Release Manager - Kohler Ventures
Work Mode: Hybrid
Location: Hybrid, 3+ days/week onsite at New York City, NY (Midtown Manhattan) or Palo Alto, CA
Opportunity
Kohler Ventures is an
independent company wholly-owned by Kohler
Co., a global
leader in the manufacture of kitchen and bath products, tile and home
interiors, and an international host to award-winning hospitality and
world-class golf destinations. Our mission is to build new digital
businesses that empower consumers to lead healthier lives. We explore how
familiar experiences can be enhanced and innovations developed through the
integration of leading-edge technology, science, and design. Come join us as we
build a best-in-class global multi-disciplinary team across artificial
intelligence, machine learning, design, advanced software and hardware
engineering, strategy, venture investments, sales, marketing, and partnerships.
Our locations are Palo Alto, CA US, New York City, NY US, Kohler, WI US, Seoul,
Korea, and Tel Aviv, Israel.
We are seeking a highly
organized and technically adept Release Manager to lead and
coordinate the release lifecycle across software, firmware, hardware, and machine
learning. This role is critical in ensuring seamless integration and delivery
of complex, multi-disciplinary products that power our next-generation
connected solutions. You will work closely with engineering, product management,
quality assurance, and operations teams to manage dependencies, mitigate risks,
and deliver high-quality releases on time.
In your role as Release Manager at Kohler Ventures you will:
- Release
Planning & Coordination
a. Own the
end-to-end release process across software, firmware, hardware, and ML
pipelines.
b. Define and
manage release schedules, milestones, and gates in collaboration with
cross-functional teams.
c. Coordinate
release readiness reviews, go/no-go decisions, and post-release
retrospectives. - Cross-Disciplinary
Integration
a. Ensure
alignment between software, firmware, hardware, and algorithmic
components.
b. Manage
versioning, compatibility, and integration testing across disciplines.
c. Collaborate
with MLOps teams to integrate model training, validation, and deployment
into the release pipeline. - Process &
Tooling
a. Develop and
maintain CI/CD pipelines and release automation tools.
b. Implement best
practices for release governance, change control, and rollback
strategies.
c. Drive
continuous improvement in release processes and tooling. - Risk &
Quality Management
a. Identify and
mitigate release risks, including technical debt, resource constraints,
and cross-team dependencies.
b. Ensure
compliance with quality standards, regulatory requirements, and security
protocols.
c. Partner with
QA and validation teams to ensure robust testing coverage. - Communication
& Documentation
a. Serve as the
central point of contact for all release-related communications.
b. Maintain
detailed release documentation, including release notes, deployment
guides, and change logs.
c. Provide
regular updates to stakeholders and leadership on release status and
issues.
Skills/Requirements
Required
Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s
degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field from
a reputable institution
- 3+ years of
experience in release management or technical program management.
- Experience
managing releases across software, firmware, and hardware domains.
- Strong
understanding of CI/CD, version control (Git), and AWS DevOps practices.
- Excellent
organizational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
- Experience with
tools like Jira, Confluence, Jenkins, ArgoCG, and Github Actions.
- Travel
requirements: 10% both domestic and international as needed.
- Availability to work outside of standard business hours as needed to be able to collaborate
with teams across multiple time zones.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience in regulated industries (e.g.,
automotive, consumer electronics, medical devices).
- Knowledge of
embedded systems, edge computing, or real-time operating systems.
- Familiarity
with Agile, Scrum, and SAFe methodologies.
- Familiarity
with MLOps practices and tools (e.g., MLflow, Kubeflow, SageMaker).
#LI-NR1
#LI-Hybrid
Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
The base salary range for this position is $85,800 - $107,250. The specific salary offered to a candidate may be influenced by a variety of factors including the candidate’s experience, their education, and the work location. This position is subject to Area Salary Differential (Cost of Living Adjustment) that ranges from 16% of base salary for NYC metro area. The approved base salary range including ASD for this position is $99,528 - 128,934 depending on location. Available benefits include medical, dental, vision & 401k
Why Choose Kohler?
We empower each associate to #BecomeMoreAtKohler with a competitive total rewards package to support your health and wellbeing, access to career growth and development opportunities, a diverse and inclusive workplace, and a strong culture of innovation. With more than 30,000 bold leaders across the globe, we’re driving meaningful change in our mission to help people live gracious, healthy, and sustainable lives.
About Us
It is Kohler’s policy to recruit, hire, and promote qualified applicants without regard to race, creed, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, national origin, disability or status as a protected veteran. If, as an individual with a disability, you need reasonable accommodation during the recruitment process, please contact kohlerjobs@kohler.com. Kohler Co. is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.
