Technical Program Manager

We are looking for an experienced Technical Program Manager to design, manage and evolve the mission-critical, large-scale, asynchronous, microservice-driven applications powering the Open Network For Digital Commerce (ONDC) leveraging emerging tech. At ONDC, we have built multiple nationwide, population-scale applications across different sectors, including consumer goods, F& B, mobility, and financial services. This role demands a builder who understands how to design and manage massive distributed systems while driving network-wide adoption and scaling.

The core responsibilities for the job include the following:

Technical Program Leadership and Implementation:

• Own the end-to-end technical implementation activities for high-impact programmes within the ONDC ecosystem.
• Define processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for implementing utilities, protocols, and products.
• Serve as the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for business and operations teams regarding organisation-wide technical initiatives.

Stakeholder Coordination and Strategic Initiatives:

• Coordinate across multiple vendor teams, internal stakeholders, and cross-functional units to ensure timely delivery within resource constraints.
• Lead organisation-wide strategic initiatives that cut across verticals, such as registry upgrades, certification frameworks, and network observability.
• Utilise storyboarding to explain complex technical concepts and strategic roadmaps to key stakeholders.

Procurement and Lifecycle Management RFP and Bid Management:

• Lead the end-to-end preparation of Requests for Proposal (RFPs), manage the competitive bidding process, and oversee vendor evaluation and selection.

Contract Management:

• Drive the contract lifecycle, ensuring all technical and functional SLAs are clearly defined, negotiated, and adhered to by technology partners.

Vendor Governance:

• Manage the technology service providers for core network components, including registries and gateways, ensuring high performance and accountability.

Risk Management and Governance:

• Ensure all project guidelines, policies, and procedures (both functional and technical) are strictly followed throughout the project lifecycle.
• Identify potential risks to project success and develop robust mitigation strategies to safeguard delivery.
• Oversee tech operations specifically related to protocol implementation and network compliance.

Requirements:

• Program Management: 8+ years in IT, with a proven track record of managing complex, technically diverse, and successful IT products.
• Strategic Planning: Demonstrated experience developing and executing project plans involving multiple stakeholders across business and engineering.
• Methodology and Tools: Excellent understanding of Agile-based delivery and proficiency with tools such as GitHub, Jira, and SwaggerHub.
• Planning: Mastery in developing detailed project milestones, timeline plans, and resource mapping.
• Communication: Exceptional presentation and communication skills, capable of bridging the gap between deep technical teams and business leadership.
• Preferred Qualifications Education: Master's degree preferred; minimum qualification of BE / BTech / MCA / MBA or equivalent. Relevant certification will be preferred.
• Technical Literacy: Good understanding of OpenAPIs; hands-on knowledge of JSON, XML, or YAML is a significant plus. Agile/Scrum/DevOps program management exposure.
• Domain Expertise: Experience in digital commerce or large-scale, internet-facing infrastructure.
• Procurement Expertise: Solid experience in drafting RFPs, managing bid processes, and handling complex contract negotiations with IT vendors.