Manager, Testing, Environments & Release Management

Job Title- Manager, Testing, Environments & Release Management

Location- Calgary & Edmonton

The role of the Manager, Testing, Environments & Release Management is to provide overall leadership in the development and management of all aspects of Testing, Release and Environment Management within the information technology environment. This individual is responsible for developing strong IT governance and operational processes in alignment with ATCO’s global business to improve cost effectiveness, service quality, and business development.

The Manager will establish partnerships within ATCO IT, the Testing, Environment and Release community and the business to build strong, trusting, and collaborative relationships, ensures project delivery and Testing, Environment and Release management operations maintain a clear understanding of client IT requirements and contractual obligations, and executes projects and operations that are directed toward the achievement of the strategic plan and business objectives.

This is a unique opportunity to establish and lead the development of new teams, processes and tools in testing, environment management, and release practices. As the leader in these areas, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the reliability and efficiency of our IT systems, contributing directly to the success of IT delivery and the achievement of outcomes for our Business Units.

What You Get To Do:

• Build and implement a strategic end to end Testing Management strategy that will bring a robust testing practice to ATCO in support of all technology projects and delivery.
• Accountable for end to end test management, including requirements analysis and traceability, test planning and test execution.
• Collaborate with project managers and development teams to define test objectives, scope, and success criteria.
• Implement risk-based testing approaches to prioritize testing efforts and ensure thorough coverage.
• Establish and maintain a robust regression testing framework for ongoing software maintenance.
• Introduce exploratory testing methodologies to complement automated and scripted testing.
• Drive the implementation of shift-left testing practices to identify and rectify issues earlier in the development process.
• Responsible to ensure ATCO achieves the expected outcome required of all delivery through strong testing practices.
• Accountable to build robust governance in all types of testing in support of the projects, domains and business stakeholders (ie. Unit, Migration, System, SIT, Performance, UAT).
• Responsible to perform test data preparation in support of each test environment or project needs.
• Host appropriate department and program level test meetings and governance checkpoints.
• Develop an overall view of all work associated with your department, including schedule and cost.
• Implement version control and configuration management processes for test environments.
• Collaborate with network and security teams to ensure environments comply with industry regulations and security standards.
• Monitor and optimize resource utilization within test environments for efficiency.
• Develop and maintain documentation for environment configurations and deployment processes.
• Implement proactive monitoring and alerting systems to identify and address environment issues promptly.
• Help project and support teams identify the needs and requirements for building application environments.
• Build Code/Configuration repository in bitbucket and/or Azure DevOps.
• Create builds and deployment pipelines/processes for each application.
• Assist in configuring/building functionality for environment management communication.
• Develop, lead and oversee the end-to-end Release Management process within the IT department, ensuring smooth and efficient software deployments.
• Develop and implement release strategies, policies, and procedures to optimize the release lifecycle and minimize disruptions to production environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including development, quality assurance, project teams and operations, to coordinate release schedules and dependencies.
• Establish and maintain release calendars, communicating timelines and milestones to stakeholders to ensure alignment with business objectives.
• Manage the identification and mitigation of risks and issues related to releases, fostering a proactive and solution-oriented approach.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the Release Management process, utilizing metrics and feedback to measure and optimize performance.
• Coordinate with project managers to integrate Release Management into project plans, ensuring alignment with project timelines and objectives.
• Implement rollback strategies and contingency plans to minimize downtime and impact on users
• Conduct post-release reviews to assess the success of deployments and identify areas for improvement.
• Stay abreast of industry best practices and emerging trends in Release Management, recommending and implementing relevant tools and technologies.
• Act as point of escalation for testing provider performance concerns brought forward from Business stakeholders or the delivery groups.
• Identify gaps in any of the vendor operational processes. Work with vendor to ensure solution is implemented to close the gaps.
• Review, negotiate and approve SLA’s for introduction of New Services or changes to existing service levels for vendors supporting cloud.
• Prioritization of all activity and work required of the vendor, helping explain the business need and requirements.
• Ensure all policies and standards are current and complied to, reviewed on a frequent basis, and ensuring compliance to any ATCO standards.
• Management of all SLA’s, ensuring compliance by the vendor to all expectations.
• Establish testing, environment management and release governance framework for a multi-vendor environment.
• Integrate testing, environment, and release functions seamlessly into project delivery teams.
• Establish mechanisms for continuous feedback loops between testing/release teams and project teams.
• Actively participate in project and program planning to align testing and release activities with overall project timelines.
• Encourage cross-functional collaboration by fostering relationships with development, operations, and business teams.
• Implement agile practices to enhance collaboration, adaptability, and responsiveness within the project delivery lifecycle.
• Analyze testing and release performance metrics to identify areas for improvement.
• Spearhead initiatives for the adoption of emerging technologies and methodologies to enhance efficiency.
• Evaluate and integrate current and emerging technologies that align with Testing, environment and Release Management objectives.
• Implement a feedback loop with development teams to address issues and streamline collaboration.
• Implement robust quality assurance measures to ensure software reliability and performance, collaborating with development teams to address quality concerns and implement preventative measures.
• Understand the career aspirations of direct and indirect reports.
• Oversee the career development plans for direct and indirect reports. Establish and monitor Career Paths.
• Establish performance goals and metrics for direct reports.
• Provide regular and timely feedback to direct reports on their performance.
• Develop and implement training programs to upskill team members and enhance their expertise.
• Foster a collaborative and innovative team culture that encourages knowledge sharing and problem-solving.
• Create a talent acquisition strategy to attract skilled professionals in testing, environment management, and release, paired with the expected maturity and growth within your department.
• Lead direct and indirect reports and oversee all departmental staff with respect to recruitment, talent management & professional development, performance management and employee relations.
• Coach, mentor and teach individual team members to perform to the maximum of their ability and to co-ordinate the progressive skill development within a high functioning team.

