What does a Release Engineer do?
Release engineers manage, document, and enhance an organization’s software products and implementation. They oversee and ensure timely software releases for organizations and manage the implementation process from development through execution. They program nightly builds and perform static code analysis. They oversee new software version releases and create and execute the programming scripts utilized during software creation.
Release engineers develop implementation plans and collaborate with colleagues to monitor existing systems. They lead internal teams to project completion and perform maintenance support. They use data pulled from program tests to help develop software updates or collaborate with personnel like testers and developers to fix build issues and provide training for information technology personnel. Release engineers need a bachelor's degree in computer science or related fields and a background in IT project management and software development.
What responsibilities are common for Release Engineer jobs?
- Support and improve tools for continuous build, automated testing and release management.
- Responsible for multiple infrastructure environments ' development, staging, QA.
- Support and enhance production-like environment to ensure integrated products have reliability, observability and maintainability required for customer deployment.
- Continuously evaluate and improve existing CI/CD/Test pipelines and processes.
- Proactively engage with cross-functional teams to resolve issues and design solutions using critical thinking and analysis skills and best practices.
- Work alongside technical leadership to organize technical roadmaps into achievable work.
- Understand the build process and identify bottleneck areas for improvement.
- Help delivery teams develop an overall strategy for deploying code.
- Ability to understand and promote customers priorities in overall solution deployments and communicate this to product owner.
- Influence through others. build direct and behind the scenes support for ideas.
- Pre-emptively see downstream consequences and effectively tailor influencing strategy to support a positive outcome.
- Proactively identify and remove project obstacles or barriers on behalf of the team.
- Maintain excitement for a process and drive to new directions of meeting the goal even when odds and setbacks render one path impassable.
- Innovate and integrate new processes and/or technology to significantly add value. Identify how the cost of change weighs against the benefits and advise accordingly.
- Own integrated product solution and work to align with product management and customer expectations.
- Guide new teams to adopt Agile, troubleshoot adoption efforts, and guide continuous improvement.
- Lead impact assessment and technology selection decisions related to build and release engineering plan and strategy for the whole release.
- Troubleshoot and debug build issues with a willingness to resolve problems quickly.
- Facilitate and coach software engineering team sessions on requirements estimation and alternative approaches to team sizing and estimation.
- Actively embrace new methods and practices that increase efficiency and effectiveness.
- Design, develop, and maintain tooling to support cloud-based CI/CD pipelines capable of scaling to thousands of concurrent builds and artifacts.
What are the typical qualifications for Release Engineer jobs?
- Bachelor's or Graduate's Degree in computer engineering, computer science, or electrical engineering or equivalent experience.
- Experience with Linux, Python, DFSS, SQL, GIT, and CAD software.
- Experience with Microsoft Visual BASIC, Vista, and TFS.
- Can participate in Agile ceremonies including daily scrums.
- A leader and problem solver.
- Comfortable with scripting and debugging.
- Experience with Android software development.
- Demonstrated follow through from concept to rollout.
- Dedicated to continuous integration and calibration during process.
- Can collaborate with teams and clients as requested.
Education--
Work/Life Balance
3.8 ★
Total Pay--
Career Opportunity
3.8 ★
Avg. Experience2-4 years
How much does a Release Engineer make?
Confident
$118,374 /yr
Total Pay$97,875
+ /yr
Base Pay
$20,499
/yr
Additional Pay
$118,374
/ yr$77K$186K
Most Likely Range
Possible Range
Release Engineer Career Path
Learn how to become a Release Engineer, what skills and education you need to succeed, and what level of pay to expect at each step on your career path.
Release Engineer
Years of Experience Distribution
0 - 1
1%
2 - 4
97%
5 - 7
2%
8+
0%
Not including years spent in education and/or training
Release Engineer Insights
Read what Release Engineer professionals have to say about their job experiences and view top companies for this career.
Puny Human
Build Release EngineerJul 2, 2021
“I learned skills that continue to serve me in both my home and professional life.”
GE HealthCareSenior Build and Release EngineerMar 14, 2021
“There are some good managers who don't let your job description/role limit what you do.”
Ford Motor CompanyDesign and Release EngineerDec 13, 2021
“slow development and really difficult to be relocated.”
Ford Motor CompanyDesign and Release EngineerFeb 23, 2023
“Promotion and recognition not based on meritocracy.”
AAPNA InfotheekBuild and Release EngineerFeb 20, 2022
“Great opportunities to learn and grow at same time.”
Ford Motor CompanyDesign Release EngineerNov 30, 2022
“Not focused on career development”
Baker HughesRelease EngineerApr 12, 2022
“pay hikes not so great”
Veros Real Estate SolutionsRelease EngineerMay 12, 2022
“You get lucky if your boss is good”
Frequently asked questions about the roles and responsibilities of a Release Engineer
The most similar professions to Release Engineer are:
- Software Engineer
- Software Developer
- Devops Engineer
- Cloud Engineer