Head of Digital Product Release Management

Are you ready to challenge the status quo and drive high-impact value across digital channels and platforms? We are seeking a passionate, proactive, and dynamic leader to join our team as the Head of Digital Product Release Management.  This strategic role is pivotal in driving transformation across digital channels and platforms, ensuring customer value and business outcomes are achieved while maintaining regulatory-grade safety and compliance.

The Head of Digital Product Release Management will be responsible for leading planning and execution of the customer application and platform releases. The role is a key coordinator of the enterprise components, delivery teams, dependences, and process improvements that will drive efficiency and value to the customer with high quality releases.

Key Responsibilities:

• Product Release Management:
  • Own strategy, governance, tooling roadmap, and modernization agenda.
  • Own and manage the release planning, calendar, and roadmap.
  • Coordinate change windows and align stakeholders across Operations, Marketing, Legal, and Compliance.
  • Oversee centralized tracking of all development impacting Mobile and Online Banking channels.
  • Make strategic decisions on release timing and scope.
  • Ensure business readiness including support, communications, and training.
  • Define release scope, objectives, and value delivered.
  • Prepare release notes, FAQs, and customer communications.
  • Secure regulatory and risk approvals and act as liaison to the Change Advisory Board (CAB).
  • Monitor customer impact post-release (e.g., login success, NPS, crash rates).
• Release Candidate (RC) Ownership & Definition:
  • Define and own scope of each RC in collaboration with product domains.
  • Evaluate inclusion of defects and features based on priorities and feedback.
  • Balance scope and risk to align with business goals.
• Lifecycle Management:
  • Manage full software release lifecycle from planning to post-release review.
  • Lead go-live meetings and retrospectives.
  • Maintain release procedures and reporting mechanisms.
  • Plan future releases with foresight into enterprise-wide dependencies.
• Collaboration & Accountability:
  • Ensure delivery accountability across teams.
  • Conduct technical and experience reviews for each RC.
  • Incorporate post-release feedback into future planning.
  • Align releases with strategic deliverables including OKRs and NPS.
• Process Optimization:
  • Identify and implement efficiency and automation improvements.
  • Modernize release management to a proactive and continuous release process
  • Enhance stakeholder communication and release processes.
  • Drive culture shift from “gatekeeper” to “enabler of safe speed”
• Qualifications:
  • 15+ years of relevant experience in release management or software delivery leadership.
  • 5+ years of management experience preferred.
  • Proven experience with release reporting and stakeholder engagement.
  • Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies.
  • Excellent communication, planning, and risk management skills.
  • Ability to collaborate across technical and business teams.
• Education:
  • BS/BA degree in engineering or technology-related fields required.
  • Master’s degree or equivalent work experience preferred.
• Skills and Abilities:
  • Strong collaboration and leadership capabilities.
  • Demonstrated ability to implement controls and compliance measures.
  • Technical proficiency in managing end-to-end product delivery.
  • Knowledge of banking industry trends, regulations, and technologies.
  • Proven track record in agile change leadership and strategic execution.
  • Experience in managing digital product backlogs and roadmaps.

Hours & Work Schedule

• Hours per Week: 40

• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday
• Hybrid: 4 days on site from a Citizens corporate office, 1 day 

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Equal Employment Opportunity

Citizens, its parent, subsidiaries, and related companies (Citizens) provide equal employment and advancement opportunities to all colleagues and applicants for employment without regard to age, ancestry, color, citizenship, physical or mental disability, perceived disability or history or record of a disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, genetic characteristic, marital or domestic partner status, victim of domestic violence, family status/parenthood, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, pregnancy/childbirth/lactation, colleague’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or any other category protected by federal, state and/or local laws. At Citizens, we are committed to fostering an inclusive culture that enables all colleagues to bring their best selves to work every day and everyone is expected to be treated with respect and professionalism. Employment decisions are based solely on merit, qualifications, performance and capability.

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