Software Release Manager

Graphcore; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI technology company in Bristol is looking for a Release Manager to own the end-to-end release management lifecycle within its Software Department. The ideal candidate will lead release planning, execution, and process improvement while ensuring quality and risk management throughout the software releases. A Bachelor's degree in a related field and 3-5 years of experience in Release Management or Software Engineering are essential. The company offers a hybrid work model, competitive benefits, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Benefits

Flexible working

Private medical insurance

Generous leave policy

Employee assistance program

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience in Release Management, DevOps, or Software Engineering.
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle and ITIL change management principles.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Define and manage the release roadmap across teams.
• Oversee end-to-end release processes from build to deployment.
• Identify, track, and mitigate release-related risks.

Skills

Release Management

Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)

CI/CD pipelines

Version control systems

Agile methodologies

DevOps practices

Project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology or related field

Tools

GitHub

Jira

Confluence

Job description

Graphcore is one of the world’s leading innovators in Artificial Intelligence compute.

It is developing hardware, software and systems infrastructure that will unlock the next generation of AI breakthroughs and power the widespread adoption of AI solutions across every industry.

As part of the SoftBank Group, Graphcore is a member of an elite family of companies responsible for some of the world’s most transformative technologies. Together, they share a bold vision: to enable Artificial Super Intelligence and ensure its benefits are accessible to everyone.

Graphcore’s teams are drawn from diverse backgrounds and bring a broad range of skills and perspectives. A melting pot of AI research specialists, silicon designers, software engineers and systems architects, Graphcore enjoys a culture of continuous learning and constant innovation.

Job Summary

We are looking for an individual who will own the end-to-end release management lifecycle within the Software Department — from planning, scheduling, testing to deployment and post-release validation — and help drive the value of advanced technology by ensuring software is released reliably, on schedule, and with the stability required for operational and developmental needs. This position requires balancing fast-paced innovation with clear, structured, and disciplined release practices.

The Team

The Release Management team is currently run by the Senior Release Manager with the focus on establishing and overseeing the end-to-end release management lifecycle within the software department, which is now expanding to the wider organisation. Therefore, this is a great opportunity for a Release Manager to join the team, bring their knowledge and expertise, learn new skills and develop the role and themselves.

Key Responsibilities

• Release Planning:
  • Define and manage the release roadmap across engineering, project, product, QA and other operations teams.
  • Plan and communicate release timelines, dependencies, and risk assessments.
• Coordination & Execution:
  • Oversee end-to-end release processes from build to deployment.
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams to ensure successful and timely delivery of releases.
  • Manage release documentation in collaboration with the Technical Documentation team.
• Process Improvement:
  • Develop and refine release management processes, and standards to ensure clarity, consistency, and repeatability.
  • Identify areas for improvement through automation, and tooling to improve efficiency and reduce risk.
  • Implement continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) best practices.
• Risk & Quality Management:
  • Identify, track, and mitigate release-related risks.
  • Ensure compliance with quality and security standards prior to release sign-off.
  • Facilitate post-release retrospectives and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Communication:
  • Facilitate communication and transparency, ensuring all stakeholders are informed of release status, scope, and changes.
  • Provide clear status updates to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Candidate Profile

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 3–5+ years of experience in Release Management, DevOps, or Software Engineering.
• Strong understanding of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), CI/CD pipelines, version control system and ITIL change management principles.
• Familiarity with release management tools such as GitHub, Jira, Confluence, etc.
• Excellent organisational, communication, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage multiple releases and stakeholders simultaneously.
• Analytical mindset with attention to detail and a proactive approach to identifying potential issues.
• Experience in Agile or DevOps-driven organisations is highly desirable.
• Ideally candidates will have experience in setting up release functions from scratch. Alongside proven experience managing large-scale enterprise software releases across complex technologies and environments.
• Project management certification (PRINCE2, PMP, AgilePM, or similar).

What we Offer

• Flexibility: Hybrid Work Model.
• Career Development & Progression through continuous training and learning.
• Your Wellbeing: Competitive benefits designed to support the wellbeing of our staff.
• Diversity & Inclusion: Committed to Welcoming, Celebrating and Thriving on Diversity.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary, Graphcore offers flexible working, a generous annual leave policy, private medical insurance and health cash plan, a dental plan, pension (matched up to 5%), life assurance and income protection. We have a generous parental leave policy and an employee assistance programme (which includes health, mental wellbeing, and bereavement support). We offer a range of healthy food and snacks at our central Bristol office and have our own barista bar! We welcome people of different backgrounds and experiences; we’re committed to building an inclusive work environment that makes Graphcore a great home for everyone. We offer an equal opportunity process and understand that there are visible and invisible differences in all of us. We can provide a flexible approach to interview and encourage you to chat to us if you require any reasonable adjustments.