Who You Are:

• University Degree in Information Technology, Commerce or related discipline.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience managing and /or directing an IT team.
• 10+ years of testing management experience or equivalent experience and education.
• 10+ years managing and directing teams. 10+ years working with and managing vendors.
• Strong people leadership and coaching skills, to motivate people to achieve their full potential.
• Track record of creating, motivating and maintain high performing teams.
• Excellent communication skills at all levels of an organization, within and outside of IT, including the ability to use non-technical language to explain technology to non IT stakeholders.
• Ability to translate functional processes and technical system requirements to support the successful integration of ATCO requirements to technology solutions to meet business needs.
• Maintain knowledge of Testing, Release and Environment solutions, service offerings and emerging technologies.
• Strong understanding of software development methodologies, release processes, and version control systems. Strong analytical, technical and decision making skills.
• Have an innovative mindset, and a proven track record in identifying, proposing, prototyping, documenting, and overseeing the execution of cloud technology solutions.
• Ability to influence and negotiate, internally and with vendors, to achieve desired outcomes.
• Strong political and cultural awareness.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively and professionally in a dynamic environment while managing multiple demands and priorities.
• Possesses the desire to innovate, leadership, authority, composure and tact to inspire action and challenge the status queue.
• Proven conflict management skills.
• Proven experience in leading testing, environment or Release Management functions.
• Strong understanding of utilities industry operations and IT systems.
• Proficiency in implementing and managing automated testing tools.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• In-depth knowledge of software development lifecycle and agile methodologies.
• Experience in building teams from scratch and fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.

What We Offer:

• A culture based on caring, integrity, agility, collaboration, and striving for excellence.
• Competitive compensation.
• Flex benefits.
• Tuition assistance program.
• Training and mentorship programs.
• Charitable donation matching.

We would like to thank everyone for their application; however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.
Canadian Utilities is part of ATCO Ltd. ATCO delivers inspired solutions for a better world. We are a diversified global corporation with investments in the essential services of Structures & Logistics, Utilities, Energy Infrastructure, Retail Energy, Transportation and Commercial Real Estate. Learn more about how we build communities, energize industries and deliver customer-focused solutions like no other company in the world at www.atco.com.
At ATCO, we support a diverse and inclusive environment that values the contributions and perspectives of everyone on the ATCO team. We believe the ATCO team is the foundation of our business and our most valuable asset across our global operations. Without each team members’ unique skills, strengths, and knowledge, we simply wouldn’t be able to achieve our fundamental vision of delivering life’s essential services to our customers around the world.
ATCO is an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.