Program Manager
Location: Bengaluru
About the Role
Happiest Minds is looking for an experienced and results-driven Program Director to lead large-scale, complex technology programs and strategic client engagements. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in program management within a service-based IT organization, with proven experience in driving delivery excellence, stakeholder management, governance, financial oversight, and business transformation initiatives.
As a Program Director, you will be responsible for managing multiple projects and workstreams, ensuring successful delivery, client satisfaction, operational efficiency, and alignment with organizational goals. You will work closely with customers, delivery teams, practice leaders, and executive stakeholders to drive business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage large-scale programs comprising multiple projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives and customer expectations.
- Own end-to-end program delivery, including planning, execution, governance, risk management, quality, and financial performance.
- Establish and drive program governance frameworks, review mechanisms, and reporting structures.
- Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, executive stakeholders, and leadership teams.
- Manage program budgets, revenue forecasts, margins, and resource planning to ensure successful program outcomes.
- Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks, dependencies, and escalations.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, product, architecture, delivery, and business teams.
- Mentor and guide project managers and delivery leaders on program management best practices.
- Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring transparency and continuous improvement.
- Support business growth through account expansion, customer engagement, and strategic initiatives.
- Drive organizational change, process optimization, and delivery excellence initiatives.
Required Skills & Experience
- Strong experience in Program Management within a service-based IT organization.
- Proven track record of managing large, complex digital transformation or technology delivery programs.
- Expertise in program governance, delivery management, stakeholder management, and risk management.
- Strong understanding of Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery methodologies.
- Experience managing geographically distributed and cross-functional teams.
- Exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong financial acumen with experience managing program budgets, revenue, margins, and forecasting.
- Ability to engage with senior client stakeholders and executive leadership.
- Hands-on experience with project management tools such as Microsoft Project, Jira, Azure DevOps, or similar platforms.
Preferred Experience
- Experience managing enterprise application development, cloud transformation, data, digital engineering, or product engineering programs.
- Exposure to global delivery models and large-scale customer engagements.
- Experience driving account growth and strategic customer relationships.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Information Technology, Business Management, or a related field.
- MBA or equivalent management qualification is preferred.
- PMP, PgMP, Prince2, Agile certifications, or equivalent certifications are highly desirable.
Experience
- 15+ years of overall IT industry experience
- 10+ years of Program Management experience
- Extensive experience leading multi-million-dollar programs and strategic customer engagements in a service-based environment