Sr. Specialist, SAP Release Management (Hybrid - NJ or PA)

Job Description

Our company's Information Technology (IT) division partners with colleagues across the business to help serve our patients and customers around the world. Ours is a high-energy team of dynamic, innovative individuals dedicated to leveraging information and technology to efficiently drive revenue and productivity, thereby advancing our company's contribution to global medical innovation.

Enterprise IT (EIT) is an essential component of the current IT division that provides support to the Pharmaceutical Research and Development (R&D), Supply Chain (Manufacturing), Marketing (Human Health) organizations as well as Enabling Functions. The EIT SAP Platform Team is responsible for our company's SAP Global Template asset, delivering enterprise-level capabilities through harmonized business processes and data.  The team is responsible for the operation of all our company's SAP and integrated solutions, governance of the associated enterprise assets, and cost-effective delivery of capabilities to support achievement of immediate and future state business objectives.

The SAP Platform team has an opening for a Release Manager with experience in coordinating and managing releases, knowledge of relevant tools, process and technologies, a strong understanding of the SDLC, excellent communication and collaboration skills, and a focus on quality and customer satisfaction.

The Release Manager is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of software releases. They work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that releases are delivered on time, within budget, and with minimal risk.

The Release Management Senior Specialist is responsible for the following:

• Work with various divisional stakeholders to develop and publish release timelines as well associated supporting landscape plans

• Plan and oversee build implementation for multiple environments ensuring that the solution being released is reliable and meets the necessary quality standards adhering to the IT release calendar

• Support all testing efforts (Unit, Integration, Acceptance, Volume, Performance, Regression) by the various solutioning teams as well as obtain stakeholders' sign-off for each release

• Identifying and resolve issues by working in a collaborative fashion with cross-functional teams to mitigate risks and ensure a successful release.

• Create release plans that encompass the release scope, timeline, and resources required for each release.

• Weekend support of occasional release technical cutovers

• Conduct Release Readiness reviews, Business Go/No-Go reviews, and Milestone Reviews to ensure the readiness of each release

• Coordinate with different teams and stakeholders throughout the various phases of the release to ensure a smooth deployment across multiple applications and delivered in a controlled and efficient manner

• Establish and enforce standardized release processes across EIT, optimizing deployment efficiency and reducing risks.

• Collaborate closely with project management teams to ensure that release milestones are met, and the overall integrity of the release is maintained.

• Provide regular updates and reports to senior IT management and business stakeholders. (includes status updates on releases, key milestones achieved, and overall performance of the release management process)

• Work with various divisional teams to ensure the reduction of the overall Tech Debt

• Participate in Change Advisory Board (CAB) meetings and other governance bodies to discuss release scope, roadblocks, and obtain necessary approvals (CAB is responsible for reviewing and approving changes to the IT environment)

• Work closely with Product teams to adhere to the IT release calendar and minimize disruptions to current users

• Plan and support Infrastructure security patching as well as system refreshes (ensuring data masking of private information)

• Plan key strategic SAP platform upgrades (Support Pack) as well as lead technology based initiatives

• Create, update and deliver platform related information through the use of various methods (ie. MS Teams, SharePoint, Virtual Meetings)

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree required.

Required Experience and Skills:

• 5+ years of IT business solutions deployment experience.

• SAP experience required – should have general understanding and basic knowledge of tool and functionality.

• The ideal candidate should have a proven record of successfully managing and coordinating releases in complex environments with multiple applications and portfolio streams.

• A good command and experien