diff --git a/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml b/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b8002fff3f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/release-testing.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+name: Release Testing
+
+on:
+  push:
+    branches:
+      - 'hotfix-*-rc--*'
+      - 'rc--*'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+env:
+  AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_CONTENT: ${{ secrets.AWS_SHARED_CREDENTIALS_FILE }}
+  BAZEL_STARTUP_ARGS: "--output_base=/var/tmp/bazel-output/"
+  CI_COMMIT_SHA: ${{ github.sha }}
+  CI_COMMIT_REF_PROTECTED: ${{ github.ref_protected }}
+  CI_JOB_NAME: ${{ github.job }}
+  CI_JOB_ID: ${{ github.job }} # github does not expose this variable https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/8945
+  CI_JOB_URL: "${{ github.server_url }}/${{ github.repository }}/actions/runs/${{ github.run_id }}"
+  CI_PIPELINE_SOURCE: ${{ github.event_name }}
+  CI_PROJECT_DIR: ${{ github.workspace }}
+  CI_MERGE_REQUEST_TARGET_BRANCH_NAME: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.ref }}
+  ROOT_PIPELINE_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
+
+jobs:
+  bazel-system-test-nightly:
+    name: Bazel System Test Nightly
+    runs-on:
+      labels: bazel-runner-large
+    container:
+      image: ghcr.io/dfinity-sandbox/ic-build@sha256:994f76fcc90400ec9f8be3d540bd529ff1b3768b7f7f6963887022c57ec1ab24
+    timeout-minutes: 180 # 3 hours
+    if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - name: Run Bazel System Test Nightly
+        id: bazel-test-all
+        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
+        with:
+          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//... --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --verbose_failures --test_tag_filters=system_test_nightly"
+      - name: After script
+        run: |
+          bazel clean
+
+  bazel-system-test-staging:
+    name: Bazel System Test Staging
+    continue-on-error: True
+    runs-on:
+      labels: bazel-runner-large
+    container:
+      image: ghcr.io/dfinity-sandbox/ic-build@sha256:994f76fcc90400ec9f8be3d540bd529ff1b3768b7f7f6963887022c57ec1ab24
+    timeout-minutes: 180 # 3 hours
+    if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v3
+      - name: Run Bazel System Test Staging
+        id: bazel-test-all
+        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
+        with:
+          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
+          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//... --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
+          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
+          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --verbose_failures --test_tag_filters=system_test_staging"
+      - name: After script
+        run: |
+          bazel clean
diff --git a/.github/workflows/schedule-daily.yml b/.github/workflows/schedule-daily.yml
index cd0e02a3af9..21d9cf30a4d 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/schedule-daily.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/schedule-daily.yml
@@ -19,29 +19,6 @@ env:
   ROOT_PIPELINE_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
 
 jobs:
-  bazel-system-test-nightly:
-    name: Bazel System Test Nightly
-    runs-on:
-      labels: bazel-runner-large
-    container:
-      image: ghcr.io/dfinity-sandbox/ic-build@sha256:994f76fcc90400ec9f8be3d540bd529ff1b3768b7f7f6963887022c57ec1ab24
-    timeout-minutes: 180 # 3 hours
-    if: ${{ vars.RUN_CI == 'true' }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Checkout
-        uses: actions/checkout@v3
-      - name: Run Bazel System Test Nightly
-        id: bazel-test-all
-        uses: ./.github/actions/bazel-test-all/
-        with:
-          BAZEL_COMMAND: "test"
-          BAZEL_TARGETS: "//... --deleted_packages=gitlab-ci/src/gitlab_config"
-          BAZEL_CI_CONFIG: "--config=ci --repository_cache=/cache/bazel"
-          BAZEL_EXTRA_ARGS: "--keep_going --verbose_failures --test_tag_filters=system_test_nightly"
-      - name: After script
-        run: |
-          bazel clean
-
   # TODO: there was some issue with this job so commented out for now:
   #
   # rust-benchmarks: