Senior Director, It Change & Release Management

Job Number 24043995
Job Category Information Technology
Location Marriott International HQ, 7750 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland, United States VIEW ON MAP
Schedule Full-Time
Located Remotely? Y
Relocation? N
Position Type Management

JOB SUMMARY

We are seeking a dynamic and forward-thinking Senior Director of Change and Release Management to lead our global team through an exciting period of transformation. This pivotal role involves orchestrating software and infrastructure changes across our organization, supporting a visionary shift from traditional IT Service Management (ITSM) concepts to a more modern, DevOps-driven philosophy. The ideal candidate will possess a unique blend of leadership, technical proficiency, and a deep understanding of both ITSM and DevOps principles.

As the Senior Director of Change and Release Management, you will be at the forefront of fostering innovation and driving the adoption of best practices in change and Release Management. You will oversee a talented global team of analysts and developers, guiding them in the creation and implementation of processes that enable efficient and effective flow of change, seamless coordination of releases, and stringent governance around change standards.

At Marriott, Change and Release Management has three core philosophies:

This role demands a strategic thinker who can balance the need for agility with the necessity of maintaining control and compliance in a complex IT environment. Your leadership will be instrumental in transforming our change and Release Management practices, ensuring they not only support our current needs but are also aligned with our future growth and evolution towards a more agile, responsive IT organization.

CANDIDATE PROFILE

Education and Experience

Required:

• 10+ years overall work experience in Information Technology, application development or similar relevant experience including:
  • 7+ years’ experience supporting cross-functional application and infrastructure teams with technology change and release needs.
  • 4+ years applications support in a cloud environment, technical infrastructure, system implementation experience.
• Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience/certification in Information Technology, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Preferred:

• Extensive experience working with ServiceNow ITSM, ITOM, Asset Management and Application Portfolio Management.
• Experience working in a private and public cloud.
• Experience collaborating with Operations, Incident and Problem Management.
• Familiarity working in a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) organization supporting change management, capacity planning, efficiency, and emergency response.
• Advanced knowledge of ITSM processes, procedures, infrastructure change and Release Management.
• Broad technical acumen across multiple disciplines applications with a solid understanding of current technologies
• 5 years in a technical discipline role with experience in planning, implementing and evaluating processes, systems and/or initiatives
• Experience applying measurement processes/methods for assessing program outputs and outcomes or progress toward goals and objectives.
• Experience working with global, distributed team members in different time zones.
• Proven ability to effectively prioritize and execute tasks in a high-pressure environment.
• Ability to work across organizational boundaries, to help lead and influence change
• Ability to command the process across all levels to ensure customer focus; including being assertive and self-starting.
• Demonstrated leadership experience in influence and garnering alignment from external organizations
• Ability to align change management strategies with project.
• Skilled in conceptualizing creative solutions, documenting them, and presenting/selling them to senior management.
• Extremely high level of analytical ability with complex problems.
• Very high level of interpersonal skills to work effectively with others, motivate employees, and elicit work output in a team environment.
• Proven experience, knowledge and demonstration of continuous process improvement.

CORE WORK ACTIVITIES

Develops Standards, Process and Tools to Define and Document All Application Releases

• Partners with all teams to define and document all upcoming application releases.
• Partners with Change and Release Management team to ensure that all defined releases are on change/Release Management roadmap.
• Proactively updates Enterprise Application and Architecture, Infrastructure, Security, and Product teams of Release Management Planning.
• Updates service knowledge management system.
• Ensures coordination of build and test environments teams and release teams.
• Ensures teams follow the organization’s established policies and procedures.
• Drives awareness for key stakeholders, including business partners, of the master application release schedule.
• Creates and communicates with key stakeholders effective process vision, strategy, process maturity, and overall direction of team.
• Coaches, consults, and trains team to adhere to established Release Management procedures.
• Drives continuous process review to verify that the Release Management function meets changing business needs.
• Leads the development and communication of reports on application release progress.
• Defines service release and deployment policy and planning.

