Release Manager

Allianz Management Services Ltd; Guildford; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible buy/sell holiday options

Annual performance related bonus

Discount on insurance products up to 5

Volunteering days

Job summary

Allianz UK is seeking a Release Governance Lead to operationalise the Release Management Governance & Control Framework. You will own the Release Readiness Assurance process, provide independent governance for high-risk releases, and maintain the Forward Schedule of Change and Release Calendar.

You will build trusted relationships with delivery teams and stakeholders, drive continuous improvement, and ensure alignment with group standards and regulatory expectations in a hybrid, multi-office

Qualifications

• Own and operate the Release Readiness Assurance (RRA) process, issuing formal readiness decisions.
• Provide independent governance oversight for high-risk releases, ensuring deployment plans, risk assessments and readiness evidence meet standards.
• Review Forward Schedule of Change and Release Calendar, ensuring plans are documented and reflected.
• Challenge delivery teams and suppliers where governance docs or release plans do not meet required standards.
• Ensure Service Acceptance and Operational Readiness evidence is completed before release deployment.
• Produce governance reporting, insight and risk visibility for senior stakeholders and leadership teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead governance activities for release readiness and change control.
• Attend governance forums such as CAB, Release Readiness, Go/No-Go reviews.
• Drive continuous improvement across release governance practices and controls.
• Build relationships with delivery teams, suppliers and business stakeholders.

Skills

Release governance

Stakeholder management

Governance oversight

Analytical documentation

Decision making

Agile/DevOps understanding

Influence and challenge

Education

ITIL v4 qualification

Tools

ServiceNow

Job description

Join Allianz UK's Service Delivery Team and play a pivotal role in shaping and maturing Release Management governance across our business. You will lead the operationalisation of a newly designed Release Management Governance & Control Framework, driving best practice, strengthening oversight, and helping to improve release delivery through effective governance, automation opportunities, and centralised release planning.

Location: This role can be based in our Guildford, Bournemouth or Birmingham office. Please note that this is a hybrid working role with the expectation that you attend the office twice a week.

Salary Information

Pay: Up to £78,000 per year.

Pay is based on experience, skills and location and forms part of a competitive total rewards package.

About You

• Own and operate the Release Readiness Assurance (RRA) process, assessing evidence submitted by delivery teams and issuing formal readiness decisions.
• Provide independent governance oversight for high-risk releases, ensuring deployment plans, risk assessments and readiness evidence meet agreed standards.
• Review and maintain oversight of the Forward Schedule of Change and Release Calendar, ensuring planned activity is fully documented and accurately reflected.
• Challenge delivery teams and suppliers where governance documentation, impact assessments or release plans do not meet required standards.
• Ensure Service Acceptance and Operational Readiness evidence is completed before release deployment.
• Produce governance reporting, insight and risk visibility for senior stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Identify trends and drive continuous improvement across release governance practices and controls.
• Contribute to the ongoing development of Allianz UK's Release Management framework, ensuring alignment with Allianz Group standards and regulatory expectations.
• Build trusted relationships with delivery teams, suppliers and business stakeholders, becoming the go-to authority for release governance and assurance.
• Demonstrable experience in Release Management, Change Management or IT Governance.
• Strong understanding of governance oversight, assurance and control frameworks within technology environments.
• Experience participating in governance forums such as CAB, Release Readiness, Go/No-Go reviews or equivalent decision-making bodies.
• Ability to make evidence-based governance decisions, including withholding approval where standards have not been met.
• ITIL v4 qualification or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and challenge across technical, supplier and business audiences.
• Experience using ServiceNow, including Change Management and Forward Schedule of Change processes, or equivalent tooling.
• Excellent analytical and documentation skills with an evidence-led approach to governance.
• Experience working in a regulated enterprise environment where compliance, auditability and risk management are key considerations.
• Understanding of Responsible Artificial Intelligence usage and opportunities to improve release management processes through automation and AI-enabled capabilities.

We support the government scheme "Access to Work". Please feel free to ask us about the Access to Work scheme.

• Experience working within a SIAM or multi-supplier operating model.
• Experience within financial services or another highly regulated industry.
• Knowledge of regulatory frameworks such as PRA, FCA or DORA.
• Exposure to large-scale transformation programmes and complex multi-team release events.
• Understanding of Agile, DevOps and modern software delivery methodologies.
• Experience supporting the implementation of governance frameworks and operating models.
• Familiarity with release automation and AI-driven operational improvements.

What We Will Offer You

Recognised and rewarded for a job well done, we have a range of flexible benefits for you to choose from- so you can pick a package that’s perfect for you. We also offer flexible working options, global career opportunities across the wider Allianz Group, and fantastic career development and training. That's on top of enjoying all the benefits you'd expect from the world's number one insurance brand, including:

• Flexible buy/sell holiday options
• Annual performance related bonus
• A discount up to 50% on a range of insurance products including car, home and pet
• Volunteering days

Our Ways of Working

Do you need flexibility with the hours you work? Let us know as part of your application and if it's right for our customers, our business and for you, then we'll do everything we can to make it happen. Here at Allianz, we are signatories of the ABIs flexible working charter. We believe in supporting hybrid work patterns, which balance the needs of our customers, with your personal circumstances and our business requirements. Our aim with this is to help innovation, creativity, and you to thrive - Your work life balance is important to us.

Inclusive Support & Accessibility

At Allianz, we are committed to fostering building an inclusive, accessible workplace where everyone can thrive. As a Disability Confident employer, we welcome applications from disabled and neurodivergent candidates and offer tailored adjustments throughout the recruitment process and in the workplace, whether that is assistive technology, ergonomic equipment, flexible working arrangements, mentoring or coaching. We want to encourage candidates to speak with us about any adjustments they may need. We're here to support you.

If you have a disability or long-term health condition and meet the essential criteria, you can choose to be considered through our Offer an Interview Scheme.

For any inquiries or to submit your application, please contact: Matthew Irvine

Join us – Lets Care for Tomorrow

105606 | Operations | Professional | Non-Executive | Allianz UK | Full-Time | Permanent