Release Manager (SAP) – Scottish Power Energy Networks
Location: St Vincent Street Glasgow / Hybrid style working
Duration: 12‑month initial contract, project expected for 4 years
Rate: Inside IR35, rate negotiable
Job purpose statement: The SAP Release Manager plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth and controlled delivery of SAP changes across all environments—from development through to production. This role is central to managing the release lifecycle, coordinating transport activities, and maintaining governance over change control processes. As part of the SAP HANA transformation programme, the Release Manager will work closely with technical teams, functional leads, and external partners to ensure releases are delivered reliably, securely, and in line with business priorities.
Key details (Responsibilities)
* Develop and maintain the SAP release calendar, aligning with programme milestones and business needs
* Coordinate release windows and cutover activities across multiple SAP environments
* Ensure all releases are planned, communicated and executed with minimal disruption to business operations
* Oversee the end‑to‑end transport process, ensuring proper sequencing and dependency handling
* Work with BASIS and development teams to manage transport requests and troubleshoot issues
* Maintain visibility of transport status and ensure audit trails are complete and accurate
* Enforce SAP change management policies and procedures
* Review and validate change requests for competencies, risk and readiness
* Ensure all changes are properly tested, approved and documented before deployment
* Coordinate with BASIS, global teams and infrastructure teams to ensure environment stability and readiness
* Support environment refreshes, system copies and technical upgrades as required
* Monitor system performance during release cycles and identify and manage risks associated with releases and deployments
* Lead resolution of transport conflicts, failed deployments and release‑related incidents
* Act as the primary point of contact for release‑related queries and updates
* Provide clear and timely communication to programme leadership, business stakeholders and technical teams
* Facilitate release readiness meetings and post‑release reviews
* Conduct post‑implementation reviews to identify lessons learned and areas for improvement
* Recommend and implement enhancements to release processes, tools and governance
Skills and knowledge
* Strong experience managing SAP releases and transports in ECC and/or S/4HANA environments
* Solid understanding of SAP modules such as PM, MM, SD and their integration points
* Familiarity with SAP Solution Manager, ChaRM and transport management tools
* Experience working in Agile and DevOps environments
* Excellent organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities
* Proven ability to work collaboratively across technical and business teams
* SAO BASIS or Release Management certification (Desirable)
* Experience in large‑scale SAP transformation programmes (Desirable)
* Ability to manage multiple concurrent releases and workstreams
* Willingness to travel to other SPEN sites as required
Qualifications
* HND or Degree‑level qualification in IT, Business Systems or a related discipline
* Recognised Project Management or Release Management certification (e.g. PRINCE2, ITIL, Agile)
* SAP‑specific training or certification (e.g. SAP BASIS, SAP Solution Manager, ChaRM) highly desirable
* Hands‑on experience with SAP transport management tools and processes
* Working knowledge of Agile tooling (e.g. Jira) and DevOps practices in SAP environments
Experience
* Proven experience in managing SAP releases and transports across multiple environments (DEV, QA, Pre‑Prod, Prod)
* Involvement in SAP implementation, upgrade or migration projects, ideally including S/4HANA
* Experience coordinating with BASIS, development and functional teams to deliver SAP changes
* Exposure to managing release schedules and cutovers in large‑scale programmes
* Understanding of SAP module integration (e.g. PM, MM, SS) and system dependencies
Seniority level: Mid‑Senior level
Employment type: Full‑time
Job function: Information Technology
Industries: Electric Power Transmission, Control and Distribution
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