Implement a new permission that lets a user have "version maintenance " capabilities. This is currently only available to "project admins" – but would be better delegated to "release/project managers".
This was originally raised in JRA-2473. Now that more rights have been bundled under the "Administer Projects" permission , there really is a need for a separate "Manage Versions" permission for release managers. I also saw that JRA-11884 requests that user management be a separate permission.
If you are interested in implementation of JRA-11884, please vote for it. Voting for an issue gives us a better indication on how popular it is.
Thanks,
Anton