Open to Release & Change leadership roles · U.S. Citizen

I ship releases that don't wake anyone up at 3am.

I'm a

Technical Release, Configuration & Change Manager · CAB Advisor · Technical PM. 10+ years taking mobile, cloud and robotics changes from approved to boring.

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10+years in release management
6companies, telecom to robotics
33certifications incl. PMP, ITIL 4
👋

About

Who I am, what I do, and where I've travelled.

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Work

Case studies and projects I've built myself.

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Experience

Ten-plus years across telecom, robotics and cloud.

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Certifications

Certificates, badges and PMI membership.

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LinkedIn reviews

What managers and colleagues say.

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Skills & tools

Clouds, tools and environments I work in.

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Contact

Let's talk about your next release.

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01 About

PMP-certified Release and Change Manager with 10+ years owning production releases and change governance for web, mobile, cloud and enterprise platforms.

Compliance & governance

ISO complianceHIPAAITIL 4 change governanceSDLC & Agile controlsCAB / RFC audit trailRollback & risk controlsDO-178C awareness

Beyond the release notes

Off the clock, I'm a traveller. Same instincts as release day: plan the route, know the rollback, and enjoy the cutover.

19countries visited
39U.S. states visited
78%of the 50 states

02 Selected work

03 Projects I've built

Hands-on technical projects I've built. Click a card to open it up.

04 Experience

  1. Apr 2025 – Present

    Digital Release Manager

    T-Mobile

    Owned T-Life iOS and Android releases solo, ran web releases with the team and back-end deployments by country, kept 180 connected services monitored, and worked with Product, Dev, QA and CAB.

    📱 Solo: T-Life iOS & Android🌐 Team: Web releases🛠️ Back-end deployments by country📡 180 services monitored
    Details
    • Own the T-Life iOS and Android app releases on my own, and run web releases together with the team.
    • Run back-end deployments by country alongside the app and web releases.
    • Keep 180 connected services under watch for every release, including cross-dependencies with other apps.
    • Work with Product Managers on all the features, and with Dev, QA and CAB teams to get each release approved and live.
    • Manage end-to-end releases for T-Mobile and Metro iOS and Android apps, owning deployment sequencing, approvals and release-day decisions.
    • Prepare and present ServiceNow change requests at CAB, including emergency changes, with implementation steps, validation checks and rollback plans.
    • Lead release readiness and Go/No-Go reviews covering deployment plans, rollback, testing, security, monitoring and support readiness.
    • Govern changes during production freeze windows and peak periods under release governance and risk controls.
    • Create cutover runbooks with schedules, owners and checkpoints, and run the command-center bridge during production deployments.
    • Manage production issues affecting iOS and Android apps, coordinating investigation, communication, resolution and corrective actions.
    • Run post-implementation reviews, track actions to closure, and report release status and metrics via Jira and Azure DevOps dashboards.
    • Partner with Product Directors and VPs on payments (Visa, debit, credit), promotions and new phone launches.
    • Support hypercare after major releases, tracking incidents and failed transactions until stable handover to support.
    AWSAzureGCPAzure DevOpsJenkinsGitHubGitLabBitbucketXcodeAndroid StudioGradleFastlaneApp Store ConnectTestFlightGoogle Play ConsoleFirebaseJUnitEspressoSeleniumPostmanDatadogSplunkServiceNowJiraConfluenceAhaMS ProjectSmartsheetPower BI
  2. May 2023 – Mar 2025

    Sr. Release/Configuration Manager

    Tompkins Robotics

    Created the release process for the company, then ran it across the U.S., Australia, Asia and Europe, with a release calendar and a custom configuration management tool.

    🏗️ Created the release process🌎 US · Australia · Europe · Asia🏪 Walmart & Walgreens🧰 Built a custom config tool
    🌍 United States (all time zones)🌍 Australia🌍 Asia🌍 Europe
    Details
    • Created the release process at Tompkins Robotics from the ground up: calendar, readiness reviews, milestone reviews and business Go/No-Go.
    • Coordinated with clients including Walgreens and Walmart; managed client communication, oversaw production support and provided release support across all U.S. time zones and international regions: Australia, Europe and Asia.
    • Managed and deployed coordinated hardware and software updates for robotic systems across multiple production sites.
    • Built a custom configuration management tool for troubleshooting and deployment.
    • Conducted Release Readiness reviews, Milestone Reviews and Business Go/No-Go reviews.
    • Established and managed a release calendar for scheduling and coordination of software releases.
    • Coordinated environment windows, code and configuration dependencies and infrastructure prerequisites across sites before each deployment.
    • Developed and maintained automation scripts (Python, Salt) for build and deployment to reduce manual effort.
    • Resolved failed builds and deployments, troubleshooting configuration and release issues with engineering.
    AWSAzureBitbucketJenkinsBambooSalt MasterDockerKubernetesPythonPostmanDatadogKafkaNiFiJuniperLinuxServiceNowJiraAhaConfluenceSalesforceCopado
  3. May 2022 – Mar 2023

    Staff Software Engineer

    TriNet

    Created the release process across Salesforce, Oracle HCM/ERP, Anaplan, Zuora and Azure cloud-native apps, with CI/CD pipelines, rollback plans and zero-downtime goals.

