Role: IBM i/ AS 400 ConsultantJob Responsibilities:Own the end-to-end release lifecycle for IBM i (AS/400) applications, including release planning, scheduling, scope definition, risk assessment, deployment, and rollback planning.Maintain a centralized release repository, including feature inventories, change requests, component versions, and release documentation.Track, validate, and report software component versions across development, test, staging, pilot, and production environments.Coordinate build packaging, versioning, deployment artifacts, and release activities with development, quality assurance, configuration management, and operations teams.Plan and manage pilot deployments, including validation, issue tracking, stakeholder feedback, and release readiness assessments.Execute phased production rollouts, coordinating deployment schedules, dependencies, maintenance windows, communication plans, and cutover activities.Develop and maintain deployment runbooks, release playbooks, standard operating procedures, and rollback plans.Lead release readiness reviews, deployment planning sessions, and production go-live meetings.Monitor production deployments, coordinate post-release support, manage hotfixes when required, and conduct post-implementation reviews.Produce release dashboards, KPIs, deployment metrics, executive status reports, and release documentation.Identify, assess, escalate, and mitigate release risks while ensuring timely communication with technical and business stakeholders.Required Skills & ExperienceExperience working with IBM i (AS/400 / IBM iSeries) platforms or enterprise applications running on IBM i.Strong understanding of IBM i architecture, libraries, objects, save/restore processes, PTF management, and deployment methodologies.Proven experience in Release Management, Deployment Management, or Configuration Management within enterprise environments.Experience managing software versioning, release manifests, and configuration records across multiple environments.Experience planning and coordinating pilot deployments and phased production rollouts across distributed business locations.Good understanding of ITIL Release and Change Management processes.Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience preparing deployment documentation, operational runbooks, and executive reports.Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams including Development, QA, Infrastructure, Operations, Support, and external vendors.Working knowledge of scripting or automation technologies such as CL, CLLE, SQL, shell scripting, or similar tools is desirable.Willingness to support planned release windows outside standard business hours when required.Preferred QualificationsExperience supporting enterprise transaction processing or business-critical IBM i applications.Familiarity with configuration management databases (CMDB), issue tracking systems, change management platforms, and source control tools.Experience managing deployments across distributed or remote operational environments.Location: GermanyType: Contract
