Technical Program Manager

redBus; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,000,000 - 6,500,000; Full time

Job summary

redBus seeks a Technical Program Manager (TPM) to drive complex cross-functional programs from planning through delivery in Bengaluru. The role blends business strategy with engineering execution, requiring an MBA and strong software foundation.

You will connect Product, Engineering, QA, and Business teams to translate objectives into scalable products and regional market expansions. You will lead architecture reviews, API integration, and system design while tracking metrics like sprint

Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent with STEM undergrad.
• Strong software engineering foundation (SDLC, databases, release workflows).
• Experience as Software Engineer / SDET / DevOps prior to MBA is valued.
• Excellent analytical and business acumen to translate business goals into technical plans.
• Strong communication, storytelling, and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Translate high-level business goals into actionable technical execution plans with milestones.
• Lead cross-functional technical programs across regions and strategic initiatives.
• Partner with Product and Engineering directors to balance technical complexity and business impact.
• Drive governance and communicate blockers, risks, and decisions to leadership.
• Participate in architecture discussions, API integration, and system reviews.
• Apply business analytics to engineering delivery and optimize performance metrics.
• Ensure DoR is observed and promote shift-left quality practices.
• Lead AI and GenAI programs from PoC to scalable production.
• Define and monitor AI success metrics for engineering and business outcomes.

Skills

SDLC

Database architectures

Release workflows

Software Engineer background

SDET / QA background

DevOps experience

Analytical skills

Communication skills

High-agency ownership

Education

Post-Graduate Degree in Management (MBA or equivalent)

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, or related technical field

Tools

SQL

APIs

JIRA APIs

Job description

The Technical Program Manager (TPM) drives complex, cross-functional technical programs from planning through execution and delivery.

At redBus, we recognize that the best TPMs sit at the intersection of business strategy and deep engineering execution. This role is specifically tailored for lateral hires who hold a post-graduate degree in management (MBA) coupled with a solid foundation in software engineering.

You will act as the key strategic bridge connecting Product, Engineering, QA, and Business teams. Whether you are translating business objectives into scalable products, orchestrating regional market expansions, or piloting new generative AI capabilities, you will be the collaborative anchor who brings business logic and engineering execution together.

• Business-to-Tech Translation: Translate high-level business goals, market entry strategies, and product metrics into clear, actionable technical execution plans, milestones, and measurable engineering outcomes.
• Cross-Domain Orchestration: Lead complex, cross-functional technical programs, geo-expansions (e.g., managing timelines, resource capacity, and rollout plans across international markets), and strategic engineering initiatives.
• Prioritization & ROI Partnering: Partner closely with Product Managers and Engineering Directors to evaluate trade-offs, balance technical complexity against business impact, and optimize resource allocation.
• Stakeholder Governance & Communication: Drive executive-level program governance. Synthesize complex technical blockers, architectural decisions, and delivery risks into clear, business-focused updates for leadership and cross-functional stakeholders.
• Architectural & Design Empathy: Draw on your past engineering background to participate actively in architecture, API integration, and system reviews. Help identify technical risks, interface bottlenecks, and system dependencies early.
• Operational Metrics & Analytics: Apply business analytics to engineering delivery. Track, analyze, and optimize performance metrics (such as Sprint Delivery Predictability, Defect Density, and Time-Weighted Build Delay) to implement data-driven process improvements.
• Sprint Readiness & Governance: Enforce a healthy Definition of Readiness (DoR) and promote "Shift-Left" quality practices to ensure developers and QA align early, reducing post-release issues.
• AI Initiative Orchestration: Drive customer-facing AI and GenAI programs from experimental proof-of-concept (PoC) through to scalable production and adoption.
• AI Success Metrics: Establish and monitor performance metrics that capture both engineering efficiency and business value (e.g., system latency, accuracy, and user adoption rates).

Automation & Productivity (Internal Leverage)

• Agile Tooling & Workflow Optimization: Use scripting, APIs, or low-code frameworks to prototype lightweight dashboards, JIRA automations, and reporting workflows that save engineering hours.
• Process Redesign: Identify operational bottlenecks and implement scalable mechanisms that eliminate manual tracking and coordination overhead.

Required Qualifications

• Educational Background: Post-Graduate Degree in Management (MBA or equivalent) from a premier institution, coupled with a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, IT, or a related technical field.
• Prior Technical Experience: Strong foundations in software engineering (SDLC, database architectures, and release workflows) with a proven track record of working as a Software Engineer, SDET, DevOps, or Test Engineer prior to your MBA.
• Strategic & Analytical Skills: Outstanding business acumen with the ability to structure ambiguous problems, build decision-making frameworks, and analyze delivery data to drive action.
• Communication & Influencing: Exceptional communication, storytelling, and negotiation skills—capable of gaining technical respect from engineers while presenting clearly to business executives.
• High-Agency Ownership: A bias for execution, a collaborative team-first mindset, and the ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Software Delivery: 2+ years of professional hands-on software development or technical delivery experience prior to or during your MBA.
• Cross-Functional Project Exposure: Experience managing or consulting on tech-heavy projects, platform migrations, or data-driven digital transformation initiatives.
• Technical Familiarity: Hands-on comfort with SQL, exploring APIs, or utilizing lightweight scripting and workflow automations (JIRA APIs).

What Success Looks Like

A successful MBA-lateral TPM at redBus acts as a strategic and operational anchor:

• Strategic Alignment: Minimizes the gap between "what the business wants" and "what engineering builds," resulting in highly predictable and commercially impactful releases.
• Data-Driven Execution: Improves sprint delivery predictability to remain consistently within the 90%-100% band using analytical metrics.
• Risk & Velocity Optimization: Proactively identifies and mitigates cross-team dependencies and design bottlenecks before they block development.
• Process Leverage: Successfully designs and introduces automated mechanisms or workflows that significantly reduce manual tracking effort for engineering squads.

At redBus, this TPM is expected to operate as a technical program leader, strategic business translator, AI enabler, and execution driver.