    🏗️ Created the release process🏢 Salesforce · Oracle · Anaplan · Zuora☁️ Azure cloud-native apps
    Details
    • Created the end-to-end release process at TriNet and standardized it across every platform.
    • As release consultant, built end-to-end release management across Salesforce, Oracle HCM/ERP, Anaplan, Zuora and Azure cloud-native apps.
    • Used Azure DevOps, Copado, GitHub, Bitbucket and CloudBees pipelines to manage deployments and monitor release progress.
    • Planned and executed production releases with rollback strategies and zero-downtime goals.
    • Standardized scalable, secure release processes and controls aligned with Agile and SDLC best practices.
    • Coordinated across Dev, QA, Security and Infrastructure to drive timely, high-quality deployments.
    AzureAzure DevOpsCloudBeesCopadoGitHubBitbucketSalesforceOracle HCM/ERPAnaplanZuoraServiceNowJiraConfluencemonday.comPower BI
  4. May 2020 – Apr 2022

    Sr. Release Manager

    AT&T

    Azure migration, ADO pipelines, mobile continuous rollout.

    ☁️ On-prem → Azure📲 iOS & Android rollouts
    Details
    • Designed and migrated platforms and enterprise applications from on-prem to Azure per the Azure Well-Architected Framework.
    • Collaborated with DevOps to execute and monitor Azure DevOps pipelines across development, staging and production.
    • Performed continuous rollout for Android and iOS app releases.
    • Participated in CAB meetings to review release scope, deployment risk and roadblocks.
    • Owned features ranging from PaaS/IaaS provisioning to deployment automation.
    • Led and coordinated Go-Live activities, including deployment plans and checklists.
    AzureAzure DevOpsJenkinsGitHubTerraformAnsibleXcodeApp Store ConnectGoogle Play StoreJUnitEspressoServiceNowJiraConfluencePower BILinux
  5. Oct 2016 – Apr 2020

    Sr. Release Manager

    CenturyLink

    Release lifecycle, RFC process, blue-green deployments.

    🔵🟢 Blue-Green deployments📄 End-to-end RFC process
    Details
    • Owned the release lifecycle: scheduling, coordinating and managing releases across e-commerce, web and mobile portfolios.
    • Obtained management approvals and ensured all tickets were approved and ready for Blue-Green Deployments.
    • Created and managed the end-to-end Request for Change (RFC) process, including approvals and change communications.
    • Negotiated, planned and managed release activities; used Scrum metrics (burndown, velocity, Kanban) to deliver committed work.
    GCPJenkinsMavenGradleBambooFastlaneXcodeAndroid StudioTestFlightFirebaseSplunkServiceNowJiraLinux
  6. Jan 2016 – Oct 2016

    Release Coordinator

    Mastercard

    Release planning, readiness assessment, deployment metrics.

    📋 Readiness reporting💳 Software releases
    Details
    • Managed planning of software releases with internal teams and customers.
    • Worked with development teams to assess release readiness and report findings.
    • Developed and presented deployment reporting metrics to management.
    Node.js.NETGitHubJenkinsSeleniumSQLServiceNowJiraWindowsmacOSLinux

05 Certifications

Credentials, memberships and certificates. Click a slide to see it full size.

Credentials & memberships

PMI Member badge
PMI MemberProject Management Institute
Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I) badge
Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)Scrum.org✓ Verify ↗
Data Analytics for Machine Learning badge
Data Analytics for Machine LearningIBM · verified digital badge✓ Verify ↗
Introduction to Data Science badge
Introduction to Data ScienceCisco Networking Academy · verified digital badge✓ Verify ↗
Operating Systems Basics badge
Operating Systems BasicsCisco Networking Academy · verified digital badge✓ Verify ↗
Claude 101 badge
Claude 101Claude Academy · verified badge✓ Verify ↗
AI Fluency: Framework and foundations badge
AI Fluency: Framework and foundationsClaude Academy · verified badge✓ Verify ↗

