Network Program Manager

Cornerstone Concilium • San Francisco, CA

23h • Onsite

About The Position

We are seeking a Network Program Manager to lead the planning, vendor coordination, risk management, and execution of a 400G Next-Generation Network program for one of the busiest airports in the United States. This role will own the program's schedule, risk posture, and cross-team execution, with direct accountability for delivering critical network infrastructure upgrades that support 24/7 airport operations and enable future technologies such as IoT, AI, and video analytics. The successful candidate is a hands-on program leader who can translate a complex, multi-vendor network deployment into a disciplined schedule, clear risk visibility, and measurable operational readiness for a mission-critical government environment. This role requires deep technical program management authority, paired with the judgment to operate inside the constraints of airport security, safety, and operational protocols.

Requirements

• Minimum ten (10) years of experience in technical program management, leading large-scale, complex enterprise technology programs.
• Demonstrated experience overseeing high-capacity network infrastructure upgrades, data center expansion, or MPLS transport modernization within mission-critical environments.
• Proven leadership of at least one enterprise-wide network modernization initiative involving 400G deployment, backbone/optical transport modernization, or comparable large-scale transformation.
• Proficiency with enterprise scheduling and program management tools such as Microsoft Project or Primavera P6, including Gantt charts, milestone maps, and critical-path analysis.
• Experience managing vendor relationships, SLAs, contract deliverables, and change control processes.
• Active Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, issued by the Project Management Institute.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to brief both technical teams and executive stakeholders.
• Must be eligible to obtain and maintain all required SFO airport security clearances, badges, permits, and access credentials necessary to perform the work, including completion of a background investigation.

Nice To Haves

• Prior experience delivering programs within airports, hospitals, transit systems, utilities, or other critical infrastructure environments.
• Experience planning and overseeing lab validation, pilot deployments, and field rollouts for 400G or similarly complex infrastructure.
• Experience enabling network support for IoT, AI, or video analytics technologies.

Responsibilities

• Program Management and Project Planning: Develop comprehensive, end-to-end project plans covering all 400G upgrade, deployment, and migration activities. Apply appropriate project management methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid) suitable for multiple technical workstreams. Define critical path activities, resource needs, and sequencing, and maintain schedules based on progress, emerging risks, and stakeholder input.
• Requirements and Technical Alignment: Document technical design requirements, functional specifications, and dependencies needed for 400G deployment. Facilitate design reviews and maintain traceability between requirements, design artifacts, and deployment deliverables.
• Network Upgrade and Deployment Management: Oversee installation, configuration, and testing of 400G infrastructure, including high-capacity routers and modules. Coordinate lab validation, QA testing, staging, and proof-of-concept activities prior to field deployment. Manage field deployment sequencing, production rollout, and readiness checks.
• Risk, Vendor, and Operational Readiness: Maintain a risk, issue, and dependency register, and coordinate escalation of critical blockers. Align installation and testing activities across engineering, operations, field services, and vendor resources. Coordinate system testing, monitoring integration, and telemetry validation, and ensure operations teams receive updated runbooks and SOPs prior to each deployment phase.
• Hardware Lifecycle Support: Assist with lifecycle planning and end-of-service analysis for network assets impacted by the 400G upgrades.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed