Enterprise Release Manager (Insurance Domain) -- CHODC5831803

Job Summary The Enterprise Release Manager serves as the single point of accountability for enterprise wide‑software releases and Agile execution across the Guidewire Cloud platform and all other applications/technologies including digital, data, and integration ecosystems. This role combines the Release Management discipline with Agile Release Management to ensure predictable, high-quality, compliant delivery of business capabilities for Policy, Billing, Claims, and TPA operations across all underlying technologies. Operating within a commercial insurance carrier and TPA environment, the Enterprise Release Manager partners with IT, Product, QA, Infrastructure, Security, Operations, and external vendors (Guidewire, SI partners) to plan, coordinate, govern, and execute releases while continuously improving delivery flow, quality, and operational resilience. Key Responsibilities 1. Enterprise Release Management (ITIL / DevSecOps Alignment) • Own and govern the enterprise release calendar across all Guidewire Cloud applications (PolicyCenter, BillingCenter, ClaimCenter, ContactManager, IntegrationGateway, Jutro, Explore, Predict, and other components) and dependent systems (Data Lake, Fabric, Azure infrastructure, etc.). • Plan, coordinate, and execute production, pre‑production, and non‑production releases, including standard, emergency, and regulatory driven‑releases. • Ensure end-to-end release readiness, including: o Code and configuration freeze enforcement o Environment readiness and validation o Test completion (SIT, UAT, regression, production validation) o Go‑Live and Go/No‑Go decision facilitation • Coordinate release communications, deployment runbooks, release notes, and business impact summaries for IT and business stakeholders. • Ensure adherence to change management, audit, and compliance requirements appropriate to a regulated insurance environment. 1. Guidewire Cloud, Azure Integration, Azure/Fabric Data Lake & Environment Orchestration • Coordinate with Guidewire/other vendors and internal teams on Guidewire, Azure and Fabric Cloud environment strategy, including: o Dev, SIT, UAT, Training, Pre‑Prod, and Production o Environment availability, sequencing, and refresh planning o Support for parallel releases and hotfixes • Oversee release sequencing across Guidewire ski resort upgrades, SBT/APD changes, integrations, and data pipelines. • Ensure alignment between Guidewire, Azure and Fabric release cycles and enterprise Agile delivery cadence. 1. Vendor & Partner Coordination • Act as the primary release and delivery coordination point between internal teams and external partners (Guidewire, other cloud platform vendors, system integrators, QA vendors). • Ensure vendor deliverables align with: o PI objectives o Release scope commitments o Quality and security standards • Facilitate cross vendor‑dependency resolution and delivery alignment. 1. Governance, Risk, and Quality Management • Establish and maintain release governance standards, including entry/exit criteria, quality gates, and escalation paths. • Partner with QA and Test Leads to ensure: o Adequate test coverage and defect triage o Risk-based release decisions o Production validation and post-deployment monitoring • Lead post-release reviews and continuous improvement initiatives to reduce defects, rework, and release friction. 1. Metrics, Reporting, and Continuous Improvement • Define and report on release performance metrics, such as: o Release predictability o PI objective achievement o Defect leakage o Deployment success rates • Use metrics to drive flow optimization, capacity planning, and systemic improvements. • Champion DevSecOps and Agile best practices across the organization. Required Qualifications Experience • 8–12+ years of progressive IT delivery experience, including: o Enterprise Release Management o Large‑scale Agile program delivery o Complex, multi‑system enterprise platforms • Direct experience supporting Guidewire, Azure and Fabric Cloud implementations or operations (Policy, Billing, Claims) in a production insurance environment. • Experience in commercial insurance and/or TPA operations strongly preferred. Agile & Release Expertise • Strong working knowledge of: o Agile, Scrum, and Kanban at scale o ITIL Release & Change Management o DevSecOps pipelines and CI/CD concepts Technical & Domain Knowledge • Familiarity with: o Guidewire Cloud release models and environment management o Enterprise integrations, data pipelines, and downstream reporting o Azure or comparable cloud platforms o Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar Agile lifecycle tools Certifications (Preferred) • SAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE) • SAFe Agilist (SA) • ITIL Foundation or higher • PMP or equivalent delivery certification (optional) Key Competencies & Attributes • Strong servant leader mindset with the ability to influence without authority • Exceptional cross-functional communication and facilitation skills • Comfort operating in high visibility, high-risk release environments • Ability to balance speed, quality, and compliance in a regulated industry • Strategic thinker with hands-on execution capability Reporting & Organizational Alignment • Partners closely with: o Product Management o Architecture o Data Platform Team o QA & Test Management o Infrastructure & Cloud Operations o Security & Compliance o Business Operations, Policy, Billing, and Claims leadership