * Coordinate interactions and teamwork involving outside vendors to make sure work corresponds with release deadlines. * Collaborate optimally with offshore teams, ensuring alignment across time zones, clear communication, and consistent execution. * Facilitate release readiness reviews, dependency alignment, and cross-team planning sessions. ## Related Videos - [Navigating the Corporate Jungle: Life as a Developer in a large Company](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/621-navigating-the-corporate-jungle-life-as-a-developer-in-a-large-company) - [Data Science in Retail](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/586-data-science-in-retail) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [What Developers Get Wrong About Application Quality](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/233-what-developers-get-wrong-about-application-quality) - [DevOps Maturity Check – a way to balance autonomy and alignment](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/58-devops-maturity-check-a-way-to-balance-autonomy-and-alignment) - [Data Science on Software Data](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/162-data-science-on-software-data) ## Related Articles - [From developer to manager – what does it take to become an engineering manager?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/42-from-developer-to-manager-what-does-it-take-to-become-an-engineering-manager) - [Should Tech Managers Be Developers First? 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