Release Deployment Engineer

DNA Release Deployment Engineer Data Center Automation | Release Execution | Operational Resilience Role purpose: Safely and predictably deploy releases, upgrades, hot fixes, and configuration changes across hosted data center environments for the DNA portfolio of products while reducing risk through disciplined execution, automation, validation, and continuous improvement. Position Summary Role family Platform Engineering / DevOps / Release Deployment Primary focus DNA hosted-client release execution and data center deployment automation Operating model Production change governance, scheduled deployment events, on-call incident support, and cross-functional orchestration Core platforms Windows Server, Harness, Ansible, PowerShell, GitLab, Nexus, ServiceNow, Client360, and Jira Success outcome Repeatable, auditable, low-risk deployments with strong validation, clear communications, and progressively fewer manual steps Job Description The DNA Release Deployment Engineer is a hands-on engineer responsible for executing and improving application deployments in complex, client-facing data center environments. The role combines disciplined production execution with automation engineering. The engineer prepares environments, validates prerequisites, orchestrates deployment activities, monitors results, resolves installation issues, executes rollback or recovery plans when necessary, and confirms post-deployment application health. The engineer works across Release Engineering, DevOps, Application Operations, database, infrastructure, incident management, client-facing, and product teams. The role is expected to improve the deployment model over time by translating manual playbook steps into reusable PowerShell and Ansible automation orchestrated through Harness and integrated with the evolving ARMOR deployment platform. Key Responsibilities Release execution and readiness Execute changes for software deployment, certificate, configuration, database-refresh, disaster-recovery, and related activities within approved change windows and with proper governance and auditability. Validate release artifacts, versions, environment configuration, server access, certificates, credentials, capacity, network connectivity, dependencies, and client-specific prerequisites before execution. Follow approved deployment plans, playbooks, entry and exit criteria, change records, approval gates, and documented rollback procedures. Automation and engineering Develop, maintain, test, and troubleshoot PowerShell automation for Release Deployment pre-install, install, validation, recovery, and post-install tasks. Contribute to reusable scripts (PowerShell), orchestration playbooks (Ansible) and pipelines (Harness) that support consistent execution across CERT, PROD, disaster-recovery, and other data center environments. Integrate release artifacts and automation with GitLab source control, Nexus artifact repositories, Harness orchestration, Deployment Manager, and ARMOR APIs or services as the target architecture evolves. Remove hard-coded, one-off, and manual steps through variable-driven, environment-aware automation with structured logging and actionable error handling. Validation, risk and recovery Run and review automated pre- and post-deployment validation, configuration reports, application health checks, UI or API smoke tests, and client-specific functional checks. Identify deployment failures quickly, preserve evidence, perform structured troubleshooting, engage the correct engineering partners, and execute approved rollback or remediation actions. Participate in retrospectives and convert lessons learned into playbook, automation, monitoring, and process improvements. Operational support and communication Provide scheduled and on-call coverage for deployment-related incidents, failed installs, incomplete upgrades, and deployment validation concerns. Communicate status, risks, blockers, decisions, and completion evidence clearly during deployment events and incident bridges. Maintain accurate Jira, ServiceNow, change, release, and operational documentation for traceability and auditability. Coordinate technical handoffs and dependencies across application, database, Windows, network, Remote Operations, Release Engineering, and client-facing teams. Required Skills and Capabilities Capability Required proficiency Priority PowerShell engineering Create and debug production-quality scripts for Windows application deployment, validation, configuration, file handling, credentials, services, IIS, and recovery. Must have Release deployment Hands-on execution of enterprise software installs, upgrades, hot fixes, environment promotions, rollback, and post-install validation. Must have Windows platform Strong Windows Server administration and troubleshooting, including services, IIS, certificates, file systems, permissions, event logs, and secure remoting. Must have Automation orchestration Practical experience with Ansible and a CD orchestrator such as Harness; able to understand inventories, variables, templates, gates, logs, and failed step diagnosis. Must have Source and artifacts Working knowledge of Git-based workflows and artifact repositories such as GitLab and Nexus. Must have Production governance Change management, release gates, evidence capture, validation criteria, rollback planning, and disciplined execution in regulated environments. Must have Troubleshooting Systematic analysis across application, OS, database, network, certificates, identity, configuration, and deployment tooling. Must have Communication Concise operational updates, clear escalation, effective bridge participation, and collaboration across technical and client-facing teams. Must have DNA ecosystem Experience with DNA, Deployment Manager, DNA UX, hosted client environments, or comparable financial-services application platforms. Preferred Experience and Qualifications Bachelor s degree in computer science, engineering, information systems, or equivalent practical experience. Recommended hiring threshold: 5+ years in software deployment, DevOps, systems engineering, application support, or production operations, including 2+ years of hands-on automation or scripting. Demonstrated experience supporting production changes in high-availability, client-facing, or regulated environments. Experience executing work during scheduled maintenance windows and participating in an on-call rotation. Ability to read deployment plans, application logs, scripts, configuration files, infrastructure inventories, and pipeline output, then convert findings into a practical resolution. Certifications in ITIL, ServiceNow, Jira, cloud, DevOps, Windows System Administration, or Automation are preferred Role Capabilities Automation mindset Looks for repeatable patterns, eliminates manual intervention, and designs for reuse rather than one-off execution. Operational discipline Follows controls precisely, protects production stability, and maintains complete evidence and traceability. Systems thinking Understands how application, infrastructure, database, identity, network, and release dependencies interact. Calm incident response Prioritizes facts, containment, communication, and safe recovery during high-pressure deployment events. Continuous improvement Uses retrospectives, defects, and failed steps to strengthen automation, validation, and documentation. Ownership and collaboration Takes end-to-end responsibility while engaging the right specialists early and handing off clearly. What Good Looks Like Deployments begin only when prerequisites, approvals, artifacts, rollback plans, and support coverage are ready. Execution is consistent across engineers and environments, with minimal dependence on tribal knowledge. Validation evidence demonstrates application health and configuration integrity before the change is closed. Failures are detected early, diagnosed from logs and evidence, communicated clearly, and recovered safely. Each release event produces measurable automation, playbook, monitoring, or process improvements. Manual server access and repetitive deployment steps decline as Harness, Ansible, PowerShell, Deployment Manager, and ARMOR capabilities mature. Suggested Interview and Screening Focus Assessment area What to validate Hands-on scripting Ask the candidate to explain a PowerShell deployment or validation script they personally built, how it handled inputs, credentials, logging, failures, and rollback. Production deployment Walk through a complex production upgrade the candidate executed, including prerequisites, approvals, validation, recovery, and communications. Pipeline troubleshooting Provide a failed Harness or Ansible step and ask how the candidate would isolate whether the cause is artifact, credential, network, host, playbook, or application related. Automation judgment Ask which manual release tasks should and should not be automated first, and how the candidate would prove the automation is safe. Operational discipline Test understanding of change windows, evidence, separation of duties, approval gates, contingency plans, and post-change verification. Collaboration Explore how the candidate coordinates across application, database, infrastructure, network, incident, and client-facing teams during a time-sensitive event.