Senior Release Manager
Merkle
Company Description:
We Dream. We Do. We Deliver.
At Merkle, a dentsu company, we power the experience economy. Whether we’re building the next great app, running CRM at scale for global brands, delivering technology architectures that support millions of users, or providing world-class data, identity, and insights solutions, it’s all in the name of crafting experiences that set brands apart from the competition. Backed by dentsu's legacy of innovation and creativity originating in Japan, we’ve spent over 35 years helping brands build loyalty, drive growth, and connect meaningfully with their audiences.
We’ve been named a global “Leader” by top industry analyst firms in categories as wide-ranging as digital transformation and commerce, experience design, engineering and technology integration, digital marketing, data science, CRM and loyalty, and customer data management.
Why choose Merkle?
Innovation at Our Core: As part of dentsu’s global network, Merkle pushes the boundaries of customer experience, integrating creativity, technology, and data to drive real-world impact. For over 35 years, we’ve been innovating to meet the changing needs of our clients.
Global Reach with Local Expertise: With over 16,000 employees across 30+ countries, and part of a 70,000 employees’ network at dentsu, Merkle blends global insights with a deep understanding of local markets to deliver personalized, effective solutions.
Collaborative Culture: At Merkle, your ideas and contributions truly matter. You’ll join a team that fosters innovation, collaboration, and creative problem-solving. Together, we work on impactful international projects, making meaningful connections every step of the way.
Job Description:
Key Responsibilities:
- Define release schedules (e.g., monthly, bi-weekly, continuous delivery)
- Coordinate release scope with product owners and engineering teams
- Manage release calendars across multiple teams or products
- Ensure alignment with business priorities and deadlines
- Lead release deployment activities across environments (dev, QA, staging, production)
- Coordinate cross-functional teams (developers, QA, DevOps, security, infrastructure)
- Ensure all release criteria and quality gates are met before deployment
- Supervise go-live activities and manage rollback plans if needed
- Identify, assess, and mitigate release risks
- Lead Change Advisory Board (CAB) processes where applicable
- Ensure proper approvals and compliance with change management policies
- Maintain audit trails and documentation
- Define and optimize release management processes
- Improve CI/CD pipelines and automation strategies
- Introduce best practices (e.g., DevOps, Agile release trains, blue-green deployments)
- Track KPIs such as: Deployment frequency, Change failure, rate Mean time to recovery (MTTR)
- Act as the central point of contact for release status
- Provide release notes and updates to stakeholders
- Communicate risks, delays, and impacts clearly to leadership
- Coordinate with support teams for post-release readiness
- Monitor release performance and stability
- Lead post-release reviews (retrospectives, incident analysis)
- Ensure issues are documented and resolved promptly
- Drive continuous improvement from lessons learned
- Strong understanding of: SDLC (Software Development Lifecycle), Agile / Scrum / SAFe, frameworks DevOps practices and CI/CD tools (e.g., Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitHub Actions)
- Familiarity with cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)
- Knowledge of infrastructure, environments, and deployment automation
- Excellent coordination and stakeholder management
- Strong communication (especially under pressure)
- Problem-solving and risk management mindset
- Ability to lead without direct authority (influencing multiple teams)
- Work visa sponsorship is not available. For local documentation (NIF, NISS), please consult Portuguese authorities.
Benefits and perks:
25 vacation days
Enjoy 2 additional volunteering days to support your passion project
Mental Health: Benefit from 3 extra wellness days on top of your vacation days and a Mental Health First Aider and Employee Assisstance program to support your well-being
Health insurance (also possible for family members)
Cutting Edge Technology & Latest IT tools
Software-house environment
Agile and Flexible working hours
Hybrid working: we combine flexibility with in-person collaboration, with an expectation of 1 day per week/ 4 days per month in the office
Digital nomad policy
Focus on career development
Full access to Dentsu Academy, our global online learning platform
Beers, foosball, and ping-pong! #workhardplayhard
Free breakfast every second Wednesday of the month
️ Employee discounts
Team & Company events
Referral bonus program
- At dentsu, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is central to our vision: "To be at the forefront of people-centered transformations that shape society."
Location:
Lisbon
Brand:
Merkle
Time Type:
Full time
Contract Type:
Permanent