Job description

The Release Manager (Consulting) at Cognizant is responsible for end-to-end management of release processes for changes, enhancements, and updates across enterprise systems such as SAP, Maximo, ServiceNow, Appian, and integration platforms. This role ensures smooth, timely, and compliant releases with minimal disruption to business operations, aligning with change management frameworks and quality standards. The Release Manager will plan, coordinate, and execute release activities, including pre-release reviews, go/no-go decisions, deployment, and post-release validation. Core responsibilities include identifying risks, developing mitigation strategies, coordinating with IT operations, cybersecurity, vendors, and business units, and ensuring releases meet defined quality and business requirements. The role involves facilitating release meetings, monitoring release performance across all phases, and implementing lessons learned to improve processes. The Release Manager will also define, measure, and report KPIs such as release frequency, success rates, lead times, rollback frequency, and change-related incidents. The position requires strong experience in SDLC, change management, enterprise systems, and release tools, along with proven ability to drive continuous improvement through process refinement and automation. A bachelor’s degree in software engineering, IT, or related field is required, with Scrum Master certification considered an advantage.