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Program Release Manager Jobs in Illinois (NOW HIRING)

Lead, Release Management

Schaumburg, IL · On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

The Lead Release Manager is a senior individual contributor responsible for leading the planning ... Best-in-class well-being programs * Annual, no-cost health assessment program Blueprint for ...

... Program Manager or Project Co-Ordinator • Strong understanding and/or experience in some of the following, o AWS Cloud, automated CICD and BDD with Cucumber. • Ability to work under pressure and ...

Release Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$120 - $180/hr

Conductingthe scrum on scrum calls and manage the release cadence and do releases. Required ... Program Manageror Project Co-Ordinator * Strongunderstanding and/or experience in some of the ...

As a Release Engineer\/Co\-Ordinator, you will be responsible for monitoring CI\/CD pipelines for ... Program Manager or Project Co\-Ordinator Strong understanding and\/or experience in some of the ...

Technical Program Manager

San Jose, IL · On-site

$80K - $173K/yr

Technical Program Manager City: San Jose State/Province: California Posting Start Date: 6/23/26 ... Key responsibilities include driving end-to-end SDLC execution, including BAT, UAT, and release ...

As an Agile Program Manager for Managed Services, you will own a portfolio of strategic and ... You will also own the internal release management process, governing the end-to-end coordination of ...

As an Agile Program Manager for Managed Services, you will own a portfolio of strategic and ... You will also own the internal release management process, governing the end-to-end coordination of ...

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Program Release Manager information

How does a program release manager typically coordinate with development and QA teams during a product release cycle?

A Program Release Manager acts as a central point of communication between development, quality assurance (QA), and other cross-functional teams to ensure smooth and timely product releases. They facilitate regular meetings to track progress, address roadblocks, and synchronize release schedules. By managing dependencies and enforcing adherence to release processes, they help ensure that code is thoroughly tested and integrated before deployment. This role often requires balancing technical details with big-picture planning, making strong collaboration and organizational skills essential.

What is a program release manager?

Program Release Managers are professionals responsible for overseeing the planning, coordination, and deployment of software releases or program updates within an organization. They ensure that all aspects of a release, from development and testing to deployment and documentation, are completed on time and according to quality standards. Program Release Managers work closely with cross-functional teams to minimize risks, resolve issues, and ensure a smooth release process. Their role is critical in maintaining the stability and reliability of software products while enabling new features and improvements.

What is the difference between Program Release Manager vs Release Coordinator?

AspectProgram Release ManagerRelease Coordinator
ResponsibilitiesOversees multiple releases, manages release schedules, coordinates cross-team efforts, and ensures quality and timing of releases.Assists in planning and executing specific release tasks, manages release documentation, and supports communication between teams.
Required SkillsProject management, communication, risk management, technical understanding of release processes.Organizational skills, attention to detail, communication, familiarity with release tools.
Work EnvironmentTypically works in a project management or release management team within IT or software development.Works closely with release teams, developers, and QA teams, often in a collaborative environment.

The Program Release Manager has a broader, strategic role overseeing multiple releases and coordinating efforts across teams, while the Release Coordinator focuses on executing specific release tasks and supporting the release process. Both roles require strong communication and organizational skills, but the Program Release Manager typically has more responsibility for planning and risk management.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a program release manager, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Program Release Manager, you need strong project management skills, expertise in release planning, and a background in IT or software development, often supported by a relevant degree or certification such as PMP or ITIL. Familiarity with tools like Jira, Git, Jenkins, and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) systems is typically required. Exceptional communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills help you coordinate cross-functional teams and manage complex release schedules. These competencies are essential for ensuring timely, high-quality software releases and minimizing risk in fast-paced technical environments.
What are popular job titles related to Program Release Manager jobs in Illinois? For Program Release Manager jobs in Illinois, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in Illinois are hiring for Program Release Manager jobs? Cities in Illinois with the most Program Release Manager job openings:

