Release Manager

By clicking the “Apply” button, I understand that my employment application process with Takeda will commence and that the information I provide in my application will be processed in line with Takeda’s Privacy Notice and Terms of Use.  I further attest that all information I submit in my employment application is true to the best of my knowledge. Job Description The Future Begins Here At Takeda, we are leading digital evolution and global transformation. By building innovative solutions and future-ready capabilities, we are meeting the need of patients, our people, and the planet. Bengaluru, the city, which is India’s epicenter of Innovation, has been selected to be home to Takeda’s recently launched Innovation Capability Center. We invite you to join our digital transformation journey. In this role, you will have the opportunity to boost your skills and become the heart of an innovative engine that is contributing to global impact and improvement.     At Takeda’s ICC we Unite in Diversity Takeda is committed to creating an inclusive and collaborative workplace, where individuals are recognized for their backgrounds and abilities they bring to our company. We are continuously improving our collaborators journey in Takeda, and we welcome applications from all qualified candidates. Here, you will feel welcomed, respected, and valued as an important contributor to our diverse team As a Release Manager within the Digital Data & Cloud Organization (DDCO), you will lead the planning, coordination, and governance of software releases across multiple product teams and applications. Your role will be pivotal in ensuring releases are prioritized, compliant, and delivered successfully, while minimizing operational risk and business disruption.    You will work closely with Scrum Masters, Delivery Leads, Product Owners, Engineering Leads, QA teams, and Change Advisory Boards (CAB) to manage release schedules, resolve cross-team dependencies, secure required approvals, and maintain deployment readiness. You will establish and enforce release governance standards, oversee change management processes, maintain release checklists, and provide leadership visibility into release risks, delays, and deployment outcomes.  Collaborating with business stakeholders and global leadership, you will help drive operational excellence through predictable, well-governed release execution while fostering continuous improvement across release and change management practices.    This position will align within ICC and report to the DDCO Delivery Lead for strategic direction and day-to-day management.    How you will contribute:  Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of releases across multiple product teams and applications.   Own and maintain the enterprise release calendar, ensuring alignment of priorities, schedules, and deployment windows.   Partner with Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Engineering Leads, and QA teams to identify and resolve release dependencies, conflicts, and risks.   Establish and enforce release governance processes, release readiness reviews, and deployment checklists to ensure high-quality and compliant releases.   Coordinate with Change Advisory Board (CAB) and Change Management teams to secure required approvals and ensure adherence to organizational policies and procedures.   Provide proactive communication to stakeholders and leadership on release status, risks, escalations, and deployment outcomes.   Drive continuous improvement of release and change management processes to improve release predictability, efficiency, and operational stability.   Accountable for closure of continuous improvements identified from MIM & Problems.  Facilitate post-release reviews, capture lessons learned and implement process enhancements to improve future delivery outcomes.   Ensure release activities are executed with minimal business disruption while maintaining compliance, security, and operational excellence standards.      Minimum Requirements/Qualifications:  Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Business Information Systems, or a related field required. Master's degree in a similar discipline is a plus.  7–10 years of professional experience in Release Management, IT Service Management, Program Delivery, Project Management, or related disciplines.  Proven experience managing enterprise-scale releases across multiple applications, product teams, and technology platforms.  Strong understanding of Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Agile, Scrum, DevOps, and Release Management best practices.  Hands-on experience with Change Management processes, CAB (Change Advisory Board) governance, release approvals, deployment planning, and production release coordination.  Experience using enterprise delivery and ITSM tools such as ServiceNow, Azure DevOps, Jira, Confluence, or similar platforms.  Strong understanding of risk management, dependency management, release readiness assessments, rollback planning, and deployment governance.  Experience coordinating cross-functional teams including Product Owners, Scrum Masters, Engineering Leads, QA teams, Infrastructure teams, and business stakeholders.  Proven ability to identify, manage, and resolve release conflicts, deployment risks, and scheduling challenges across multiple concurrent initiatives.  Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven decisions in high-pressure release environments.  Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and executive reporting skills, with the ability to effectively communicate release status, risks, and mitigation plans to leadership.  Knowledge of ITIL practices and experience working in regulated and compliance-driven environments is highly desirable.  Ability to establish and continuously improve release governance processes, operational procedures, and delivery standards to drive release predictability and operational excellence.  Understanding of regulated environments such as Life Sciences, Healthcare, Pharmaceutical, or GxP-compliant organizations.     Preferred requirements:  ITIL Foundation, SAFe, Scrum Master, PMP, or other relevant certifications in Release, Change, or Project Management.   Experience working in large-scale global organizations supporting multiple product teams, applications, and technology platforms.   Knowledge of DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, cloud technologies (Azure/AWS), and modern release automation practices.   Strong ability to drive process improvements, influence stakeholders, and establish scalable release governance frameworks across the portfolio.  BENEFITS: It is our priority to provide competitive compensation and a benefit package that bridges your personal life with your professional career. Amongst our benefits are: Competitive Salary + Performance Annual Bonus Flexible work environment, including hybrid working Comprehensive Healthcare Insurance Plans for self, spouse, and children Group Term Life Insurance and Group Accident Insurance programs Employee Assistance Program Broad Variety of learning platforms Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programs Reimbursements – Home Internet & Mobile Phone Employee Referral Program Leaves – Paternity Leave (4 Weeks) , Maternity Leave (up to 26 weeks), Bereavement Leave (5 calendar days) ABOUT ICC IN TAKEDA: Takeda is leading a digital revolution. We’re not just transforming our company; we’re improving the lives of millions of patients who rely on our medicines every day. As an organization, we are committed to our cloud-driven business transformation and believe the ICCs are the catalysts of change for our global organization. #Li-Hybrid Locations IND - Bengaluru Worker Type Employee Worker Sub-Type Regular Time Type Full time