VP of Program & Release Management

The Role DriveNets is seeking an experienced and strategic Vice President of Program & Release Management to lead the end-to-end lifecycle of complex programs and software releases across our networking portfolio. This executive will drive cross-functional execution across Product, Engineering, and Quality to ensure high-quality delivery to global customers and partners. The VP will play a critical leadership role in the R&D management team, scaling program and release governance in a fast-growing, globally distributed environment. This includes orchestrating large-scale software releases and aligning platform evolution with customer commitments. Key Responsibilities Strategic Program Leadership • Lead large-scale programs spanning a 300+ engineering organization across multiple products, platforms, and technologies. • Translate business and product strategy into executable multi-quarter roadmaps. • Define development processes to support scale and quality. • Establish metrics and reporting frameworks to provide transparency and risk insights to the team. Release Management & Execution • Own the release lifecycle from planning through all execution phases to customer go-to-market readiness. • Ensure structured coordination of software and hardware releases across Engineering, QA, and delivery teams. • Integrate AI-based tooling and analytics (release forecasting, risk detection, automation, quarter planning readiness, customer trends) to drive release excellence. Cross-Functional Management • Partner with Product, Engineering, and Customer Support to align priorities and remove blockers. • Manage dependencies and trade-offs across diverse stakeholder groups. Team Leadership • Build, mentor, and scale a high-performing Program & Release Management organization. • Promote a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. What Success Looks Like • Achievement of reliable, predictable, and high-quality delivery across major strategic releases. • Continuous and clear executive visibility into program risks, trade-offs, and timelines. • Strong alignment between engineering execution and company strategy. • Scalable processes and frameworks that adapt to rapid growth and technological complexity, including AI-driven features.

Requirements: • 10+ years in senior program management and release leadership roles within a technology company, preferably in Networking, Infrastructure, or AI/Cloud platforms. • Proven track record of delivering complex, cross-functional programs at scale in global organizations. • Deep understanding of software release lifecycles and execution governance. • Strong strategic mindset with the ability to influence senior leadership. • Experience with AI-enabled execution tooling and data-driven release insights preferred. Preferred Qualifications • Success in scaling PMO/Release teams in an advanced engineering organization within a fast-growing, mid-sized startup. • Exposure to networking, security, or telecom domains.