Lead, Release Management

Quest Diagnostics

Schaumburg, IL • On-site

$130K - $140K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 8 days ago


ExamOne rating

6.6

Company rating: 6.6 out of 10

Based on 9 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

98th of 120 rated laboratories


Job description


The Lead Release Manager is a senior individual contributor responsible for leading the planning, coordination, and execution of complex, cross-domain enterprise releases for critical business applications and platforms. This role focuses on release orchestration, dependency management, and production readiness across multiple teams and systems, serving as a subject matter expert and escalation point for non-Epic releases. The Lead Release Manager operates with significant autonomy, influencing delivery outcomes without direct people management responsibilities.
Please note this is a hybrid opportunity (3 days in office & 2 days WFH). The position can be based in one of the following locations: Schaumburg IL, Secaucus, NJ, Lenexa, KS, Dallas, TX, Tampa, FL.
Pay Range:$130,000 - $140,000 / year
Salary offers are based on a wide range of factors including relevant skills, training, experience, education, and, where applicable, certifications obtained. Market and organizational factors are also considered. Successful candidates may be eligible to receive annual performance bonus compensation.
Benefits Information:
We are proud to offer best-in-class benefits and programs to support employees and their families in living healthy, happy lives. Our pay and benefit plans have been designed to promote employee health in all respects - physical, financial, and developmental. Depending on whether it is a part-time or full-time position, some of the benefits offered may include:
  • Day 1 Medical, supplemental health, dental & vision for FT employees who work 30+ hours
  • Best-in-class well-being programs
  • Annual, no-cost health assessment program Blueprint for Wellness®
  • healthyMINDS mental health program
  • Vacation and Health/Flex Time
  • 6 Holidays plus 1 "MyDay" off
  • FinFit financial coaching and services
  • 401(k) pre-tax and/or Roth IRA with company match up to 5% after 12 months of service
  • Employee stock purchase plan
  • Life and disability insurance, plus buy-up option
  • Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Annual incentive plans
  • Matching gifts program
  • Education assistance through MyQuest for Education
  • Career advancement opportunities
  • and so much more!

Responsibilities
  • Develop and manage release schedules ensuring alignment with business and technology strategies.
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams including Development, QA, QE, DevOps, IT Security, UAT, Support and Product Management to ensure successful releases.
  • Enforce release governance and maintain documentation, ensuring adherence to best practices and SDLC production requirements.
  • Maintain release progress and activities within required tools and document repositories.
  • Identify and mitigate risks escalating as needed to clear blockers.
  • Oversee cross team and cross product release dependencies.
  • Develop production readiness reviews.
  • Run release deployments and post-deploy hypercare.
  • Communicate release plans, impacts to stakeholders and issues throughout the release life cycle.
  • Drive Continuous improvement and automation initiatives to enhance release efficiency, reduce deployment risks and optimize processes.
  • Lead projects that extend beyond standard software releases.
  • Lead and mentor release managers, ensuring best practices are followed across all releases.
  • Serve as main point of contact for senior leadership regarding releases plans, risks and business impacts.

Qualifications
Education
  • Bachelor's Degree degree in Computer Science/Information Systems or commencement work experience required.

Experience Required:
  • Extensive experience managing software releases across all phases of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including planning, development, testing, deployment, and post-production support.
  • Strong understanding of Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, and hybrid SDLC methodologies, with the ability to adapt release processes to varying project requirements.
  • Proven leadership experience mentoring release managers, project teams, and stakeholders on SDLC and release management best practices.
  • Demonstrated expertise in coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure successful delivery of software releases aligned with SDLC governance and quality standards.
  • Experience defining and enforcing release management processes, controls, and best practices throughout the SDLC.
  • Proven ability to manage release schedules, dependencies, risks, and change activities across multiple concurrent development initiatives.
  • Experience partnering with Development, QA, Product Management, Infrastructure, Security, and Operations teams to ensure SDLC compliance and release readiness.
  • Ability to lead release planning, readiness reviews, go/no-go decision meetings, and post-implementation retrospectives.
  • Strong understanding of software quality assurance practices, defect management, configuration management, and change control within the SDLC.
  • Experience establishing release metrics, KPIs, and reporting to drive continuous improvement across software delivery processes.

Preferred Work Experience:
  • Formal training in project management (Agile, Waterfall, Scrum)
  • 8+ years of progressive experience in Release Management, Program Management, or Software Delivery roles, including leadership responsibility for enterprise-scale SDLC initiatives and complex software deployments.

Technical Job Specific Knowledge:
  • Experience with Jira & ServiceNow

About the Team
Quest Diagnostics honors our service members and encourages veterans to apply.
While we appreciate and value our staffing partners, we do not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Quest will not be responsible for paying agency fees for any individual as to whom an agency has sent an unsolicited resume.
Equal Opportunity Employer: Race/Color/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Religion/National Origin/Disability/Vets or any other legally protected status.

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