Release Manager - Senior - Fargo, ND

Job Category: Technical Service and IT
Location: Fargo, ND, US
Job ID: 828111-105028
Division: IT

Are you ready to shape the next generation of IT Services? This is an exciting opportunity to work on the global Service Engineering team within ECIT with a focus on the MBS platform. Partner with Engineering, Solutions Delivery, and the MBS Business to deliver new systems built on a diverse, highly-integrated platform that includes Dynamics AX 2012, Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, SharePoint 2013, Dynamics CRM, .Net, and integrations to over 45 other systems, both internal and external to Microsoft.

As a part of ECIT, Service Engineering supports and manages internally-facing and externally-facing applications and the environments and services associated with those applications by providing service design, release management/deployment, problem management, and L3 support services. We are looking for a Technical Release Manager with a proven track record of delivering in a fast-paced environment. In close partnership with the Release Manager in Engineering, you will be responsible for identifying the release objectives, planning and coordinating pre-production environment schedules and readiness, deployment activities, and managing coordination and communication between our build/deploy team and Engineering, our management chain, and stakeholders for quarterly releases, interim releases, and system maintenance activities. A strong technical background and project management experience are required.

Responsibilities:
- Manage the pre-production environments and release plans for four quarterly releases and seven interim releases per year.
- Manage complex deployment plans using Microsoft Project and ensure tasks are being completed on time.
- Understand and translate technical details related to Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, IIS, HLB, and authentication into actionable tasks.
- Establish and manage master release schedules and consolidated views across multiple applications/tools that highlight key dependencies and risks across projects. Work with task owners on risk mitigation strategies.
- Implement project communication plans, including publishing status reports, weekly issues lists, and process reviews.
- Partner with other release managers, project managers, technical operations staff, IT managers, and dev/test leads.

Requirements/Qualifications:
- 5+ years of release management and/or project management experience
- 5+ years of experience in ITLC, including the review and development of system build strategies, deployment strategies and deployment models
- 3+ years of experience with Microsoft Project & Project Server
- 3+ years of experience with Microsoft SharePoint, Visio, and PowerPoint
BS Degree in Computer Science or Equivalent Education and Experience

Successful Candidates will Have:
- Logical thinker with demonstrated analytical skills and problem solving abilities
- Deep technical experience with Windows Server, SQL Server, and IIS
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with emphasis on presentations
- Experience with Dynamics AX, Microsoft CRM, and SharePoint a distinct advantage
- Project Management Professional (PMP) an advantage
- Knowledge of development/Scripting (C#, PowerShell, etc) an advantage
- Experience with monitoring solutions (SCOM) an advantage

ECIT