Technical Program Manager

The candidate will have responsibilities across the following functions:

Business-as-usual (BAU):

• Own the release calendar for underwriting systems: release planning, change advisory (CAB), go / no-go, deployment and post-release verification.
• Govern production support: incident, problem and change management for underwriting applications; drive RCA and permanent fixes.
• Track and enforce internal and vendor SLAs for L2 / L3 support and enhancement requests.
• Coordinate regulatory and audit-driven technical changes (VAPT closures, DR drills, access reviews, IRDAI cybersecurity requirements).
• Maintain capacity planning across BAU vs. transformation and flag over-commitment early.

Transformation programs:

• Plan and run large programs such as rules engine migration, core platform integration, API / microservices modernisation, cloud moves and AI model deployment.
• Build integrated plans across teams and vendors: milestones, critical path, dependencies, environments and cutover.
• Run the program cadence: sprint reviews, PI / quarterly planning, steering committees and status reporting.
• Maintain RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) logs and drive mitigations to closure.
• Partner with Architecture on technical design decisions, non-functional requirements (performance, availability, security) and technical debt.
• Manage program budgets, vendor statements of work, milestones and invoicing linked to deliverables.
• Plan and execute data migration, parallel runs, cutover and hypercare.

Delivery excellence:

• Introduce delivery metrics (DORA-style) and continuously improve engineering flow.
• Standardise delivery artefacts and make program health visible through dashboards.

Requirements:

• 5+ years in technical program/project management delivering software in an enterprise environment.
• Strong grasp of SDLC, Agile (Scrum / Kanban) and hybrid delivery for regulated environments.
• Technical fluency: APIs, integrations, microservices, databases, cloud basics; able to engage with architects and engineers.
• Release, change and incident management experience (ITIL practices).
• Proven management of multiple vendors/system integrators, SOWs and SLAs.
• Risk and dependency management across multiple teams.
• Proficiency with Jira, Confluence, MS Project or equivalent; strong reporting and dashboarding.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including steering-committee reporting.
• BFSI experience (insurance, banking or NBFC).
• Budget tracking and program financials.

Nice to have skills (optional):

• Insurance / underwriting domain exposure (proposal lifecycle, policy issuance).
• Experience with core insurance platforms (e. g., TCS BaNCS or similar).
• Delivery of AI / ML or data platform programs (model deployment, MLOps).
• DevOps and CI/CD exposure (Jenkins, GitLab, Azure DevOps), automated testing.
• Cloud migration experience (AWS / Azure / GCP).
• Awareness of IRDAI Information and Cyber Security guidelines and DPDP Act.
• Certifications: PMP / PgMP, SAFe RTE / SPC, CSM, ITIL v4.
• Prior hands-on engineering background (developer / QA / architect).
• SQL and basic data analysis.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering / Computer Science / IT or related field.
• PMP / PgMP / SAFe certification preferred.

Behavioural competencies:

• Strong ownership and follow-through; brings structure to ambiguity.
• Calm under pressure during incidents, cutovers and go-lives.
• Escalates early and transparently with options, not just problems.
• Collaborative across business, technology and vendor teams.