Director - Technical Program Management

Company Description:
Flipkart is India's leading online marketplace, helping drive the reach and adoption of e-commerce across
India. As a home-grown tech company, they are deeply focused on solving unique Indian problems
through innovation and have pioneered industry-disrupting innovations that have built affordability, quality,
choice and convenience into Indians shopping habits.
Flipkart is committed to the cause of transforming commerce in India through our investments in
made-in-India technology innovations, customer-centric features and constructs, a diverse category
landscape and a world-class supply chain. With a customer base of over 350 million, product coverage of
over 150 million across 80+ categories, focus on generating direct and indirect employment and a
commitment to empowering generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs and a sustainable growth strategy
– Flipkart is maximising for our customers, stakeholders, and the planet at large
At Flipkart, our promise to every Flipster is - they’ll get an opportunity to leave a mark and create their own
legacy, they’ll have the freedom to experiment, learn and grow, they will get to work with the best in our
inclusive teams and we will extend our culture of care to them to ensure that they can focus on doing their
best work.
Driven by our promises and core values of Audacity, Bias for Action, Customer First, Integrity and
Inclusion – Flipsters have pioneered transformational solutions right from cash-on-delivery that
significantly improved adoption of online commerce to Shopsy – our new digital commerce platform
where budding entrepreneurs can start their own business with zero investment.
We understand that your own aspirations and journeys are unique. So you choose what you want to
maximise, and we provide you the platform for it. Because when you maximise, we maximise.
Flipkart is a part of the Walmart-owned Flipkart Group, which also includes group companies Flipkart,
Myntra, Flipkart Health+ and Cleartrip.
Role: Director - Technical Program Management
Reporting To: Senior Director PSD
Location: Embassy Tech Village, Bangalore
Direct Team size: 4-5
Role Summary
General
● Technical Program Management is a sub-function under Strategy Deployment function and is
responsible to drive large, complex, multi-phased Technical Initiatives that helps to deliver Product/Tech
and Business & Operations Capabilities that are identified by Flipkart Leadership as part of Annual
Strategy process and managed through Quarterly implementation cycles.
● Technical Program Management acts as an enabler by playing a critical role in initiation of programs
defining, structuring and building a deliverable based plan in leading cross-functional Product/Tech
teams to focus on outcomes that have business value meeting strategic objectives.
● Technical Program Management requires a high level of self-initiative and problem solving ability in a
highly ambiguous environment with-in the organization. Technical Program Management makes things
happen at Flipkart from Business asks to successful program implementation.
Specific
● This leader will manage a group of Senior Technical Program Managers & partner with Engineering
leadership of the Flipkart. Objectives of this group are - ensuring Resiliency, Scalability of Tech Systems,
Security, Compliance, Standardization and Risk Management.
● Data center Migrations, Scale & Risk Management for spike events in B2C commerce, Application
Upgrade Cycles Strategy, Tech Business Continuity Planning, Opex optimization will be functional areas
where strategic programs will be set up in any given year, this team of program managers help to
○ Structure the program
○ Manage execution
○ Manage Risk & Communication
Responsibilities
● Partner with Stakeholders (Engineering leaders, Architects, Product) in understanding long-term
capabilities / initiatives that need to be managed in-line with the Organizational/Functional goals.
● Drive the Strategy Setting & Review exercises like OKR Finalisation, Quarterly/Monthly OKR
Reviews for the Product/Tech teams
● Create/manage prioritization and execution framework to manage backlog of Initiatives.
● Own and execute E2E the SDLC for one or more top level key technical initiatives by partnering with
Project Sponsors, other Technical Program Managers, and multiple development teams
● Partner with Architects and drive high-quality technical solutions, and provide inputs regarding
architecture, design, and priorities
● Identify, assess and mitigate risks, provide escalation management, anticipate and make tradeoffs
balancing the business needs versus constraints
● Clearly articulate & communicate vision, plans and project status to Flipkart Leadership Team and
key technical and business stakeholders
● Engage with other teams across Flipkart to evangelize your teams’ work, to build relationships and
help identify existing technologies/processes that can be leveraged to meet your team’s goals
Must Haves
● Good business & product/tech understanding of few of the following
○ Datacenter Technology & Migration Planning
○ Cloud Migration Strategies
○ Mobile App Development
○ User Experience Design
○ e-Commerce Funnel e2e
○ Fulfillment & Supply Chain
● Strong technical, analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to use data and metrics to back
up assumptions, recommendations and drive decisions
● Demonstrated ability to understand and discuss technical concepts, manage tradeoffs and
evaluate opportunistic new ideas with internal and external partners
● Hands-on experience in establishing and driving Agile methodology
● Detail-oriented with a demonstrated ability to self-motivate and follow-through on programs
● Taking ownership and of delivering results in a fast paced environment, including history of
successfully delivering large scale projects end to end, through the entire life-cycle
Competencies needed for Success
● E2E Thinking - Understand the overall product/tech strategy, influence/align cross functional
teams, with an entrepreneurial mindset in solving the underlying product/tech challenge
● Technology Acumen - Understand relevant Tech stack for mobile app development, microservices,
data centers, virtual machines, Kubernetes etc
● Stakeholder Management - Align the stakeholders on 'What's' and the 'How's' of the
Technical Program
● Execution Excellence - Drive execution rigor using set practises , Manage & Drive
Change wherever needed
● Problem Solving & Decision Making - Proactively identify problems & drive solutions,
Make decisions which are based on the values and principles of the organization
Experience
● 14-20 years industry experience in total with min 4 to 8 years of product / technology
background in implementing Product & Tech solutions addressing business needs & outcomes
● Experience in partnering with Senior Leadership & driving Strategic Initiatives
● Must have led large, multi-team technical programs / initiatives that addressed end customer’s
pain points / business outcomes directly
● A very good understanding of Program Management methodologies including hands-on
experience in driving various aspect of program management
● Very good understanding of SDLC methodologies, in particular Agile methodologies and a
know-how in implementing & adapting them
● Startup experience will be a plus
Education/Qualification
Bachelors/Masters Degree in Computer Science/Information Technology, PMP/other program
management certifications, Agile/SAFE certification
Why work with us?
At Flipkart, we promise to maximize what you care about the most. You’ll get an opportunity to leave a
mark and create your own legacy, you’ll have freedom to experiment, learn and grow, you’ll get to work
with the best in our inclusive teams and experience our culture of care to ensure that you can focus on
doing your best work.
Every Flipster is a Maximiser - Curious, Audacious, Entrepreneurial, Purpose-Driven, Excited By Big
Challenges, A Team Player and Inclusive. If this is who you are, then Flipkart is the place where you can
thrive.
We understand that your own aspirations and journeys are unique. So you choose what you want to
maximise, and we provide you the platform for it. Because when you maximise, we maximise.
Visit our career site to know more about what it means to work at Flipkart.
Being Yourself @ Flipkart
Flipkart respects and values differences. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are
committed to promoting a diverse workplace culture where every individual is valued for who they are,
regardless of race, color, age, faith, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, marital
status, professional pedigree, physical ability, veteran status, or any other characteristics. We firmly
believe that when people with diverse identities and perspectives work together, we create the most value
– for our customers, our people, and society. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and
belonging, where diverse teams innovate and excel every day.