R&D Program & Release Manager

Program & Release Manager

Location: Raanana

#LI-Hybrid

About DriveNets

DriveNets is a software company revolutionizing the networking space with a cutting-edge routing stack that runs on dedicated whitebox hardware. Our platform disaggregates hardware from software, giving service providers the scale and flexibility to operate their networks more efficiently. By disaggregating software from hardware and running our high-performance routing stack on merchant silicon and whitebox hardware, we enable service providers, hyperscalers, and large enterprises to support explosive data growth—efficiently and cost-effectively.

The Opportunity

We are looking for an experienced and impact-driven Program & Release Manager to join our Program and Release Management group. This is a high-visibility role at the core of product execution, ensuring the successful delivery of complex software releases in a fast-paced, agile environment. You will drive planning, execution, risk management, and delivery while thinking holistically about interdependencies, datadriven insights, and continuous improvement. Youʼll act as the bridge between cross-functional stakeholders—from engineering to product to operations—aligning everyone on a common roadmap and development pace.

Key Responsibilities

Lead end-to-end release planning and execution across cross-functional teams, from early scoping to final delivery.
Drive alignment between product, R&D, architecture, QA, and operations to ensure shared goals and seamless execution.
Provide actionable insights through thoughtful analysis and high-quality documentation (dashboards, reports, timelines).
Translate business and technical complexity into clear priorities, manage trade-offs, and set realistic expectations.
Proactively identify and mitigate risks, escalate effectively, and resolve bottlenecks before they impact delivery.
Define and track key metrics KPIs to evaluate release readiness, team velocity, and quality outcomes.
Ensure delivery is aligned to Agile principles, with a consistent cadence of incremental value delivery across teams.
Coordinate cross-team dependencies, facilitating synchronization and milestone adherence across the Agile Release
Train.
Continuously assess and refine delivery processes and methodologies to support scale and quality.
Foster a culture of ownership, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Requirements:

5+ years of experience in program, release, or project management roles within software R&D, ideally in large-scale Agile
environments.
Deep understanding of Agile methodologies, software development life cycles, and cross-functional planning practices.
Strong working knowledge of branching strategies, release trains, and their implications on CI/CD pipelines and
development flow.
Excellent ability to synthesize complex technical and business inputs into structured plans and clear documentation.
Network Cloud Specifications
Comfortable engaging in technical discussions and drilling down with engineers to clarify blockers and decisions.
Able to operate effectively in high-paced, multi-threaded environments, managing context switches and competing
priorities.
A problem-solving mindset: proactive, analytical, self-driven, and able to lead without formal authority.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, capable of aligning and influencing stakeholders at all levels.
Proficiency in Jira, Confluence, and Agile project tracking tools.

Bonus Points

Jira Admin experience
Formal certifications such as PMP, SAFe, RTE, or SCM
Background in telecom, cloud infrastructure, or networking domains