SUMMARY:
Senior Programme Manager (Networks and Zscaler) Contract

POSITION INFO:

Programme Manager - Networks and Zscaler

Job Description

Our client a global tech firm is seeking a Programme Manager (Networks and Zscaler) to join their team in Sandton on a contractor basis. They offer stability, growth, attractive rates and a great working environment.

Role Overview

The Programme Manager - Networks and Zscaler will provide strategic leadership, governance, and delivery oversight across a portfolio of network infrastructure and cloud security initiatives, with a strong focus on Zscaler deployments, migrations, upgrades, and operational readiness. This role is responsible for aligning programme outcomes with business, technology, cyber security, and operational objectives while coordinating multiple project teams, vendors, stakeholders, dependencies, risks, budgets, and executive reporting requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide programme leadership across multiple network and Zscaler-related projects, ensuring delivery is aligned to strategic objectives, programme governance, scope, budget, timelines, and expected business outcomes.
• Oversee Zscaler implementation workstreams including ZIA, ZPA, client connector deployment, policy rollout, traffic forwarding, testing, migration planning, and operational transition.
• Establish and maintain programme plans, integrated roadmaps, dependency maps, budgets, RAID logs, governance forums, status reporting, and executive communication packs.
• Coordinate project managers, technical delivery leads, network engineers, security architects, infrastructure teams, desktop support, service desk, vendors, and senior business stakeholders.
• Manage programme-level milestones, interdependencies, risks, issues, decisions, change requests, and escalation paths to maintain delivery momentum and control.
• Drive business, technical, operational, and change readiness across deployment waves, communications, testing, training, service transition, and support handover activities.
• Ensure network and security outcomes comply with internal standards, cyber security policies, architectural principles, regulatory expectations, and operational support requirements.
• Manage vendor and third-party delivery performance across the programme, ensuring contractual deliverables, timelines, documentation, resourcing, and support obligations are met.
• Prepare and present programme updates, governance packs, delivery dashboards, financial summaries, and decision papers to steering committees, sponsors, technical forums, and executive stakeholders.
• Lead programme reviews, benefits tracking, lessons learned, and continuous improvement activities to strengthen future network, cloud security, and zero trust delivery.
• Proven experience leading complex IT infrastructure, network, cyber security, cloud security, or digital transformation programmes.
• Experience managing portfolios or programmes involving enterprise networks, firewalls, proxies, secure web gateways, VPN, SD-WAN, routing, switching, DNS, remote access, and security access technologies.
• Strong exposure to Zscaler solutions such as Zscaler Internet Access, Zscaler Private Access, Zscaler Client Connector, policy migration, authentication integration, traffic forwarding, and large-scale user rollout.
• Strong understanding of programme and project management methodologies, including waterfall, agile, hybrid delivery, portfolio governance, financial management, benefits tracking, and release management.
• Ability to work with senior technical and business stakeholders to manage dependencies, constraints, risks, implementation roadmaps, resourcing, and operational impacts.
• Excellent executive stakeholder management, communication, facilitation, negotiation, governance, and reporting skills.
• Strong strategic planning, organisation, documentation, prioritisation, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities.
• Experience using programme, project, financial, and collaboration tools such as Microsoft Project, Planner, Jira, Azure DevOps, SharePoint, Teams, Excel, PowerPoint, and portfolio reporting dashboards.
• Bachelor's degree or diploma in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, Business, Programme Management, or a related field.
• Programme or project management certification such as MSP, PMP, PRINCE2, AgilePM, Scrum Master, PgMP, or equivalent.
• ITIL Foundation or similar service management certification.
• Zscaler training, certification, or demonstrable enterprise implementation experience.
• Experience in enterprise-scale migrations, security transformation programmes, network modernisation, zero trust initiatives, or large multi-workstream technology programmes.

Required Experience and Skills

• Proven experience leading complex IT infrastructure, network, cyber security, cloud security, or digital transformation programmes.
• Experience managing portfolios or programmes involving enterprise networks, firewalls, proxies, secure web gateways, VPN, SD-WAN, routing, switching, DNS, remote access, and security access technologies.
• Strong exposure to Zscaler solutions such as Zscaler Internet Access, Zscaler Private Access, Zscaler Client Connector, policy migration, authentication integration, traffic forwarding, and large-scale user rollout.
• Strong understanding of programme and project management methodologies, including waterfall, agile, hybrid delivery, portfolio governance, financial management, benefits tracking, and release management.
• Ability to work with s