Release Manager

Heathrow; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private health insurance

Learning & development opportunities

Job summary

Heathrow is seeking a Release Manager to lead end-to-end release planning and governance across a complex technology landscape. You will coordinate across engineering, operations and business stakeholders to ensure on-time, low-risk deliveries that support passenger services and airport resilience.

The role sits within Heathrow's Technology team, offering hybrid working and a chance to influence continuous improvement in release processes, tooling and automation across platforms.

Qualifications

• Proven release management experience in large, complex tech environments.
• Strong understanding of SDLC, CI/CD, and change management.
• Excellent coordination and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end release management across multiple platforms.
• Coordinate release schedules and dependencies across teams.
• Implement governance standards for quality and compliance.
• Lead release readiness reviews and go/no-go decisions.
• Drive continuous improvement in release processes and automation.
• Act as main point of contact for release communications.

Skills

Release management

CI/CD pipelines

Change management

Stakeholder management

Risk assessment

Tools

Cloud platforms

Automation tooling

DevOps practices

Job description

Introduction

With 80 million passengers passing through our airport each year, it takes hundreds of systems, platforms and networks to keep our airport running smoothly, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Join us, and you'll thrive on the buzz of providing the technology, data, cyber and digital capabilities that run all the services you'd expect to see in a city, and more. Tech at Heathrow isn't typical. The scale and non-stop nature of our airport make it truly unique. Our Data, Digital and Technology team are leading the way in innovations that will make our airport more efficient, resilient and competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace, as well as keeping Heathrow safe and secure. Every day will test your skills and give you the opportunity to make your mark. We're constantly looking for new ways to help Heathrow transform and grow, responding to the changing needs of passengers, colleagues and partner businesses. It means the chance to work on a huge variety of inspiring projects and to develop in lots of exciting directions. Our team covers technology, cyber defence, data and digital, offering one-of-a-kind careers you won't find anywhere else.

Job Description

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest international airports, and every system update or new feature you manage directly supports our mission to give passengers the best airport service in the world. This role is critical to maintaining operational resilience and enabling innovation across our complex technology landscape. As part of our Technology team, you will lead the planning, coordination, and governance of software and infrastructure releases across multiple platforms and business-critical systems. You’ll work closely with engineering, operations, and business stakeholders to ensure that every release is delivered on time, with minimal risk, and to the highest quality standards. Your work will help keep flights on schedule, enhance passenger experience, and support the airport’s long‑term growth and sustainability goals.

Your role will involve

• Owning the end-to-end release management process for complex, cross‑platform technology environments.
• Coordinating release schedules and dependencies across multiple teams and systems, ensuring alignment with operational priorities.
• Implementing and enforcing governance standards to maintain quality and compliance for all releases.
• Leading release readiness reviews, risk assessments, and go/no‑go decisions with senior stakeholders.
• Driving continuous improvement in release processes, tools, and automation to increase efficiency and reduce risk.
• Acting as the primary point of contact for release‑related communication across technology and business teams.

These Skills Are Essential

• Proven experience in release management within large-scale, complex technology environments.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycles, CI/CD pipelines, and change management processes.
• Excellent organisational and coordination skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience influencing senior leaders.
• Ability to assess and mitigate risks in high‑pressure, operationally critical environments.

Ideally, you'll have the following

• Experience in the aviation, transport, or similarly regulated industry.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and modern infrastructure technologies.
• Background in automation and DevOps practices to streamline release processes.

About Us

There’s something so special about working at the world’s most iconic airport. Its sights. Its sounds. Its constant air of excitement. Heathrow is an amazing backdrop to a career filled with unique opportunities. Every day, you’ll discover a world full of fresh possibilities and end the day buzzing with stories to tell, as you encounter people from all cultures, nationalities and experiences. A world full of pride for what we do and no end of exciting career prospects to explore. It brings out the best in all of us. And inspires everyone to deliver on our ambitious plans. Together, we’re working to welcome millions more passengers while ensuring aviation can continue to be a force for good by leading global efforts in sustainability. Join us on that journey and we'll help you achieve your ambitions too. Supporting you to learn, encouraging you to be yourself, backing you to achieve more than you might ever have imagined. Because there’s no place like Heathrow.

Our rewards

We offer competitive salaries and excellent benefits that will support you now and in the future. As well as performance-based annual bonuses and our longer‑term Share in Success Bonus plans, we also offer generous annual leave allowances and market‑leading pensions. With family friendly policies, access to private health insurance and a wide range of wellbeing tools, we’ll support you to be at your best inside and outside work. And of course, we’ll provide varied learning and development opportunities too. Here you’ll find everything you need for a fulfilling career journey that can take you in exciting directions.

Working Location

Our Hybrid working approach offers the opportunity for colleagues in some roles to work from home for an average of two days a week, providing the flexibility to work in an agile way whilst ensuring we deliver for the operational needs of Heathrow. Working arrangements vary from team to team and will be confirmed during the recruitment process. You’ll need to be based in the UK and within a commutable distance to Heathrow.

Sustainable Travel to work

Heathrow’s Sustainable Travel Guide sets out easy and sustainable travel options that everyone can access.

Equal Opportunities

As an equal opportunities employer, we encourage applications from all. We believe that diverse talent makes us stronger – not least because we welcome passengers from all corners of the globe, every single day. Heathrow is an accessible place to work. With five diversity networks, we champion inclusivity and celebrate individuality.