Certificates

More certifications

✓ CCNA✓ ITIL 4✓ Copado I & II✓ Azure 900✓ Salesforce Admin 1✓ Technical Product Management✓ SAFe Agile Methodologies✓ Six Sigma Yellow Belt✓ Generative AI & Impact on Business✓ Java Certified Foundation Associate✓ Testing Approaches

BS Computer Science · SCIMT · 2015

06 LinkedIn reviews

Words from managers and colleagues, shown as written on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn recommendation from Chuck Smith: I had the pleasure of hiring and working closely with Zaid Umar during his time as a Release Engineer. Throughout our time working together, Zaid consistently demonstrated a high level of professionalism, diligence, and organization in everything he did. Zaid was dependable, detail-oriented, and always approached challenges with a thoughtful and solution-focused mindset. He played an important role in improving our release processes and execution, helping the team deliver with greater consistency and efficiency. His ability to stay organized while coordinating complex activities made him a valuable contributor and a trusted member of the team. Beyond his technical capabilities, Zaid was a collaborative teammate who was always willing to step in and help wherever needed. I would gladly welcome the opportunity to work with him again and highly recommend him to any organization seeking a skilled and reliable engineering professional.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Jennifer Knights: I had the pleasure of working with Zaid during his time as a Release Manager at TriNet. His leadership, professionalism, and deep expertise in Salesforce deployments consistently stood out. Zaid was instrumental in managing end-to-end Copado releases across both the Sales and Service Clouds, working seamlessly with developers, architects, and the Change Advisory Board. He effectively led three development teams, ensuring each deployment was smooth, well-coordinated, and aligned with both technical requirements and business objectives. Zaid’s ability to navigate complex environments and foster collaboration across diverse teams makes him an exceptional Release Manager and a valuable asset to any organization.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Felicity Longo: I had the pleasure of working with Zaid when he was a Release Manager overseeing Copado, while I served as the Scrum Master for our Salesforce development team. Zaid was an absolute cornerstone in ensuring our releases were smooth, efficient, and well-coordinated across teams. His deep understanding of Copado and release processes, combined with his proactive approach, made deployments seamless. He consistently communicated potential risks, provided solutions before issues arose, and worked collaboratively with developers to optimize our workflows. His attention to detail and ability to manage multiple moving parts under tight deadlines made a significant impact on our team's success. Beyond his technical expertise, Zaid is also a fantastic team player—always willing to help, adapt, and support others. It was a pleasure working with him, and I’d highly recommend him to any team looking for a skilled and reliable Release Manager!
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Heaven Knight: Zaid is a hard working, dedicated, and reliable team member - he’s willing to partner together on potentially difficult initiatives to ensure a favorable outcome for all involved, putting the needs of the business above any potential personal feelings. I appreciated our short time working together!
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Cheryl Fults: I have had the pleasure of working with Zaid Umar and witness his skills, dedication. Zaid was brought in to fill a newly created role within our engineering group. He quickly learned our existing SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) processes across multiple application development groups and drove multiple process improvement initiatives. I found him to be adept at managing complex software releases. He is a proactive problem-solver, always willing to go the extra mile to ensure that releases are smooth and successful. Therefore, I recommend Zaid as I am confident he would become a valuable asset to your prospective team.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Joe Monahan: I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with Zaid from Tompkins Robotics during numerous production support efforts, and I can confidently say he has been an outstanding collaborator throughout. As the Release and Configuration Manager, Zaid has consistently supported our iA teams with professionalism, responsiveness, and a strong sense of ownership. He played a crucial role in helping us manage and stabilize complex production environments, often jumping in during critical situations to ensure timely resolutions. Zaid’s clear communication, structured coordination, and deep understanding of both technical and operational aspects helped us maintain service continuity across multiple deployments. Whether it was after-hours troubleshooting, urgent configuration support, or proactive coordination between our CS team and his internal teams, Zaid was always dependable and focused on delivering results. His partnership has made a meaningful impact, and we truly valued his support across every interaction. I would highly recommend Zaid for any team looking for a strong release lead who brings both technical depth and collaborative spirit.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Mark Woytus: Had the great pleasure to work with Zaid for almost two years at Tompkins Robotics. Zaid documented release plans, coordinated upgrades with customers, and maintained customer contact during late-night deployments. Our deploys are often complex. We appreciated Zaid's attention to detail, his ability to keep multiple deploys on-track, and make sure the resources were where they needed to be.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from BHAVNA PATEL: It was my privilege working with Zaid at Tompkins Robotics, an exceptional Release Manager whose dedication and commitment exceeds the expectations. He worked tirelessly often late night to make sure every release gets executed smoothly and on time. Zaid brought an uncommon level of clarity and coordination to our software delivery process. Internally, he ensured that every stakeholder from engineering team to leadership was aware of every aspect of release, its timeline and upgrade plans which significantly improved operational readiness across the organization. What truly stood out was how effectively he maintain clear and effective communication with clients kept them fully informed of upcoming releases, updates and impacts of any changes. Zaid was often the direct point of contact for ongoing issues, bridging conversations between our team and the client with professionalism and transparency. His updates were cleared, and action-oriented, which helped to keep both our team and the client aligned through complex moments. Zaid's combination of technical insight, attentions to detail, ownership of the release cycle and calm execution made him a key member of the team that we could always rely on. I highly recommend Zaid and any organization seeking a reliable, well-coordinated product delivery would be fortunate to have him.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn
LinkedIn recommendation from Macayla Llewellyn: During my time working with Zaid at Tompkins Robotics, i was highly impressed with his commitment to teamwork, efficiency and meeting critical deadlines. His ability to lead, coordinate and organize teams through deployments successfully, showcases his strong skills in communication, leadership, organization and configuration management. Zaid is detail oriented, ensuring that critical artifacts and resources are secured and maintained, allowing teams to quickly make decisions with informed reasoning. Outside of his technical expertise, Zaid is a pleasant coworker and had never shied away from extending a hand to assist a coworker. If anything, he is the type of person that will walk with you through the challenge. Additionally, Zaid equally stands out through leveraging his wealth of knowledge in IT and cloud computing , during high pressure scenarios expanding the breadth of his technical prowess. Therefore, i recommend Zaid as a technical leader or engineering manager, who would be a wonderful addition to any team lucky enough to have him.
in Recommendation on LinkedIn

