Software Engineering - Junior Release Manager

Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.

Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.

At Electrum, we are grounded in impact – designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together – working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe – encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams – hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.

When you join the Electrum team, you’ll get to:

• Be part of the entire journey — from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.
• Grow your skills through world-class training and hands-on learning every day.
• Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.
• Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.
• Tackle real-world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.
• Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.
• Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high-impact projects.

The Opportunity

• The Junior Engineering Release Manager assists the core functions that enable predictable, high-quality software releases, with the release management function being responsible for coordinating deliveries through the software development process within the Engineering group, from planning to go-live, ensuring the delivery of quality releases to stakeholders. 
• It is a multi-disciplined role that performs the roles of a Project Manager, Program Manager and Scrum master, with a primary focus on the creation, planning and execution of deliverables within the Engineering organisation.
• We are looking for someone with an innate aptitude for optimisation, predictability, and a 'big picture' mindset - that which constantly seeks better, more scalable ways of working and understands how their daily execution contributes to the strategic growth of both Engineering and Electrum.

Job Description

Release Planning and Coordination

Making the Engineering group more predictable by:

• Tracking estimates prior to scheduling
• Assisting with scheduling readiness
• Gathering, communicating and tracking project/release dependencies, 
• Communicating, recording and keeping track of upcoming commitments
• Coordinating tasks between the Engineering teams

Release Process Management and Execution

• Maintaining a record of Engineering’s predictability status, working with the Engineering team leads to ensure projects are delivered on time.
• Managing Engineering project execution and the release lifecycle.
• Ensuring change requests follow a change control process and that they are managed according to the SDLC processes.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation

• Identifying and escalating risk to relevant stakeholders.
• Maintaining project related documentation related to the build and release of software.
• Ensuring all compliance artefacts have been produced.

Communication and Reporting

• Improving communication to stakeholders outside of Engineering.
• Communicating release timelines and requirements to stakeholders.
• Keeping both Engineering and Electrum stakeholders informed on the progress of releases.
• Gathering and organising data for reporting on Engineering releases and work in progress.
• Maintaining reporting dashboards.

Process Improvement, Tools and Optimisation

• Becoming an expert on existing processes, guiding teams on best practices, and ensuring all process documentation remains up to date.
• Improving project management and release practices within the Engineering organisation by proactively identifying process inefficiencies and friction areas.
• Gathering feedback on existing processes and actively contributing to the development and implementation of improved delivery guidelines, templates, and processes.
• Executing maintenance on existing tools and automation flows.

Requirements

• A university degree.
• 2 - 4 years experience in a project management role specifically
• work with a software development team to deliver software projects using Agile methodologies;
• in a role requiring communication in cross-functional teams;
• in an analytical role closely involved in the delivery of technical projects;
• creating release documentation and reporting.
• Experience with release management tools and platforms.

Beneficial Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field
• Previous experience working in the Fintech industry.
• Certified in Agile / Scrum methodologies.

Benefits

Why Join Electrum?

• We believe in a People First approach, ensuring a culture where you can thrive and make a real difference
  

Your Career & Culture

• Career Growth: Delivering world-class financial software is challenging, but your effort will earn you hands-on experience with products used by millions, accelerating your career.
• Strong Teams: We keep teams small, focused, and collaborative to maximize impact.
• Transparency: We openly discuss strategy, finances, and salaries. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities that we actively discuss.
• Autonomy: We trust you. You're expected to seek out the data needed for informed decisions and manage your own time—knowing when to focus and when to recharge.
• Shared Vision: You'll have the power to shape the vision of how we build the future of financial services.

Practical Perks

1. Here's how we support our culture:
• Generous Leave: Starting at 20 days per year.
• Office Perks (Cape Town): Fully-stocked kitchen and daily catered lunch.
2. Social Life: Regular team activities like hikes, getaways, and dinners