IT Rollout and Release Manager - Anaplan

As an experienced Lead Anaplan Architect & IT Release Manager, you will be responsible for driving the strategic design, implementation, governance, and continuous improvement of Anaplan solutions while overseeing enterprise IT release management processes. Your role will involve combining deep expertise in Anaplan architecture with strong leadership in deployment planning, operational excellence, risk management, and team enablement. Key Responsibilities: - Define and lead the architecture and design of Anaplan solutions, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards, IT policies, and business objectives. - Design scalable and efficient Anaplan data models, user experiences, integrations, and system architectures. - Evaluate, test, and optimize architectural approaches to meet evolving business and technical requirements. - Develop and maintain architectural roadmaps, solution designs, diagrams, and technical documentation. - Communicate architectural vision and technical concepts effectively to business and technical stakeholders. - Identify, assess, and manage technical debt within Anaplan solutions, driving remediation and optimization initiatives. - Provide technical leadership and guidance to Anaplan development, support, and operations teams throughout the solution lifecycle. - Establish and enforce Anaplan modeling standards, governance frameworks, security controls, and best practices. - Ensure solution quality, performance, scalability, maintainability, and compliance with enterprise standards. - Collaborate with operational teams to proactively address performance issues, integration challenges, and production incidents. - Support troubleshooting and resolution of complex Anaplan-related technical issues. - Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance platform efficiency and reliability. - Develop and execute release management strategies for Anaplan and enterprise IT solutions. - Plan, coordinate, and manage deployments, releases, rollouts, and production handovers. - Ensure smooth transition of solutions from project delivery into operational support. - Coordinate release activities across multiple applications, systems, and stakeholders. - Maintain release schedules, deployment plans, rollback procedures, and release documentation. - Communicate release status, risks, dependencies, and impacts to stakeholders throughout the release lifecycle. - Ensure all architectural, deployment, and operational documentation is complete, accurate, and compliant with organizational standards. - Identify, assess, and mitigate risks associated with Anaplan implementations and enterprise IT releases. - Develop contingency and rollback plans to minimize business disruption during deployments. - Ensure adherence to security, governance, audit, and compliance requirements. - Monitor release outcomes and implement corrective actions where necessary. - Facilitate collaboration and synchronization across cross-functional teams. - Mentor and coach development, support, and operational teams on Anaplan best practices and delivery excellence. - Promote transparency, accountability, and effective communication across stakeholders. - Support agile delivery practices, sprint planning, and realistic goal setting. - Drive process improvement initiatives to enhance team performance, quality, and operational efficiency. - Foster a culture of continuous learning, innovation, and knowledge sharing. Required Qualifications & Experience: - Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Engineering, or a related field. - 10+ years of experience in Information Technology. - Strong understanding of Enterprise Architecture principles, IT systems, and business processes. - Experience in application support, implementation, or solution delivery environments. - Proven experience in IT Release Management, deployment planning, and production rollout coordination. - Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and leadership skills. - Strong analytical, problem-solving, and risk management capabilities. - Fluent written and spoken English. - Ability to work effectively in multicultural and global environments with strong interpersonal and communication skills. Preferred Qualifications: - Hands-on experience as an Anaplan Solution Architect. - Strong knowledge of Anaplan platform architecture, model building, integrations, and performance optimization. - Experience in Sales Planning, Sales Performance Management, Incentive Compensation, or Financial Planning domains. - Master Anaplanner Certification preferred. - Experience with Agile, DevOps, and IT Service Management (ITSM) practices. - Familiarity with enterprise integration platforms, cloud technologies, and data management frameworks. Key Competencies: - Strategic Thinking & Solution Architecture - Anaplan Platform Expertise - IT Release & Deployment Management - Risk & Compliance Management - Technical Leadership & Coaching -