ServiceNow Release Manager

ABOUT THE ROLE

AstraZeneca IT is currently running a major transformation programme which consists of a number of workstreams working together to deliver IT- wide changes to our Operating Model, Organisation, Capabilities and ways of working, to underpin our IT2025 Strategy.

As part of new operating model, we are transitioning from an IT universe which currently consists of thousands of stand-alone applications, to a limited number of broad Enterprise Platforms, to drive re-use and commonality. Future IT products and applications will be built on these platforms leveraging standard components, security frameworks, re-usable APIs etc. One of the first enterprise platforms to be established will be ServiceNow. We are seeking an experienced, highly motivated and with experience in managing ServiceNow Change & Release Operations for global multinational enterprises. The individual will lead the release planning and engineering, underpinned by agile ways of working to drive optimisation and faster value to the business.

The ServiceNow platform roles resides within the overall Enterprise Platforms space in our Enterprise Capabilities and Solutions (ECS) Function. ECS is a newly formed team, designed to be a key Centre for Enablement for Enterprise Platforms, Software Engineering, Testing, Hyper Automation, AR/VR and Application Maintenance. The release role coaches and supports an agile "team of teams" known as an agile release train (ART), facilitating ART activities and ceremonies, helps identify and resolve impediments and manages risks and dependencies. The role is key to implementing the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). They are actively involved in the activities supporting governance of the platform and is responsible for the Team that carries out day-to-day release operations.

They will work within a matrixed environment, leading, developing and engaging a hard-working distributed team. Key partners need to be managed effectively to achieve this, including the other platform team roles, product teams in Business Technology Groups and Enterprise Technology Services, to ensure appropriate prioritization and change management, enabling successful Agile, Platform-based ways of working for the ServiceNow platform.

Typical Accountabilities

• Implement Release Management processes and standards, ensure code quality and consistency, adherence to standards for both central and federated development
• Plan, organize and facilitate ART ceremonies (e.g. program increment (PI) planning, ART sync, product owner (PO) sync, scrum of scrums, system demos, and inspect & adapts).
• Coach delivery teams and scrum masters on agile and scrum practices.
• Foster communities of practice and promote the use of software engineering and quality standard methodologies.
• Manage and optimize the flow of value through the ART by understanding workflows, identifying potential bottlenecks, and suggesting opportunities for improvement.
• Assist in tracking and monitoring the execution of features and capabilities.
• Work with delivery teams to identify and address risks or impediments to achieving their objectives.
• Provide regular and open communication across delivery teams and partners on team progress and challenges.
• Manage and coordinate team dependencies.
• Measure ART delivery, maturity, and performance and review metrics with the ART to identify improvement opportunities.
• Champion the use of key performance indicators (critical metrics), objectives and key results (OKRs) and other outcome metrics across teams.
• Create timelines, achievements, and cadence of increments and releases for the ART, and oversee development of reports and analyses to track progress towards goals.
• Work with product managers, product owners, and other partners to ensure alignment between business needs and the development work being implemented by agile teams
• Understand and operate within lean budgets and ensure adherence to guardrails such as allocating investments within approved budgets.
• Assess and improve DevOps and Release on Demand practices to improve the flow of value.
• Provide input on resourcing needs to address critical bottlenecks.
• Assist and facilitate feature and capability estimation by teams.
• Contribute to the advancement and improvement of agile practices within the organization.
• Drive automation initiatives, to help improve team efficiency and velocity
• Partner closely with the Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) Team on aligning with enterprise change management strategies
• Proactive identification of platform enhancements (including non-functional), lead argument / return on investment proposals in to implement platform enhancements

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential

• Must have experience operating in global teams with strong leadership and influencing skills
• Understanding of and experience with SAFe, agile frameworks such as Scrum or Kanban.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills (written, verbal, presentation).
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience in coaching and mentoring teams in agile principles and practices.
• Experience in leading and facilitating agile ceremonies.
• Experience fostering team self-organization and continuous improvement.
• Experience using enterprise agile planning tools (e.g. Atlassian Jira Align, etc.)
• Operationally astute and tenacious, being able to cut through issues to deliver excellent results.
• Familiarity of working in an international, multi-time zone support environment.
• Technical background and willingness to work agnostically
• Strong decision-making capability

Desirable

• Federated Enterprise platforms operations experience
• Biopharmaceutical industry experience
• Agile, Scrum, SAFe or project management certifications (e.g. SA, SPC, RTE, CSM, CSP, PMI).

WHY JOIN US ?

We're a network of high-reaching self-starters who contribute to something far bigger. We enable AstraZeneca to perform at its peak by delivering premier technology and data solutions.

We're not afraid to take ownership and run with it. Empowered with unrivalled freedom. Put simply, it's because we make a significant impact. Everything we do matters.

*Expectation of working in the office 3 days a week statement
When we put unexpected teams in the same room, we ignite ambitious thinking with the power to inspire life-changing medicines. In-person working give us the platform we need to connect, work at pace and challenge perceptions. That's why we work, on average, a minimum of three days per week from the office. But that doesn't mean we're not flexible. We balance the expectation of being in the office while respecting individual flexibility. Join us in our outstanding and bold world.

AstraZeneca is an equal opportunity employer. AstraZeneca will consider all qualified applicants for employment without discrimination on grounds of disability, sex or sexual orientation, pregnancy or maternity leave status, race or national or ethnic origin, age, religion or belief, gender identity or re-assignment, marital or civil partnership status, protected veteran status (if applicable) or any other characteristic protected by law.*

Date Posted

Closing Date

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.