Director of Release Management and Software Quality - Cohere Health

Cohere Health is illuminating healthcare for patients, their doctors, and all those who are essential in a patient’s healthcare experience, both in and out of the doctors office.  Founded in August 2019, we are obsessed with eliminating wasteful friction patients and doctors experience in areas that have nothing to do with health and treatment, particularly for diagnoses that require expensive procedures or medications.  To that end, we built an interoperable platform and services expressly designed to ensure the appropriate care plan is understood and expeditiously approved so that patients and doctors can focus on health rather than payment or administrative hassles.

Opportunity Overview:

This role is ideal for a technical leader who thrives in balancing strategic oversight with hands-on responsibilities and is passionate about delivering quality software at scale.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Develop and Execute Release Strategies:

Design and implement release management strategies, policies, and processes to deliver high-quality, timely, and efficient software.

• Drive Software Quality Initiatives:

Champion a quality culture across the organization by establishing best practices for quality assurance, automated testing, and continuous improvement in software development processes.

• Cross-functional Collaboration:

Work closely with product management, engineering, DevOps, and operations teams to ensure release schedules, quality metrics, and goals align with business priorities.

• Risk and Issue Management:

Establish risk management strategies to identify and mitigate potential issues before and during the release process, including managing dependencies, scope changes, and critical paths.

Individual Contributor Responsibilities:

• Hands-on Release Management:

Directly participate in managing critical releases, resolving issues in real-time, and stepping in to lead when necessary. This may include coordinating across teams, troubleshooting technical issues, or overseeing deployment pipelines.

• Quality Reviews and Audits:

Personally conduct quality reviews, testing audits, and validation activities to ensure high standards are met. Provide feedback and corrective actions when necessary.

• Continuous Integration and Delivery (CI/CD):

Collaborate with engineering and DevOps teams to ensure efficient CI/CD processes are in place. Participate in configuring, managing, and improving pipelines to enhance automation and release efficiency.

• Process Improvement:

Actively identify gaps in existing processes and drive initiatives for continuous improvement in release management and quality assurance areas.

Operational and Team Management:

• Team Leadership and Development:

Lead a team of release managers and quality assurance engineers, providing guidance, mentoring, and support for their professional growth. Foster a collaborative and results-driven work environment.

• Define Metrics and KPIs:

Establish and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for release and software quality. Regularly report release performance, including on-time delivery, defect density, and post-release incident rates.

• Tool and Technology Oversight:

Evaluate, select, and implement tools for release management and quality assurance. Stay current with industry best practices and emerging technologies to ensure the organization utilizes the most effective solutions.

Qualifications and Skills:

• Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field. Equivalent work experience may be considered.

• Experience:

o 8+ years of experience in software development, release management, and/or software quality assurance.

o 3+ years of experience in a leadership role, managing release or quality teams.

o Proven track record of managing and delivering complex software releases in a fast-paced, agile environment.

o Experience working with CI/CD pipelines, automation tools, and test-driven development (TDD) practices.

• Technical Expertise:

o In-depth knowledge of software development lifecycle (SDLC) and Agile methodologies, particularly concerning release management and software quality.

o Strong understanding of version control systems (e.g., Git) and release automation tools (e.g., GitLab CI/CD, AWS).

o Experience with software quality tools, such as automated testing frameworks (e.g., Cypress, Rest Assured), code analysis tools (e.g., SemGrep), and defect tracking systems.

o Familiarity with cloud-based environments (e.g., AWS) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).

• Soft Skills:

o Leadership: Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, mentor individuals, and inspire a culture of excellence.

o Problem-solving: Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills with the ability to quickly assess situations and find resolutions.

o Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate technical concepts into business terms and vice versa.

o Collaboration: Ability to work across multiple teams and influence decisions at both the operational and executive levels.

• Certifications (Preferred but not Required):

o ITIL Certification or equivalent in change management and release management.

o Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or equivalent Agile certification.

o AWS Certified Solutions Architect or DevOps Engineer.

Key Competencies:

• Strategic Vision: Ability to think long-term, aligning release and quality management strategies with organizational goals.

• Hands-on Execution: Willingness to step in and perform individual contributor tasks, especially during critical releases or issue resolution.

• Attention to Detail: Strong focus on accuracy, quality, and process adherence, especially in complex, high-stakes releases.

• Change Management: Skilled in managing organizational change, particularly in driving process improvements and technology adoption.