The Results-driven AI-Enabled Technical Delivery Manager and AI-Empowered Agile Coach (SAFe Agilist) with 20 years of IT experience, including 10+ years leading enterprise-scale digital transformation, AI-assisted delivery, cloud modernization, CRM/CMS implementations, product migration, and multi-vendor technology programs across Insurance, Telecom, and Digital domains. Certified PMP, SAFe Agilist, CSM, and ITIL v4 professional with expertise in managing end-to-end AI/ML and software product lifecycles, Agile Release Trains, multi-stack engineering teams, distributed delivery models, and concurrent enterprise projects. Strong technical foundation across Python, PHP, JavaScript, APIs, Microservices, AWS, Azure, GCP, CI/CD, DevOps, AI-assisted SDLC, Agentic AI, RAG, Prompt Engineering, and enterprise QA governance. Proven track record of improving delivery performance by 60%, optimizing operational efficiency, and establishing KPI-driven governance, release management, and scalable Agile execution frameworks. Experienced in driving PI Planning, ART Sync, Scrum of Scrums, stakeholder governance, vendor coordination, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration across Engineering, QA, DevOps, Product, and Architecture teams. Passionate about leveraging Generative AI and Agentic AI to accelerate delivery, improve productivity, enhance decision-making, and enable intelligent enterprise transformation.
🏅 PMP — PMI #3446544 ⚡ SAFe Agilist & SSM 🔄 CSM 📋 ITIL v4 Foundation 🤖 Generative AI — PMI ⚙️ Six Sigma White Belt
📍 Malad East, Mumbai — 400097 📞 +91 75063 64757 ✉️ santosh@chandankar.in 🔗 LinkedIn 🌐 chandankar.com
20+
Years IT Experience
10+
Years Delivery Leadership
90+
Team Members Led
100+
Agile Team Members Coached
60%
Delivery Performance Improved
6
Industry Certifications
Core Competencies
Three pillars that define my professional value proposition in today's market
Technical Delivery & Program Management
End-to-end ownership of multi-technology delivery programs. Expert in PMBOK-aligned governance, RAID management, stakeholder communication, KPI dashboards, release governance, and executive reporting. Proven ability to manage scope, cost, schedule, and quality across complex portfolios simultaneously.
Enterprise Agile Transformation & Coaching
Certified SAFe Agilist and CSM with hands-on experience facilitating PI Planning, ART events, Scrum of Scrums, and sprint ceremonies. Coached 100+ professionals across organisations, driving Agile maturity from project-level Scrum to enterprise-level SAFe adoption and cultural transformation.
Multi-Technology & AI-Assisted Leadership
Deep technical foundation spanning PHP, Python, JavaScript, CRM (Salesforce, MS Dynamics 365), CMS (Drupal, AEM), Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP), and AI/ML platforms. Proficient in AI-assisted SDLC, Agentic AI, Prompt Engineering, RAG, and MCP — enabling smarter, faster delivery governance.
QA Strategy & Release Governance
Established QA governance frameworks, KPI-driven dashboards, and metrics-led release management. Extensive experience with CI/CD pipelines, defect leakage control, performance and regression testing, JIRA/Xray automation integration, and Definition of Done enforcement.
Stakeholder Leadership & Communication
C-suite and cross-functional stakeholder management across engineering, QA, DevOps, product, and vendor teams. Skilled in escalation management, risk mitigation, decision frameworks, and executive-level status reporting that drives alignment and rapid issue resolution.
People Leadership, Mentoring & Culture
Servant leader and coach who builds high-performance, self-organising teams. Certified in Emotional Intelligence and Manager as Coach practices. Credited with transforming underperforming programs, reducing process cycle time by 40%, and restoring delivery health across red-flagged engagements.
Measurable Business Impact
Quantified outcomes delivered across enterprise programs
60%
Improvement in delivery performance through Agile embedding
40%
Reduction in process cycle time via platform and API revamp
15%
Operational cost reduction through structured Agile governance
30%
Improvement in incident resolution through ITIL-aligned practices
0
Data loss across multiple enterprise migration programs
40+
Member Agile Release Train managed at peak delivery
Professional Experience
20 years of progressive growth from software engineering to enterprise delivery leadership
Senior Manager — QA Delivery & Agile Transformation
QualityKiosk Technologies
June 2025 – March 2026
📍 Navi Mumbai, India
Led delivery governance and QA outcomes for multiple enterprise insurance platforms, combining Agile delivery leadership with QA strategy, automation governance, and executive stakeholder management. Served dual role as delivery orchestrator and QA centre of excellence lead.
- Owned delivery governance and outcomes for QA projects across enterprise insurance platforms spanning CRM, PAS, APIs, rule engines, and customer portals, ensuring SLA adherence and operational sustainability.
- Drove release predictability by orchestrating cross-functional alignment across Engineering, DevOps, and Product, implementing structured release governance with CI/CD pipelines, sprint/release planning, change management, and quality gates.
- Established metrics-driven tracking across velocity, defect leakage, and deployment success rates to ensure stable, on-time, and high-quality releases to production.
- Designed and implemented KPI-driven QA dashboards and reporting models, ensuring delivery accuracy across scope, schedule, quality, and compliance dimensions.
- Led Agile QA delivery for a 40+ member cross-functional team, driving end-to-end sprint quality, release readiness, and defect governance.
