How to hire a release manager

How to hire a release manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step release manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a release manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new release manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a release manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a release manager, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A release manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, release managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list shows salaries for various types of release managers.

   Type of Release Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Release Manager		$38-70
   Information Technology Technical Lead	An information technology technical lead is responsible for assisting the technology team in solving system issues, designing new application systems, improving existing network infrastructure, and maintaining the safety and security of the organization's database. Information technology technical leads inspect the technology system's performance, recommending strategic solutions for optimization and smooth navigations for end-users... Show more	$40-70
   Information Technology Project Lead	Information technology (IT) project leads are professionals who manage a team of IT professionals that work on the IT projects of an organization. These project leads are required to handle all issues regarding the project and financial management as well as review business and product requirements with the technical development team to address production issues... Show more	$36-66

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Release Management
   • Project Management
   • Software Development
   • Jira
   • Release Process
   • QA
   • Infrastructure
   • Scrum
   • Configuration Management
   • Release Scope
   • Continuous Integration
   • Manage Change
   • Windows
   • Jenkins

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Used ruby to manage different templates in puppet modules.
   • Create, manage and write UAT process and test cases.
   • Manage configuration and log files with custom written PowerShell scripts.
   • Manage testing of new software updates and assist in debugging computer programs.
   • Programme shell scripts and manage multiple processes on both Linux and Unix environments.
   • Manage J2EE base large scale commercial enterprise software product releases and client accounts.

   More release manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your release manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A release manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, release managers' average salary in arkansas is 42% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level release managers earn 45% less than senior-level release managers.
   • Certifications. A release manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a release manager's salary.

   Average release manager salary

   $109,886yearly

   $52.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level release manager salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 20, 2025

   Average release manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$144,908	$70
   2	New York	$119,364	$57
   3	Massachusetts	$114,314	$55
   4	Washington	$113,062	$54
   5	District of Columbia	$112,949	$54
   6	Connecticut	$108,023	$52
   7	Delaware	$107,664	$52
   8	Pennsylvania	$107,205	$52
   9	Virginia	$103,389	$50
   10	New Hampshire	$103,251	$50
   11	Michigan	$101,595	$49
   12	North Carolina	$101,084	$49
   13	Oregon	$99,887	$48
   14	Wisconsin	$99,683	$48
   15	Illinois	$98,974	$48
   16	Arizona	$98,100	$47
   17	West Virginia	$97,838	$47
   18	Louisiana	$94,488	$45
   19	Texas	$94,177	$45
   20	Ohio	$93,423	$45

   Average release manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$169,813	$81.64	74
   2	Waymo	$161,791	$77.78	13
   3	Apple	$155,810	$74.91	28
   4	VMware	$151,677	$72.92
   5	PayPal	$150,223	$72.22	7
   6	First Republic Bank	$149,998	$72.11
   7	Citi	$149,139	$71.70	3
   8	CrowdStrike	$142,782	$68.65	1
   9	ViacomCBS	$142,286	$68.41
   10	SiFive	$142,242	$68.39
   11	UiPath	$142,144	$68.34
   12	Microsoft	$141,498	$68.03	84
   13	Zoox	$141,013	$67.79	5
   14	Starbucks	$140,896	$67.74
   15	LinkedIn	$140,273	$67.44	4
   16	JPMorgan Chase & Co.	$138,672	$66.67	94
   17	Amazon	$136,948	$65.84	274
   18	Okta	$136,671	$65.71	2
   19	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$136,559	$65.65
   20	Macy's	$136,543	$65.65

4. Writing a release manager job description

   A release manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a release manager job description:

   Release manager job description example

   Insulet started in 2000 with an idea and a mission to enable our customers to enjoy simplicity, freedom and healthier lives through the use of our Omnipod product platform. In the last two decades we have improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of patients by using innovative technology that is wearable, waterproof, and lifestyle accommodating.
   
   We are looking for highly motivated, performance driven individuals to be a part of our expanding team. We do this by hiring amazing people guided by shared values who exceed customer expectations. Our continued success depends on it!
   Job Title: Release ManagerManager/Supervisor: VP, Global Technology OperationsFLSA Status: Exempt
   
   Position overview:
   Our Global Infrastructure team is looking for an experienced and passionate Release Manager to join our team. In this role, you are responsible for scheduling, coordinating and the management of releases across the enterprise for multiple applications across various portfolios. This position also works with IT management to improve the software engineering processes and practices associated with continuously building, deploying, and updating software and environments.
   JOB / DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES
   Define and improve the existing release and deployment process Scheduling, managing, and coordinating releases across multiple applications within various portfolios across different teams and projects.Provide tools and services to help product management and project teams manage and deploy releases into production.Responsible for implementing and managing release processes for code through development, test, and production environments Maintains the release schedule for all core services and ensure alignment across key partners and vendors.Assist in managing projects and interdependencies to ensure milestone adherence to ensure the integrity of the release can be measured.Manage risks and resolves issues that affect release scope, schedule, and quality.Conduct Release Readiness reviews, Milestone Reviews, and Business Go/No-Go reviews.
   
   Skills/Experience:
   Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field or equivalent3+ years release and project management experience.Experience with Agile software development and advanced knowledge of software development lifecycle Experience in the use of Application Release Automation tools.Knowledge of traditional agile methodologies, including Scrum, Waterfall, or KanbanScripting skills, specifically around configuration, build and release functions Demonstrated experience with managing changesets or other change management processes Understanding of CI/CD, branching and release strategies Ability to organize and execute complex release planning Excellent communications skills and extensive experience working with technical teams and management.Ability to work in highly cross-functional capacity with distributed teams
   
   NOTE: This position is eligible for 100% remote working arrangements (may work from home/virtually 100%; may also work hybrid on-site/virtual as desired). #LI-Remote

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right release manager for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with release managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit release managers who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your release manager job on Zippia to find and recruit release manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting release managers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a release manager applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new release manager

   Once you've found the release manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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