Change/Release/Production Operations Specialist (Payments - Banking)

12 Months Contract Role, with a potential to extend Role OverviewChange Operations is responsible for the end-to-end planning, governance, coordination, and execution oversight of technology changes across the Payments and Merchant platforms. This includes application, infrastructure, network, and release changes, ensuring that all changes are effectively assessed, governed, coordinated, and implemented with minimal impact to customers and the business.The successful candidate will play a key role in maintaining production stability and operational resilience by managing change impact assessments, release readiness, cutovers, routing activities, and emergency changes across a complex and global technology environment.Key ResponsibilitiesManage the end-to-end lifecycle of technology changes, including planning, impact assessment, governance, coordination, implementation, and post-implementation review.Conduct change impact and risk assessments across application, infrastructure, network, and platform changes.Coordinate release and deployment activities across multiple technology and business teams.Ensure all changes meet the required governance, approval, documentation, and operational readiness standards before implementation.Manage and coordinate production cutovers, release activities, routing changes, and time-sensitive deployments.Facilitate Change Advisory Board (CAB) and emergency change governance activities where required.Work closely with Application Development, Infrastructure, Network, Production Support, Operations, and Business teams to identify dependencies and minimise implementation risks.Monitor critical changes and deployments, ensuring appropriate escalation and coordination where issues arise.Support major incidents and emergency changes, ensuring rapid assessment, decision-making, governance, and execution.Maintain accurate change records, reporting, dashboards, and operational documentation.Identify opportunities to improve change processes, governance, automation, and operational efficiency.Support global stakeholders and teams across multiple time zones and provide flexibility for critical releases, incidents, and production activities outside standard working hours when required.RequirementsProven experience in Technology Change Management, Change Operations, Release Management, Production Support, or IT Operations.Experience managing application, infrastructure, network, and production changes within a large and complex enterprise environment.Strong understanding of change governance, risk assessment, release readiness, cutover planning, rollback planning, and production stability.Experience working in a Banking, Financial Services, Payments, Merchant Services, or Digital Banking environment would be highly advantageous.Exposure to digital applications, payment platforms, transaction processing, or enterprise technology ecosystems is preferred.Experience with ITSM and Change Management tools such as ServiceNow, Remedy, or similar platforms.Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate multiple teams during critical activities.Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment, particularly during production incidents and emergency changes.Strong ownership, attention to detail, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.AI and Generative AIExposure to AI and Generative AI technologies is highly desirable. Candidates should ideally have experience using AI, automation, analytics, Copilot tools, or GenAI solutions to improve areas such as:Change impact assessments and risk analysisChange and release reviewsRelease planning and coordinationOperational reporting and dashboardingWorkflow automationDecision-making and data-driven insightsChange governance and operational efficiency