Digital Program Manager - Release Management

Caterpillar; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 128,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off plan

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)

Career Development

Job summary

Caterpillar Inc. is seeking a Digital Program Manager - Release Management to own the integrated release strategy across a complex ERP/CRM ecosystem. You will coordinate product, engineering, DevOps, and data teams to ensure high-quality, predictable releases while safeguarding business continuity.

You will drive governance, scheduling, risk mitigation, and post-release improvements leveraging AI and automation to enhance efficiency and stability across the global dealer network.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading complex enterprise software releases across multiple products and teams.
• Strong knowledge of SDLC, Agile delivery, testing, Git workflows, CI/CD, and production deployments.
• Experience establishing or improving release governance and delivery practices.

Responsibilities

• Own the integrated release calendar, align roadmaps, scope, milestones, and deployment windows.
• Establish and drive release governance, planning, readiness reviews, decision criteria, and go/no-go decisions.
• Coordinate release execution across product, engineering, DevOps, data, security, and business teams.
• Align releases with product strategy and dealer/customization requirements.
• Drive end-to-end release prep, ensuring testing, defect remediation, security reviews, and deployment plans.
• Identify and manage cross-team dependencies, risks, and release issues with mitigation.

Skills

Release management

Enterprise software releases

SDLC understanding

Agile delivery

CI/CD automation

Azure DevOps (ADO)

Tools

Azure DevOps (ADO) or similar tools

Job description

Career Area

Technology, Digital and Data

Job Description

Your Work Shapes the World at Caterpillar Inc.

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do – but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here – we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Cat Digital is the digital and technology arm of Caterpillar Inc., leveraging the latest technologies to build industry leading digital solutions for our customers and dealers. With over 1.5 million connected assets worldwide, our teams use data, technology, advanced analytics, telematics and AI capabilities to help our customers build a better, more sustainable world.

Job Summary

Caterpillar is embarking on a bold digital transformation to revolutionize our dealers’ systems - seamless, intelligent, and designed for the future. We are developing a scalable, modern ERP and CRM solution for Caterpillar dealers, built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Azure Integration Services. This next-generation platform will leverage pre-configured business processes, optimized workflows and AI-powered automation to streamline operations, accelerate digital capability deployment, and elevate customer experience across our global dealer network.

As the Digital Program Manager - Release Management, you will own the integrated product release strategy, planning, and execution across a complex, highly integrated ERP and CRM solution supporting critical dealer business operations. This role brings product, engineering, devops, data, integration, testing, security, business stakeholders, dealer, vendor, and support teams together to deliver high quality, predictable releases while protecting business continuity. The Release Manager establishes the integrated release plan, manages dependencies and risks, drives release preparation and go/no-go decisions, leads release execution and operational readiness, and continuously improves release governance and delivery practices to increase quality, predictability, and efficiency.

What You Will Do

• Own and maintain the integrated release calendar, aligning product roadmaps, release scope, milestones, deployment windows, and cross-team dependencies.
• Establish and drive release governance, including release standards, planning, readiness reviews, decision criteria, change controls, and go/no-go decisions.
• Coordinate release execution across product, engineering, DevOps, integration, data, security, testing, business, vendor, and support teams.
• Partner with Product Management and Product Engineering to align releases with product strategy and support policies related to dealer customization, versioning, upgrade, and product transition requirements.
• Drive end-to-end release preparation, ensuring development, testing, defect tracking and remediation, security reviews, deployment and backout plans, operational readiness, and support plans are complete.
• Proactively identify and manage cross-team dependencies, release risks, schedule conflicts, and release issues, driving mitigation and escalation when needed.
• Partner with Agile delivery teams to improve code-freeze, feature flagging, regression testing, CI/CD, and deployment practices.
• Support governance for dealer customizations and integrations, and drive continuous improvement where needed to protect product compatibility and release integrity.
• Lead release communications and reporting, partnering with Product, Engineering and dealer-facing teams to ensure release information is aligned while providing leadership with clear visibility to release status, risks, decisions, and metrics.
• Lead post-release reviews and use metrics, lessons learned, automation, DevOps practices, and AI to continuously improve release governance, quality, predictability, and efficiency.

What You Will Have

• Decision Making and Critical Thinking: Knowledge of the decision-making process and associated tools and techniques; ability to accurately analyze situations and reach productive decisions based on informed judgment.
• Data Gathering and Reporting: Knowledge of tools, techniques and processes for gathering and reporting data; ability to practice them in a particular department or division of a company.
• Implementation: Knowledge of how to run applications for organizations; ability to implement application software within an organization and help end-users perform specific tasks (ex: accounting or graphic design).
• IT Project Management: Knowledge of project management; ability to plan, organize, monitor and control IT projects using appropriate technical resources.
• IT Standards, Procedures & Policies: Knowledge of Information Technology (IT) standards and policies; ability to utilize a variety of administrative skill sets and technical knowledge to manage organizational IT policies, standards, and procedures.

Considerations For Top Candidates

• Demonstrated experience leading complex enterprise software releases across multiple products, integrations, environments, and delivery teams.
• Strong understanding of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), Agile delivery, testing, Git workflows, CI/CD automation pipelines, and production deployment practices.
• Experience establishing or improving release governance and delivery practices that increase quality, predictability, and efficiency.
• Proven ability to manage complex dependencies, risks, and competing priorities across multiple teams and workstreams.
• Experience driving release preparation, go/no-go decisions, production deployment, and operational stabilization for large-scale technology solutions.
• Strong program and project management capabilities, with experience managing integrated plans, milestones, risks, dependencies, and stakeholder commitments.
• Ability to influence without direct authority, resolve cross-team issues, facilitate difficult trade-offs, and drive decisions across technical and business teams.
• Strong executive and stakeholder communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate release status, risks, trade-offs, decisions, and business impact.
• Ability to connect technical release decisions to business continuity and operational impact, particularly in complex ERP/CRM environments.
• Experience working with vendors and third-party technology partners as part of an integrated delivery model.
• A continuous-improvement mindset, with experience using metrics, automation, and emerging technologies such as AI to improve release processes.
• Experience leveraging Azure DevOps (ADO) or similar agile work management tools

Summary Pay Range

$128,470.00 - $192,710.00

Benefits

Subject to plan eligibility, terms, and guidelines. This is a summary list of benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
• 401(k) savings plans*
• Health Savings Account (HSA)*
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
• Health Lifestyle Programs*
• Employee Assistance Program*
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
• Career Development*
• Incentive bonus*
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Adoption benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement

* These benefits also apply to part-time employees

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Dates

October 20, 2026 - November 1, 2026

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.