Release Lead - MD365

The ERP Release Lead will play a pivotal role in performing and own the following set of activities:

Release Planning & Scheduling: Develop and manage release calendars and deployment plans for D365 F&O updates, hotfixes, and custom solutions across all environments.

Coordination & Communication: Orchestrate the efforts of development, testing, and operations teams to align on release schedules, resolve conflicts, and communicate status updates to stakeholders and senior management.

Environment Management: Oversee the Microsoft Lifecycle Services (LCS) environments, ensuring proper refresh cycles, data integrity, and synchronization between development, test, and production instances.

GIT Repository: Managing D365 F&O code with Git requires a specific bridge between the local development environment and the repository. Branching Strategy in Git Flow is frequently used, utilizing main, develop, and feature branches to isolate development from production-ready code.

Process Governance & Compliance: Define, document, and enforce the Application Lifecycle Management (ALM) process and release management policies. Ensure all releases comply with internal governance and regulatory standards.

CI/CD Pipeline Management: Manage and optimize the Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines using Azure DevOps, ensuring automation, efficiency, and robust quality gates in the release process.

Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify potential risks or conflicts that could impact release timelines or quality. Plan contingency measures and manage critical incidents during deployment windows.

Change Management & Documentation: Lead the change request process, ensuring all changes are tracked, approved, and documented. Facilitate post-release reviews (PRRs) to gather feedback and improve processes.

Update Management: Stay current with Microsoft's release wave schedules and manage the integration of platform and application updates into the organization's D365 F&O system.

Continuous Improvement:
Stay abreast of industry trends, best practices, and emerging technologies related to ERP systems.
Propose and implement continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of ERP solutions.
Requires a high understanding of the regional specificities, needs and constraints in terms of solution & technology.
Implements the regional ERP solution as an incremental version of the implemented ERP solution while keeping aligned with the country specific requirements – regulatory/compliance for the domains not limited to Finance, food, FM business.
Requires the ability to adapt constantly and increasingly frequent legal and functional changes.

Responsibilities:

ERP D365:
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O, Lifecycle Services (LCS), and Azure DevOps (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Artifacts).
Experience with CI/CD practices and related tools.
Managing X++ code with Git has become a highly recommended alternative to the traditional Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC)
CI/CD Integration: Connect your Git repo to Azure Pipelines to automate X++ builds, run unit tests, and generate deployable packages.
Understanding of software development methodologies, particularly Agile and DevOps principles.
Familiarity with testing processes and quality assurance methodologies.
Knowledge of X++, C#, and .NET.
Strong working knowledge of Azure DevOps and LCS.

ALIGNMENT BETWEEN GLOBAL AND REGIONAL LEVEL
It offers global stakeholders with regional specificities, needs and constraints.

CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Conducts research on emerging technologies in support of systems development efforts and recommends technologies/processes that will increase cost effectiveness and systems flexibility.

COMMUNICATION
Acts as a coach for senior leaders and executives in helping them understand the current solutions architecture and gains endorsement for future solutions and spend.
Presents solutions from a functional/business point of view to internal and external customers.

Required Skills:
Hard Skills
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Information Systems, or equivalent education or work experience
Minimum of 10 – 15 years of experience working in IT applications and 5 years as an D365 Solution Architect.
Demonstrate ability to communicate the complexities of technical programs.
Knowledge of business / applications
Detail-oriented & customer oriented, ability to develop and entertain intimacy with business and operations stakeholders.
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics 365 F&O, Lifecycle Services (LCS), and Azure DevOps (Boards, Repos, Pipelines, Artifacts).
Experience with CI/CD practices and related tools.
Managing X++ code with Git has become a highly recommended alternative to the traditional Team Foundation Version Control (TFVC)
CI/CD Integration: Connect your Git repo to Azure Pipelines to automate X++ builds, run unit tests, and generate deployable packages.
Understanding of software development methodologies, particularly Agile and DevOps principles.
Familiarity with testing processes and quality assurance methodologies.
Knowledge of X++, C#, and .NET.
Strong working knowledge of Azure DevOps and LCS

Soft Skills
Service Spirit & Teamwork, collaboration.
Excellent communication skills
Detail-oriented, thorough, and deep analytical skills.
Project and resource management skills
Good influence and negotiation skill