Release and Cutover Manager

We are seeking an experienced Release & Cutover Manager to join a major enterprise transformation program delivering the migration from a legacy enterprise application to a modern enterprise solution.

This is not a traditional release management role. The successful candidate will play a critical role in defining the release and cutover strategy, establishing governance and leading the successful transition to a new enterprise platform. You will be responsible for ensuring business continuity, coordinating large-scale data migration activities, driving operational readiness and overseeing successful go-live and post go-live support across a complex enterprise environment.

Working closely with executive stakeholders, business leaders, project managers, technical teams, vendors and change leads, you will provide strategic leadership throughout the release lifecycle. This enterprise-wide solution impacts multiple business functions, requiring exceptional stakeholder engagement, governance and coordination across both business and technology teams to ensure a seamless transition with minimal business disruption.
Key Responsibilities

• Define and lead the overall Release and Cutover Strategy for a major enterprise transformation program.
• Develop and manage detailed release schedules, cutover plans, migration runbooks, rollback strategies and contingency plans.
• Establish and manage release governance, ensuring appropriate approvals, controls, reporting, risk management and executive decision-making throughout the program lifecycle.
• Build trusted relationships with executive stakeholders and provide strategic advice on release readiness, risks, dependencies and critical milestones.
• Develop and execute stakeholder engagement strategies to support enterprise-wide release and cutover activities.
• Coordinate release and cutover activities across multiple business units, ensuring dependencies and critical business impacts are effectively managed.
• Lead large-scale data migration planning and coordinate validation, reconciliation and business sign-off activities.
• Facilitate executive steering committees, governance forums, cutover planning workshops and business readiness reviews.
• Manage release risks, issues, dependencies and critical path activities across multiple project workstreams.
• Coordinate business, technical and vendor teams to ensure successful production deployment and operational transition.
• Lead mock cutovers, production rehearsals, command centre activities and go-live execution.
• Oversee post go-live support, hypercare activities and the successful transition into business-as-usual operations.
• Provide regular reporting to executive stakeholders on release readiness, governance, cutover progress and overall program status.

Skills & Experience

• Proven experience as a Release Manager, Cutover Manager, Transition Manager or similar role delivering large-scale enterprise transformation programs.
• Demonstrated experience developing enterprise Release and Cutover Strategies for complex technology implementations.
• Outstanding executive stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
• Strong experience establishing and managing enterprise governance frameworks, including steering committees and executive reporting.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating complex enterprise data migration activities.
• Experience managing diverse stakeholder groups across multiple business functions and technology teams.
• Strong planning, organisational and problem-solving capability within complex delivery environments.
• Excellent facilitation, negotiation and relationship management skills.

Essential Experience

• Hands-on experience planning and executing releases and cutovers for large-scale enterprise applications supporting critical business operations.
• Experience leading the transition from legacy enterprise applications to modern enterprise solutions.
• Demonstrated experience establishing and managing enterprise release governance frameworks.
• Experience delivering complex enterprise-wide technology implementations involving multiple business units and diverse stakeholder groups.
• Proven experience leading large-scale data migration activities as part of enterprise transformation programs.
• Experience managing executive governance forums, release readiness reviews and steering committee reporting.
• Experience leading command centre activities, hypercare and post go-live support.
• Demonstrated ability to influence executive stakeholders and build consensus across competing business priorities.
• Experience working within large, complex enterprise organisations with multiple delivery partners and vendors.

Highly Regarded

• Experience delivering large-scale enterprise application transformation or modernisation programs.
• Experience working across business-critical enterprise platforms such as CRM, ERP, Finance, HR, Asset Management, Billing or other enterprise applications.
• Experience supporting cloud migration, application modernisation or digital transformation initiatives.
• Experience working within Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery environments.
• ITIL, PRINCE2, PMP, Agile or SAFe certifications.

This opportunity is suited to an experienced Release & Cutover Manager who can provide strategic leadership across enterprise transformation programs, confidently engage executive stakeholders, establish effective governance and successfully deliver complex enterprise application migrations. You will thrive in a highly collaborative environment, bringing together business and technology teams to deliver seamless enterprise-wide transition, successful go-live outcomes and operational excellence.

For further Information please contact Sam Makdesi on smakdesi@synchropartners.com.au