Head - Special Deployment Projects

airtel; Gurugram District; On-site; INR 3,500,000 - 7,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Airtel is seeking a Head of Fiber Deployment to lead planning, deployment, and operationalization of fiber infrastructure across the region. You will drive end-to-end fiber rollouts, POP deployments, and transport network improvements with strict adherence to timelines and budgets.

The role requires extensive experience in optical fiber rollout, backhaul planning, and vendor management, along with leadership of large cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality, scalable networks.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field required.
• 15+ years of experience in telecom infrastructure deployment and network implementation.
• Extensive experience in optical fiber rollouts, transport deployment, backhaul planning, and POP deployment.
• Experience managing multi-vendor ecosystems and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead deployment and integration of strategic network infrastructure projects across transport, backbone, and collector ring architecture.
• Develop deployment strategies to support broadband, mobility, and enterprise connectivity.
• Drive network expansion plans ensuring scalability, resiliency, and capacity planning.
• Oversee end-to-end fiber rollout projects including backbone, feeder, backhaul, and access networks.

Skills

Fiber Deployment

Backhaul Planning

GPON/DWDM/ONT

Network Capacity Planning

Regulatory Compliance

Vendor & Contract Management

Team Leadership

Multi-vendor Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Telecommunications/ Electronics/ Electrical/ CS)

MBA or Project Management certification

Tools

IRU Asset Management

Dark Fiber Onboarding

Job description

The Head - Fiber Deployment will be responsible for leading the planning, deployment, integration, and operationalization of fiber infrastructure projects across the region/network. The role will drive end-to-end execution of strategic fiber rollouts, backhaul network expansion, POP deployments, and transport network enhancement initiatives while ensuring adherence to timelines, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and budget commitments.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Program Management

• Lead deployment and integration of strategic network infrastructure projects aligned with transport, collector ring, and backbone network architecture.
• Develop deployment strategies to support broadband, mobility, enterprise, and digital connectivity initiatives.
• Drive network expansion plans ensuring scalability, resiliency, and future capacity requirements.

Fiber Network Deployment

• Oversee end-to-end execution of optical fiber rollout projects including backbone, feeder, backhaul, and access fiber networks.
• Ensure timely delivery of fiber deployment programs, POP establishments, route creation, and network integration activities.
• Monitor project milestones, implementation schedules, and vendor deliverables to achieve rollout commitments.

Network Planning & Capacity Management

• Lead fiber capacity dimensioning and optimization across transport and backhaul layers.
• Drive route engineering, fiber utilization planning, redundancy design, and node optimization initiatives.
• Ensure optimal utilization of fiber assets, dark fiber resources, and IRU-based infrastructure.

Technology & Network Architecture

• Provide leadership on GPON, DWDM, MPLS transport, and optical networking technologies.
• Drive onboarding and integration of dark fiber assets, leased infrastructure, and IRU networks.
• Ensure deployment adherence to approved network design standards and architecture guidelines.

Regulatory & Stakeholder Management

• Coordinate with government bodies, local authorities, municipalities, and utility agencies for Right of Way (RoW) approvals.
• Engage with internal stakeholders including Network Planning, Operations, Commercial, SCM, Finance, and Legal teams for seamless project execution.
• Ensure compliance with statutory, regulatory, and environmental requirements.

Vendor & Partner Management

• Manage EPC partners, fiber deployment vendors, civil contractors, and infrastructure providers.
• Review vendor performance, deployment quality, SLA adherence, and commercial commitments.
• Drive governance reviews and performance management mechanisms with all deployment partners.

Quality, Governance & Budget Management

• Ensure compliance with deployment standards, safety norms, and quality benchmarks.
• Drive cost optimization initiatives across deployment and operational activities.
• Manage project budgets, capex utilization, risk mitigation plans, and governance reviews.
• Deliver projects within approved timelines, budget, and quality parameters.

Team Leadership

• Lead large cross-functional deployment and project management teams.
• Build organizational capability in fiber deployment, transport technologies, and infrastructure management.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on execution excellence and continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering (Telecommunications, Electronics, Electrical, Computer Science, or related discipline).
• MBA or Project Management certification will be an added advantage.

Experience

• 15+ years of experience in telecommunications infrastructure deployment and network implementation.
• Extensive experience in optical fiber rollouts, transport network deployment, backhaul planning, and POP deployment.
• Strong exposure to large-scale regional or national network infrastructure projects.
• Experience managing multi-vendor ecosystems and cross-functional teams.

Technical Competencies

• Fiber Network Deployment & Rollout Management
• Backhaul Network Planning & Optimization
• BBNL/BharatNet Infrastructure Programs
• IRU Asset Management & Dark Fiber Onboarding
• GPON, DWDM & Optical Transport Networks
• Transport & Collector Ring Architecture
• RoW Management & Regulatory Compliance
• Network Capacity Planning & Dimensioning
• Project Management & Program Governance
• Vendor & Contract Management

Success Metrics

• Fiber rollout completion against plan
• Network availability and resiliency improvement
• On-time project delivery
• Capex efficiency and budget adherence
• RoW closure and site operationalization timelines
• Vendor SLA compliance
• Fiber utilization and network capacity optimization
• Stakeholder satisfaction and governance effectiveness