Network Release Manager

JD: Mentioned Below

A Network Release Project Manager (RM) is a specialist, recognized expert for Network / IT Service & Technical Operations team providing standard Solution Delivery project release coordination and facilitation, consulting, cost management, and project release planning in the delivery of networking technology changes and project releases.

The Release Manager determines business and operational project requirements of a complex nature, provides recommendations and direction on technology opportunities including/through: feasibility options and functionality analysis. The RM leads the NetOps team in cost effective superior quality technology framework designs highlighting strategic direction, security governance, disaster recovery, and business continuity.
The RM provides leadership and guidance to other NetOps staff members in understanding client's business, business drivers, and technology priorities. The RM will provide project support to other COEs and project release coordination from a Network Solution Delivery perspective.

Job Mandate
Overview: Manage & Coordinate the release of changes into production through a standard procedure designed to minimize risk to existing services.
Key Activities:
Create release plans and coordinate contents of the release package
Create roll-back and recovery plans
Create release packages and prepare for deployment
Evaluate and communicate any expected impact to service levels due to release
Manage & Coordinate promotion/release into production
Communicate release success (or reasons for rollback)
Evaluate release management performance based on established criteria (e.g., elapsed time, level of automation, percentage of successful on-time releases, etc.)
Manage & Coordinate 'go/no-go' release decision making
Facilitate, request, raise, and record change requests
Manage/Coordinate other NS team members and/or 3rd party vendors for releases
Manage/Coordinate to the Project Assessment, timelines, the budget, quote execution, and change order requests
Participation & Development of Project Plan
Track NS financials through the life cycle of the project

Qualifications
University degree/college diploma or equivalent
Key products and services, processes and controls for the designated business
7-10 years of demonstrated Network Release Project Management experience delivering fault tolerant data and voice network infrastructure solutions Hardware, Software, Services, and Support.
Project Management Professional Certification is desired (but not required).
Superior verbal and written communication skills are required.

The incumbent must possess the ability to work independently, be highly organized, team-oriented, effective communicator/leader, project prioritization a must; assigning and tracking tasks to resources, creating release packages, facilitate team meetings, identify "as-risk" items - mitigating risk prior to release, updating projects status, key milestones, drive target timelines, line of business testing coordination post change, go live support & transition, financial budget versus actual on all funded projects; and effectively direct or influence others and ensure that significant design issues and compliance challenges are resolved by engineering, deploy, SMEs, Vendor/Partners in a timely manner.

Working Knowledge, Skills, Experience an understanding of the following is required:
- Cisco routers, Cisco switches, and Juniper Firewalls;
- Upgrading code and/or configuring 2960, 3650, 3750, 3800, 3900, 6500 or similar model switches.
- Upgrading code and/or configuring 1800, 2800, 3800, and ASR1000, ASR1002 or similar model routers.
- Upgrading Junos OS code and/or configuring SRX 300, 650, 1400 or current models
- Knowledge familiarity with BGP, OSPF, RIP, EIGRP, L3-7 switching, HSRP, VoIP and Multicast
- Carrier / Telco WAN technologies / MPLS, VPN, Point-to-Point, SONET, OC3, DS3, T1, PRI, POTS (experience is required)
- Understanding of Network Tools (SPACE, STRM, Tufin, Remedy, ServiceNow, etc.)
- ITIL standards as they relate to incident/problem/change management concepts are desired.
- Weekly timesheet/progress reports, project portfolio updates, and timely escalations on project obstacles to management
- Must have good working knowledge of Office (Word/Excel/PowerPoint), Microsoft Project, Visio, Outlook, SharePoint, Office 365, Skype for Business, and Network Tools.