IT Change & Release Manager (12 month FTC)

IT Change & Release Manager

Contract type: Fixed-term contract - 12 months

Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week: 40 hours

Level: Manager

Reports to: IT Service Operations Lead

Application Closing Date: Monday 5th October

About us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re also on a mission to empower our business with smart technology; we've recently launched our AI Academy, providing a tailored AI learning journey for every colleague.

We’re Ocado Retail , a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, ocado.com . Not only is Ocado the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, but it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and a champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado , our same-day grocery delivery service.

About this Role

As our IT Change & Release Manager, you will lead the evolution, optimization, and scaling of our change and release capabilities. This is a unique opportunity for a highly capable ITSM specialist to review, adapt, build, and run our processes, ensuring the success and stability of changes impacting live services. Operating at the heart of our IT operations, you will develop your leadership capabilities, work closely with third-party tech teams, steer service transition projects, and leverage modern ITSM tooling alongside AI-driven automation to establish intelligent efficiencies.

What You'll Do

- Process Ownership & Optimisation: Review, adapt, build, optimize, and educate on our Change & Release processes, taking full accountability for the success and safety of all changes impacting live service.
- Functional Leadership: Lead and run the Change & Release function daily, providing critical support to the IT Service Operations Lead in driving wider process and service enhancements.
- Quality Controls & Metrics: Design, implement, and enforce robust quality controls, operational measures, and metrics. Establish user-friendly dashboards and continuous improvement plans to guarantee service stability.
- Project Transition & Collaboration: Partner closely with Service Design & Transition processes, leading and collaborating with project teams to ensure a graceful, successful pathway to onboarding new services and features.
- Vendor & Partner Coordination: Manage and coordinate with external third-party technical teams, ensuring they align tightly with our release standards, change controls, and operational policies.
- ITSM Tooling & AI Innovation: Leverage modern ITSM platforms to streamline workflows and actively explore and adopt AI capabilities to automate processes, build operational intelligence, and drive greater efficiencies.

Who You Are

Essential Requirements

- Experienced ITSM Specialist: A highly skilled and experienced IT Service Management professional with a proven track record of designing, adapting, and optimizing Change & Release processes.
- Skilled Communicator: Outstanding stakeholder management skills, with the ability to lead project teams through transitions and translate technical change details into clear, business-friendly language.
- Tooling & AI Champion: Deep familiarity with modern SaaS ITSM tooling (such as Freshservice) and a strong interest or experience in utilizing AI-driven capabilities to drive automation and intelligence.
- Third-Party Technical Leader: Proven ability to manage, coordinate, and hold third-party technical teams accountable to strict change and release quality standards.
- Service Transition Collaborator: Thoroughly familiar with Service Design & Transition frameworks, successfully steering and guiding project teams to transition complex changes into live operations.

Desirable Qualifications

- Relevant IT qualifications such as a degree, diploma, or equivalent professional IT training.
- ITIL certifications (v3 or v4), particularly with modules focusing on Service Transition, Release Control, or Service Operation.
- Experience working within Agile/Scrum delivery environments or DevOps frameworks.

What’s in it for you

By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. You'll also be part of our AI Academy , a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.

If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:

Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with the option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.

Spend & Save: Recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.

Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don't lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you're a great fit for us.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at [email protected], and we'll be happy to assist you. If you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.