Program Manager

Airtel; Chandigarh; On-site; INR 3,000,000 - 5,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Airtel seeks a highly skilled Program Manager to lead SD-Branch deployment programs, coordinating cross-functional teams and ensuring delivery from concept to handover.

You will drive technical strategy, security integration with FortiGate or Cisco firewalls, risk management, and vendor coordination to meet multi-million dollar budgets and tight timelines.

Qualifications

• In-depth IT/Network program or project management experience with a focus on network infrastructure.
• Strong routing & switching knowledge (BGP, OSPF, MPLS) and network security principles.
• Hands-on experience configuring Fortigate or Cisco Firewalls.
• Proven track record managing large SD-WAN deployments (Cisco Viptela, VMware SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Silver Peak).

Responsibilities

• End-to-end program leadership across multiple concurrent SD-WAN deployment programs.
• Stakeholder management with clients, engineering, security, and leadership; regular status updates.
• Develop and own the overall program plan including requirements, resources, risks, and rollout schedules.
• Ensure security policy compliance and seamless integration of next-gen firewalls.
• Identify and mitigate risks; escalate and drive issues to resolution.
• Coordinate with Cisco, Fortinet, VMware, carriers and internal teams for execution.
• Oversee QA and handoff of project documentation.

Skills

End-to-End program leadership

Stakeholder management

Vendor coordination

Risk management

Communication skills

Agile/Waterfall/Hybrid

Financial acumen

Documentation & handover

Tools

Jira

MS Project

Smartsheet

FortiGate

Cisco Firewalls

VMware SD-WAN

Job description

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Program Manager to lead and oversee the delivery of our complex SD-Branch implementation projects. In this pivotal role, you will be the central point of contact, responsible for ensuring the successful planning, execution, and completion of SD-Branch projects from conception to operational handover.

Key Responsibilities

• End-to-End Program Leadership: Manage the entire lifecycle of multiple, concurrent SD-WAN deployment programs, ensuring they are delivered on time, within scope, and on budget.
• Stakeholder Management: Serve as the primary liaison between clients, internal engineering teams, security teams, and leadership. Provide regular, clear updates on program status, risks, and milestones.
• Technical Strategy & Planning: Develop and own the overall program plan, including technical requirements, resource allocation, risk mitigation strategies, and detailed rollout schedules.
• Security Integration: Leverage your deep security expertise to guide the integration of next-generation firewalls (specifically Fortigate or Cisco) into the SD-WAN architecture, ensuring compliance with security policies.
• Risk & Issue Management: Proactively identify, track, and mitigate program risks and technical issues. Escalate critical concerns appropriately and drive them to resolution.
• Vendor & Resource Coordination: Coordinate with technology vendors (e.g., Cisco, Fortinet, VMware), carriers, and internal resources to ensure seamless project execution.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure all delivered solutions meet the defined technical, security, and performance standards. Oversee the creation and handoff of all project documentation.

Preferred candidate profile

Overall Experience: A minimum of years of progressive experience in IT/Network program or project management, with a significant focus on network infrastructure.

Technical Expertise (Mandatory)

• Deep, hands-on technical knowledge of Routing & Switching (BGP, OSPF, MPLS) and Network Security principles.
• Hands-on experience configuring, deploying, and troubleshooting either Fortigate or Cisco Firewalls.
• Proven experience managing large-scale SD-WAN deployments (e.g., Cisco Viptela, VMware SD-WAN, Fortinet Secure SD-WAN, Silver Peak).

Program Management Skills

• Expertise in program management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, Hybrid) and tools (e.g., Jira, MS Project, Smartsheet).
• Strong financial acumen with experience managing multi-million dollar program budgets.
• Excellent client-facing and internal communication skills.

Certifications (Preferred)

• One or more is highly desirable: PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP.