Job Title: Technical Project ManagerWork Location: Basking Ridge, NJ (Hybrid/Onsite)Contract duration: 6+ MonthsVisa Independent OnlyJob Description:We are seeking a highly experienced Technical Project Manager with 15+ years of experience to lead critical initiatives in Packet Broker systems for a Tier-1 telecom client. The ideal candidate will possess a strong balance of technical depth (Java/J2EE, architecture), AI/ML lifecycle expertise, and proven delivery leadership in large-scale, mission critical telecom environments.• This role requires onsite presence at the Verizon Basking Ridge, NJ office, and the ability to manage complex, high-visibility programs with multiple stakeholders.Key ResponsibilitiesProject & Delivery Management• Lead end-to-end delivery of Packet Broker–related programs, including planning, execution, monitoring, and release management.• Manage scope, schedule, budget, risks, dependencies, and quality across multiple engineering teams.• Delivery - ensuring committed milestones are met with predictable outcomes.• Act as the single point of accountability for client communication, status reporting, and escalation management.Technical & Architecture Leadership• Provide Technical oversight for the project• Review system designs for scalability, performance, security, and regulatory compliance.• Guide development teams with hands-on expertise in Java/J2EE, microservices, APIs, and distributed systems.• Collaborate with solution architects to evolve the target-state architecture and reduce technical debt.AI / Intelligent Automation Enablement• Drive adoption of AI-enabled solutions across the delivery lifecycle, including:• AI/ML lifecycle management• NLP and LLM-based use cases (automation, analytics, decision support)• Tool evaluation, integration, and governanceStakeholder & Client Management• Partner closely with client leadership, product owners, engineering teams, and vendors.• Manage expectations in a high-pressure, production-critical environment.• Provide executive-level dashboards, metrics, and insights to leadership.Team Leadership• Lead and mentor global onshore/offshore teams.• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, and continuous improvement.• Support hiring, onboarding, and performance management for critical roles.Mandatory Skills & Qualifications• 15+ years of experience in technical project / program management.• Strong domain experience in Telecom systems.• Architecture skills for large-scale distributed systems.• Hands-on Java & J2EE experience (Spring, microservices, REST APIs, UI technologies – React JS ).• Solid understanding of AI/ML, NLP, LLMs, including lifecycle and tooling.• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.Preferred Background• Prior experience in Nokia, Samsung, Ericsson, Cisco, Ciena, or FAANG product organizations.• Experience working directly with Verizon or Tier 1 telecom operators.• Exposure to cloud-native platforms, containers, CI/CD pipelines.• Experience managing programs with strict SLAs and regulatory requirements.Education & Certifications• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.• PMP / SAFe / Agile certifications• Cloud or Architecture certifications• AI/ML-related certifications (good to have)