07 GitHub

Top languages

Repositories

Recent activity

08 Skills & tools

Release & change

Release managementCAB / change governanceCutover planningGo/No-GoHypercare

Mobile

XcodeApp Store ConnectGoogle Play ConsoleTestFlight

Cloud & DevOps

Azure DevOpsAWSJenkinsTerraformDockerKubernetes

Tools

ServiceNowJiraConfluenceCopadoDatadog

Tools, clouds & environments

Cloud

AWSAzureGCPAzure PaaS/IaaSOn-prem → Azure migrationAWS EC2AWS S3AWS LambdaAWS CloudFormationAzure VMsAzure App ServiceAzure FunctionsAzure AKSGCP Compute EngineGCP Cloud RunFirebase HostingVercelHerokuMulti-cloudHybrid cloud

CI/CD & source control

Azure DevOpsJenkinsGitHubGitLabBitbucketBambooCloudBeesCopadoMavenGradleFastlaneSalt MasterGitGitHub ActionsGitLab CICircleCITravis CITeamCityArgoCDHelmNexusArtifactorySonarQubenpmFastlane MatchBranching & tagging strategies

Infrastructure & automation

TerraformAnsibleDockerKubernetesSaltYAMLPythonJSONLinuxBashPowerShellChefPuppetPackerVagrantNginxApachecronShell scriptingInfrastructure as Code

Mobile

XcodeAndroid StudioApp Store ConnectTestFlightGoogle Play ConsoleFirebaseAPKXcode CloudFirebase App DistributionCrashlyticsCharles ProxyiOSAndroidPhased rolloutsFeature flags

QA & monitoring

JUnitEspressoSeleniumPostmanDatadogSplunkAppiumCypressJMeterTestRailXCTestNew RelicGrafanaPrometheusPagerDutySentryDynatraceSmoke & regression testing

ITSM, product & collaboration

ServiceNowJiraConfluenceAhaMS ProjectSmartsheetPower BImonday.comAirtableExcelMS 365MS TeamsSlackPowerPointAzure BoardsZoomTrelloAsanaNotionLucidchartVisioMiroGoogle WorkspaceSharePointTableauAha Roadmaps

Enterprise platforms

SalesforceOracle HCM/ERPAnaplanZuora

Data & network

KafkaNiFiJuniperSQLNode.js.NETDremioApache IcebergApache SparkSnowflakePostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBRedisREST APIsTCP/IPVPNDNSCisco

Operating systems

LinuxWindowsmacOSUbuntuRed Hat / CentOSWindows ServeriOSAndroid

AI & local models

SoupLocal LLMsGenerative AIPrompt engineeringClaudeChatGPTGitHub Copilot

Environments

DevQAStagingProductionBlue-GreenZero-downtimeChange freeze windowsMulti-site / multi-regionUATPre-prodDR / Disaster recoverySandboxCanary releasesRolling deploymentsHotfix & emergency releasesRollback plansProduction support

Ventures

09 Contact

Let's make your next release boring — in the best way.