Santhosh Kumar
Summary
Technical Program Manager with over 4 years of experience leading complex, cross-functional programs across SaaS, cloud, and platform engineering. Proven ability to improve delivery predictability by 15–25% through CI/CD optimization, Agile/SAFe execution, and workflow automation. Hands-on with SQL, distributed systems, monitoring/observability, and Jira automation to strengthen release governance and engineering efficiency. Known for driving roadmap execution, resolving dependencies, and enabling seamless collaboration between engineering, product, and operations to deliver high-quality, customer-focused outcomes at scale.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Technical Program Manager
JAR
07.2025 - Current
- Led four engineering pods (~25 engineers) across frontend, backend, activation, and NEK e-commerce, improving release predictability by 18%, and driving end-to-end delivery across onboarding, activation, and first-transaction funnels.
- Designed and automated Jira workflows, reducing manual reporting effort by 30%, and improving accountability and sprint hygiene.
- Built real-time engineering dashboards combining CI/CD metrics, deployment logs, and operational KPIs, providing leadership with actionable delivery visibility.
- Collaborated with DevOps teams to optimize CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions/Jenkins), improving build reliability by 20%, and reducing deployment cycle times by 25%.
- Streamlined cloud deployment workflows by implementing automated pre-deployment checks, monitoring alerts, and improved release gates, increasing deployment stability.
- Facilitated all Agile ceremonies, and coordinated cross-functional alignment to resolve blockers, strengthen execution efficiency, and maintain delivery momentum.
- Partnered with product and engineering leads on roadmap prioritization, dependency planning, and release readiness to drive predictable program execution.
- Worked closely with infrastructure and DevOps teams to enhance deployment reliability, establish CI/CD quality gates, and improve observability practices across services.
- Technologies: MySQL, Agile/SAFe, Jira, Figma, Power BI, CI/CD, GitHub, Monitoring and Observability, Cloud (AWS), Stakeholder Management.
Associate Product Manager
Uber
04.2025 - 07.2025
- Spearheaded the end-to-end development and launch of an encrypted communication feature for riders and drivers, improving lost-item coordination and enhancing data security, resulting in a 5 bps reduction in Contact Rate (CR).
- Led user research, A/B testing, and usability studies to optimize onboarding flows and personalization strategies, driving a 25% increase in engagement, and a 15% boost in conversion rates.
- Drove strategic automation initiatives to optimize system performance, achieving a 38% reduction in latency and 81% fewer timeout issues, improving reliability, retention, and customer experience.
- Skills: Stakeholder Management, Requirement Scoping, Jira, Sprint Planning, Figma, MySQL, Advanced Excel, Automation.
Technical Program Manager
Uber
12.2024 - 07.2025
- Led the design and launch of an encrypted communication feature, resulting in improved security protocols and a 5 bps reduction in contact rate (CR), directly enhancing user experience, and reducing support costs.
- Spearheaded cross-functional Agile teams of up to 10 engineers, facilitating sprint planning, backlog refinement, and collaboration to drive program execution, and ensure alignment with the product vision.
- Led the definition, scoping, and execution of multiple high-impact technical programs, aligning with business goals, and establishing clear success criteria, resulting in a 15% improvement in program delivery timelines.
- Collaborated with product managers during quarterly roadmap planning and PRD reviews, contributing to feature scoping, prioritization, and sprint capacity alignment.
- Technologies: JavaScript, JSON, MySQL, REST APIs, Agile, Jira, Power BI, Agile/SAFe, and Figma.
Senior Automation Developer
Uber
04.2022 - 01.2024
- Built automation workflows that resolved customer issues without agent intervention, reducing support escalations, and improving overall customer experience.
- Developed and maintained automation scripts and internal tools to streamline troubleshooting and reduce manual operational tasks for product teams.
- Reviewed automation code for quality, reliability, and adherence to engineering standards, ensuring long-term maintainability across systems.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to understand the root causes of recurring customer issues and automate solutions that improved response efficiency.
- Technologies: JavaScript, JSON, MySQL, REST APIs, Agile, Jira, Power BI, and Figma.
Education
Postgraduate Certification - Technical Product Management
Duke University
Durham, NC03.2025
Bachelor of Engineering - Computer Science
SDM Institute of Technology
Ujire, DK06.2021
Skills
Technical skills
- SQL, Python, JavaScript
- APIs, Cloud Architecture (AWS)
- Distributed systems, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, Jenkins)
- Monitoring and observability, incident management
- Workflow automation (Jira, Slack bots, no-code tools)
- GitHub (version control), SDLC, Infrastructure as Code (Terraform)
- Data analytics (Tableau, Power BI, Excel)
Program and leadership skills
- Agile/SAFe execution, sprint, and release planning
- Cross-functional program leadership
- Stakeholder management and executive communication
- Risk and dependency management, roadmap planning, and PRD development
- KPI/OKR tracking, metrics cadence, and reporting automation
Accomplishments
- Recognized with Uber's 'Go Get It,' 'See the Forest and the Trees,' and 'Build with Heart' awards for leading high-impact technical programs.
- Championed cross-functional collaboration, improving communication and program efficiency across technical teams.
Timeline
Technical Program Manager
JAR
07.2025 - Current
Associate Product Manager
Uber
04.2025 - 07.2025
Technical Program Manager
Uber
12.2024 - 07.2025
Senior Automation Developer
Uber
04.2022 - 01.2024
Postgraduate Certification - Technical Product Management
Duke University
Bachelor of Engineering - Computer Science
SDM Institute of Technology