EVO Release Planning Lead

## Who we are VOIS (Vodafone Intelligent Solutions) is a strategic arm of Vodafone Group Plc, creating value for customers by delivering intelligent solutions through Talent, Technology & Transformation. As the largest shared services organisation in the global telco industry with 30,000 FTE, our portfolio of next-generation solutions and services are designed in partnership with customers across Vodafone Group, local markets, and partner markets to simplify and drive growth. With our strategic partner Accenture, we work alongside our Vodafone customers, other Telco and tech companies to drive transformation, meet the challenges of our industry and ensure we stay relevant and resilient. This partnership is a unique, industry-first model which brings together the best of in-house and 3rd party capability. We work with customers across 28 countries from 10 VOIS locations: Albania, Egypt, Hungary, India, Romania, Spain, Turkey, UK, Germany, Ireland, and with a network of teams in Czech Republic, Italy, Greece, and Portugal. #VOIS #BeUnrivalled #CreateTheFuture ## About this Role We are seeking a Senior Delivery Lead – Release Planning to provide functional leadership across a complex, multi-team release planning environment. This role is accountable for setting and evolving release governance, ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery while meeting service, compliance, and risk obligations. The individual will work closely with senior stakeholders to enable effective change delivery at scale, with a strong focus on continuous improvement, service excellence, and low-risk outcomes across multiple products and workstreams. ## What you will do * Lead and govern release planning across 10+ planning teams, each operating with their own release calendars, KPIs, and SLAs. * Design, implement, and continuously evolve a robust Release Governance Framework aligned to service, SOX, and customer obligations. * Provide umbrella governance to ensure consistency, standardisation, and best practice adoption across all release planning teams. * Engage and communicate effectively with stakeholders at E-band and below, ensuring transparency, alignment, and timely escalation. * Enable delivery teams with reliable change vehicles that support high-quality, low-risk project and programme delivery. * Define, track, and improve KPIs and SLAs, driving continuous improvement across service delivery and operational efficiency. * Lead and support c.3–4 team leads, each managing their own teams and processes, fostering collaboration and shared learning. * Ensure release governance alignment across products and workstreams to realise benefits of scale while supporting tailored service needs. * Oversee product ownership assurance and roadmap alignment across multiple product streams (including EVO, Devices, and Collections). * Conduct OIA/VIA reviews to assess and manage operational impacts for new products and services. * Manage escalations, exceptions, and release-related risks in a pragmatic, solution-oriented manner. * Own landscape and project dependency management to support integrated planning and delivery. * Act as the Release Planning single point of contact for TDA attendance and impact assessments. * Partner with Support Enablement teams on process design and redesign initiatives. * Drive defect analysis and root cause analysis, with a clear focus on achieving zero defects in production. * Ensure consistent, standardised, and high-quality service delivery across all release workstreams. ## Who you are * An experienced release planning or delivery professional with exceptional organisational and planning capability. * A people leader with a proven ability to motivate teams, align them to shared goals, and continuously raise performance standards. * Skilled in designing, deploying, and operating effective governance structures in complex environments. * Experienced in documenting processes and creating high-quality SOPs that enable efficient, cross-functional working. * Knowledgeable in EVO landscapes, processes, governance, and associated functional teams. * A confident communicator, able to present complex information clearly to large and senior audiences. * Comfortable engaging with and escalating to senior stakeholders when required. * Experienced in transformation initiatives and adaptable to evolving business needs. * A collaborative problem-solver with strong negotiation and conflict resolution skills. * Proficient in Microsoft Excel and MS Visio, with strong presentation skills and attention to detail. ## Not a Perfect Fit? Concerned you may not meet every requirement? Vodafone is committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive. If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align exactly with every aspect of the job description, you are encouraged to apply. You may be the right candidate for this or another opportunity, and the recruitment team will support you in exploring where your skills fit best. ## What’s in it for you * The opportunity to lead and shape release governance at scale within a complex, enterprise environment. * Exposure to senior stakeholders and large transformation programmes, including SAP RISE initiatives. * A role with meaningful influence over service quality, risk management, and customer outcomes. * The chance to drive continuous improvement and embed best practice across multiple teams and products. ## What skills you will learn * Advanced release governance and portfolio-level planning capabilities. * Enterprise-scale stakeholder management and senior-level communication skills. * Deep expertise in dependency management, risk mitigation, and operational impact assessment. * Enhanced leadership skills through managing managers and diverse delivery teams. ## VOIS Equal Opportunity Employer Commitment Vodafone recognises and celebrates the value of diversity in building a workforce that reflects the customers and communities it serves. No form of discrimination is tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, discrimination based on race, colour, age, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, maternity or parental status, ethnicity, disability, religion or belief, political affiliation, trade union membership, nationality, citizenship, indigenous status, medical condition, HIV status, neurodiversity, social origin, cultural background, marital or civil partnership status, or socio-economic background. ## Join Us At Vodafone, we’re working hard to build a better future. A more connected, inclusive and sustainable world. As a dynamic global community, it's our human spirit, together with technology, that empowers us to achieve this. We challenge and innovate in order to connect people, businesses, and communities across the world. Delighting our customers and earning their loyalty drive us, and we experiment, learn fast and get it done, together. With us, you can be truly be yourself and belong, share inspiration, embrace new opportunities, thrive, and make a real difference. ## Alert Apply for Vodafone jobs only through the official Vodafone Careers website to avoid job scams and fraud. #JDEnhancedByTARA ## Follow us on social media and #StayConnected * VOIS on LinkedIn * VOIS on Facebook * VOIS on Instagram * You can also chat with our employees to learn more about our projects: Connect here