Release Manager - Epic

The University of Kansas Health System•Lenexa, KS

About The Position

The Release Manager owns the release management lifecycle, including planning and scheduling releases, coordinating between teams, controlling software delivery, and deploying releases according to schedule. Reporting to the manager of the Release Operations team, this role works with application development, quality assurance, database, server and storage, desktop, Citrix, and other teams to coordinate successful releases. The role covers planning, testing, tracking, release, deployment, communication, and risk management. The position supports Epic environment and release strategies, change control, environment coordination, data migration, refreshes, downtimes, upgrades, and go-live activities. It maintains environment documentation, ensures teams build and test in the appropriate environments and timelines, and uses Epic’s NOVA application for assignments and tracking. The Release Manager also coordinates upgrade and special update activities, cutover planning and practice events, release readiness reviews, go-live status meetings, and release authorizations. The role requires collaboration with stakeholders across healthcare, business, technical, and project teams; monitoring release progress and risks; maintaining build and release procedures and dependency documentation; and improving release and configuration management processes. The position participates in assigned 24/7 command center activities and responds to off-duty calls. Certification or proficiency in the assigned Epic application, or demonstrated learning of another assigned application, must be obtained within six months of employment.

Requirements

Associate degree in Computer Science or another related field.
Demonstrated general competence or knowledge of healthcare settings, electronic medical records, information technology systems and concepts, and software and quality-assurance testing methodologies and best practices.
Effective communication and presentation skills, including the ability to express ideas clearly and adapt language and terminology to the audience.
Ability to perform the professional, clinical, or technical competencies of the assigned unit or department.
Ability to demonstrate accountability, report issues and accomplishments to a project manager, and deliver work meeting departmental project-process requirements.
Ability to obtain certification or proficiency in the assigned Epic application, or demonstrate learning of another assigned application, within six months of employment.
Ability to participate in assigned 24/7 command center activities and respond to off-duty calls.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or another related field.
Two or more years of experience as an analyst or release manager.
One or more years of experience in a healthcare setting in a titled role.
Certification in one Epic application.

Responsibilities

Own the release management lifecycle, including release planning and scheduling, team coordination, software delivery control, and deployment.
Coordinate releases with application development, quality assurance, database, server and storage, desktop, Citrix, and other teams.
Support department change-control and release strategies, processes, and procedures.
Participate in developing and communicating the O2 environment strategy, including data migration, refreshes, downtimes, upgrades, SU installs, and key milestone dates.
Maintain documentation of the O2 environment structure in collaboration with the operational database administrator.
Ensure department analysts and distributed builders use the appropriate environments and meet allocated timelines for building and testing.
Use Epic’s NOVA application to make assignments, track release notes, and support stakeholder workflows; provide NOVA and stakeholder training and configure note assignment groups.
Assist with development of go-live support plans, including facility, resource, and logistical requirements.
Document cutover plans and organize practice cutover events.
Ensure technical and application teams complete release tasks correctly and on time.
Facilitate go-live status update meetings and prepare agendas in advance.
Collaborate with HITS change-control processes and the HITS Release Analyst for O2 Release Authorizations.
Participate in or facilitate release, O2 environment coordination, upgrade planning, and go-live planning meetings.
Assist with O2 special update and version upgrade activities, including upgrade schedules, release-note allocation and tracking, downtime planning, and go-live planning.
Track the location and status of required special updates in development with the vendor.
Plan release deliverables and the release lifecycle, communicate project tasks and timelines between teams, and coordinate schedules and resources.
Identify and manage risks that could delay releases, track progress and issues, and work to improve release processes.
Schedule milestone reviews and release-readiness reviews before deployment.
Create implementation and deployment plans and monitor weekly release activity updates.
Maintain communication and collaboration with other release manager teammates.
Lead go-live activities to deploy software successfully and participate in assigned 24/7 command center activities; respond to off-duty calls.
Work closely with the Quality Assurance team and relevant development teams responsible for automation tools used to develop and deploy software.
Maintain documentation for build and release procedures, notification lists, and dependencies.
Improve configuration-management and software-development methodologies.
Participate in CAB meetings, discuss release schedules, identify roadblocks and conflicts, and ask probing questions.
Demonstrate accountability for assigned tasks, report issues and accomplishments to the project manager, and deliver work products that meet departmental project-process documentation requirements.
Establish working relationships with physicians, nursing, and business units to gain support for the O2 environment and release strategies.
Obtain certification or proficiency in the assigned Epic application, or demonstrate learning of another assigned application, within six months of employment.