Enterprise Release Engineering Architect

Role- Enterprise Release Engineering ArchitectJob Type- Full Time Location - Riyadh, KSAAbout the RoleWe are looking for a highly experienced Enterprise Release Engineering Architect to establish and lead our enterprise-wide Release Management capability. This is a strategic leadership role responsible for defining the release management vision, operating model, governance, standards, and tooling, while simultaneously building and leading a high-performing execution team.The successful candidate will transform release management into a predictable, automated, risk-driven capability that enables frequent, reliable, and business-aligned software delivery across multiple technology platforms, applications, cloud environments, and engineering teams.Key ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Release StrategyDefine and implement the enterprise Release Management strategy aligned with business and technology objectives.Establish standardized release governance across all application portfolios.Design release policies, standards, controls, workflows, and approval mechanisms.Develop enterprise release calendars and planning frameworks.Take a holistic approach of how environments, DevSecOps pipelines, and project releases come together to deliver event-free releases for customersEstablish KPIs, SLAs, maturity metrics, and continuous improvement initiatives.Build the Release Management FunctionWork closely with customers and represent customers internally in leading the Release Management AgendaBe the SPOC for the customers for anything that is associated with Release Management, DevSecOps and Environment ManagementDesign the organizational structure for the Enterprise Release Management Office.Recruit, mentor, and develop a team of Release Managers, Release Coordinators, and Deployment Engineers.Define operating procedures, roles, responsibilities, and RACI models.Create a scalable service model supporting multiple business units and delivery teams.Establish engagement models with Development, QA, Infrastructure, Security, Architecture, Change Management, and Operations teams.Enterprise Release ExecutionLead planning and execution of enterprise-wide releases.Coordinate cross-functional release activities across multiple applications and environments.Manage release readiness assessments.Conduct Go/No-Go governance meetings.Ensure deployment checklists and implementation plans are completed.Coordinate rollback planning and production readiness activities.Drive release retrospectives and continuous improvement.Governance & Risk ManagementEstablish release governance forums and executive reporting.Identify release risks, dependencies, and mitigation strategies.Ensure compliance with audit, security, regulatory, and organizational standards.Manage release conflicts across programs and portfolios.Own release quality metrics and operational stability after deployments.DevSecOps & AutomationDrive release automation initiatives across CI/CD pipelines.Collaborate with DevSecOps teams to improve deployment maturity.Standardize deployment patterns and release templates.Promote Infrastructure as Code, GitOps, feature flags, automated testing, and progressive deployment practices.Reduce manual intervention in release processes.Stakeholder ManagementPartner closely with:Engineering LeadershipProduct ManagementEnterprise ArchitectureInfrastructure & Cloud TeamsDevSecOpsInformation SecurityTesting & Quality EngineeringService ManagementBusiness LeadershipRequired Experience18+ years of experience in Enterprise IT.Minimum 5 years leading enterprise Release Management.Experience establishing Release Management functions from the ground up.Proven experience leading releases across large-scale, multi-application environments.Strong consulting skills and executive presenceAble to present solutions to complex enterprise challenges at CXO levelStrong experience managing geographically distributed engineering teams.Experience with Agile, DevOps, and traditional delivery models.Experience in regulated industries such as Banking, Financial Services or Insurance is highly desirable.Technical ExpertiseStrong understanding of:Enterprise Release ManagementDevSecOps practicesCI/CD pipelinesChange ManagementEnvironment ManagementConfiguration ManagementVersion Control (Git)Release AutomationDeployment OrchestrationCloud Platforms (AWS, Azure, OCI, GCP)Kubernetes and container platformsFeature FlagsBlue-Green and Canary deploymentsRollback strategiesServiceNow Change ManagementJira and Agile delivery toolsArtifact repositories (Nexus, Artifactory)Observability platformsEnterprise Architecture principlesLeadership CompetenciesStrategic thinking with the ability to define enterprise operating models.Proven experience building and scaling high-performing teams.Strong executive communication and stakeholder management skills.Excellent planning, governance, and decision-making abilities.Ability to influence without direct authority.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.Calm and decisive during critical production events.Success MeasuresWithin the first 3 months, the successful candidate will:Establish an enterprise-wide Release Management framework.Build and operationalize the Enterprise Release Management Office.Standardize release governance across all technology platforms.Increase deployment success rates while reducing release-related incidents.Improve release predictability and deployment frequency.Reduce manual release effort through automation.Deliver executive dashboards for release health, risks, and KPIs.Drive measurable improvements in release maturity across s the organization.Preferred CertificationsITIL 4 Foundation / Managing ProfessionalSAFe Release Train Engineer (RTE)PMP or PRINCE2Certified Scrum Master (CSM) or equivalent Agile certificationAzure DevOps, AWS, or OCI certifications (preferred)DevOps Institute certifications (preferred)