Building Successful Relationships

• Collaborates with Enterprise Application and Architecture and Infrastructure teams to continuously improve processes and procedures.
• Develops relationships with Product Managers and Business Service Owners to bridge the gap between technology and business.
• Liaises with vendors and Service Providers to select services and tools that best meet company goals.

Managing Projects and Priorities

• Develops specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish work for self and direct reports.
• Provides direction and assistance to other teams regarding projects. Determines priorities, schedules, plans and necessary resources to ensure completion of any projects on schedule.
• Analyzes information and evaluates results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Thinks creatively and practically to develop, execute and implement new plans or programs. Generates and provides accurate and timely results in the form of reports, presentations, etc.
• Plans, develops, implements, and evaluates the quality of the teams’ operations.
• Provides recommendations to improve the effectiveness of processes or programs.
• Understands and meets the needs of key stakeholders.
• Supports achievement of performance goals, budget goals, team goals, etc.

Leading Discipline Team

• Champions leaders’ vision for product and service delivery.
• Works with direct reports and peers to develop and implement strategies and goals. Communicates a clear and consistent message regarding goals to produce desired results.
• Makes and executes the necessary decisions to keep team moving forward toward achievement of goals.
• Provides targeted and timely communication of results, achievements and challenges to direct reports, peers, and leaders.

Managing and Conducting Human Resources Activities

• Interviews and hires employees.
• Promotes the fair and equitable treatment of employees.
• Facilitates regular, ongoing communication in department (e.g., staff meetings).
• Fosters employee commitment to providing excellent service, participates in daily stand-up meetings and models desired service behaviors in all interactions with customer and employees.
• Incorporates customer satisfaction as a component of staff/operations meetings with an emphasis on generating innovative ways to continually improve results.
• Sets goals and expectations for direct reports using the performance review process and holds staff accountable for performance goals.
• Solicits employee feedback.
• Utilizes an “open door policy” and reviews employee satisfaction results to identify and address employee problems or concerns
• Promotes adherence to policies consistently, follows disciplinary procedures and documents items according to Standard and Local Operating

Procedures (SOPs and LSOPs) and supports the Peer Review Process.

• Conducts annual performance appraisal with direct reports according to Standard Operating Procedures.
• Champions change ensures brand and regional business initiatives are implemented and communicates follow-up actions to team as necessary.
• Identifies talents of direct reports and their teams and assists with their growth and development plans.

California Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $127,088.00 to $281,923.00 annually.

Colorado Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $127,088.00 to $256,293.00 annually.

Hawaii Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $153,776.00 to $281,923.00 annually.

New York Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $127,088.00 to $281,923.00 annually.

Washington Applicants Only: The salary range for this position is $127,088.00 to $281,923.00 annually. In addition to the annual salary, the position will be eligible to receive an annual bonus and restricted stock units/stock grants. Employees will accrue 0.04616 PTO balance for every hour worked and eligible to receive minimum of 7 holidays annually.

All locations offer coverage for medical, dental, vision, health care flexible spending account, dependent care flexible spending account, life insurance, disability insurance, accident insurance, adoption expense reimbursements, paid parental leave, educational assistance, 401(k) plan, stock purchase plan, discounts at Marriott properties, commuter benefits, employee assistance plan, and childcare discounts. Benefits are subject to terms and conditions, which may include rules regarding eligibility, enrollment, waiting period, contribution, benefit limits, election changes, benefit exclusions, and others.

Marriott HQ is committed to a hybrid work environment that enables associates to Be connected. Headquarters-based positions are considered hybrid, for candidates within a commuting distance to Bethesda, MD; candidates outside of commuting distance to Bethesda, MD will be considered for Remote positions.

The application deadline for this position is 28 days after the date of this posting, 3/13/2024.

Marriott International is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive, people-first culture. We are committed to non-discrimination on any protected basis, such as disability and veteran status, or any other basis covered under applicable law.

Marriott International is the world’s largest hotel company, with more brands, more hotels and more opportunities for associates to grow and succeed. Be where you can do your best work, begin your purpose, belong to an amazing global team, and become the best version of you.