- Integrated JIRA, Xray, and Watermelon automation toolsets to enhance test coverage and accelerate regression execution cycles.
- Owned executive-level stakeholder communication and escalation management, driving structured governance through status reporting, risk mitigation, and decision frameworks.
Project Lead → Scrum Master → Project/Delivery Manager
CGI Inc.
Oct 2013 – May 2025 (11.5 yrs)
📍 Mumbai, India | Global Delivery (US, UK, Canada, Europe, India)
An 11.5-year progressive journey from project technical lead to full-scale delivery manager, spanning enterprise digital transformation, SAFe Agile Release Train facilitation, and large-scale technology migration programs across Telecom, Insurance, CRM, and CMS domains.
- Directed end-to-end product migration programs with robust data governance, ensuring zero data loss, seamless integration, and optimised workflows across enterprise clients.
- Delivered large-scale digital transformation programs across CRM, CMS, Telecom, and Insurance domains; governed delivery across multi-technology stacks enabling scalable, API-driven, cloud-aligned architectures.
- Improved delivery performance by 60% by embedding Agile practices, eliminating technical debt, and enhancing cross-functional collaboration and team velocity.
- Managed globally distributed teams of 40+ across multiple geographies, establishing delivery governance, resource optimisation, and predictable execution for mission-critical programs.
- Facilitated PI Planning, ART Sync, Scrum ceremonies, and Scrum of Scrums while coaching 100+ team members to drive Agile maturity and high-performance culture.
- Established and enforced Definition of Done, release quality gates, and sprint governance standards across Agile teams to improve delivery consistency and reduce defect leakage.
- Transformed underperforming programs by revamping platforms and API ecosystems, reducing process cycle time by 40% and restoring delivery health (red-to-green recovery).
- Led IT service delivery and operational governance aligned with ITIL practices, improving incident resolution efficiency by 15–30% and strengthening SLA adherence.
- Orchestrated large-scale technology transition programs including application onboarding, structured knowledge transfer, stabilisation, and post-transition optimisation.
- Defined and executed technology roadmaps focused on modernisation, scalability, and cost efficiency across CRM, CMS, and cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/GCP).
- Partnered with enterprise stakeholders, architects, and business leaders to align technical execution with strategic business outcomes across large-scale transformation programs.
Senior Consultant — Drupal SME
Capgemini
Dec 2010 – Jan 2013
📍 Mumbai, India | Clients: UK / Europe
- Delivered enterprise web solutions for Eurostar (travel booking, hotel, insurance, third-party service integration for millions of users) and Royal Mail Group (parcel tracking, government services, payments, SSO via OpenSSO LDAP) using secure, scalable architectures.
- Designed and developed custom Drupal modules, SSO integrations, and multi-service booking systems. Recognized internal Drupal subject matter expert.
Technical Lead / Senior Engineer / Software Engineer
Iksula, WebAccess, VNV Solutions, T3 Softwares
Dec 2005 – Sep 2013
- Iksula (2013): Led teams delivering enterprise CMS and e-commerce platforms using Drupal, PHP, and Magento; managed project standards and stakeholder communication.
- WebAccess (2010): Designed Learning Management Systems and workforce management platforms as Senior Software Engineer and Team Lead.
- VNV Solutions (2008–2009): Built CMS and CRM solutions for global clients including Paralympic Canada, healthcare, and retail organisations using Drupal, Joomla, and VTigerCRM.
- T3 Softwares (2005–2008): Delivered CRM/CMS solutions end-to-end, including development, deployment, and production support, building strong SDLC fundamentals as a junior-to-mid engineer.
Flagship Programs & Projects
Enterprise-grade delivery across CRM, insurance, telecom, digital platforms, and security domains
Starr Insurance — Enterprise Legal Management Migration
Insurance | CRM | Data Migration
Led a 15-month enterprise migration from Legal Tracker to Mitratech TeamConnect. Full program ownership spanning roadmap, ETL, system configuration, integrations, UAT, training, and go-live with a 20-member cross-functional team.
- Zero data loss across full migration lifecycle
- Improved legal compliance and invoice automation
- Minimal production downtime achieved
TalkTalk UK — Salesforce & MuleSoft Digital Transformation
Telecom | SAFe | CRM
Agile PM and Senior Scrum Master for Salesforce CRM modernisation under SAFe framework. Managed Salesforce, MuleSoft APIs, Wholesale FTTP provisioning, and L3 support transition. ART with 40+ members.
- Agile Release Train delivery governance maintained at scale
- Copado-enabled CI/CD pipeline improvements
- T&M billing governance and client alignment
GALAXI — Global Alerts, Log Analytics & Intelligence
Security | AI/ML | GSOC Platform
Designed and built an enterprise-grade Django-based security incident response platform for Global Security Operations Centre (GSOC) operations, with ML-based anomaly detection and SIEM integrations.
- ML-based anomaly detection integrated successfully
- SIEM integrations with Dockerised CI/CD deployment
- Operational GSOC platform delivering real-time intelligence
Cigna Manipal — Digital Insurance Platform
Insurance | Drupal | Salesforce CRM
Technical Project Manager and Drupal SME for customer-facing insurance portals covering policy purchase, lead management, document services, quotation engines, and Salesforce CRM integration.
- End-to-end customer-facing portal delivery
- Salesforce CRM integration for lead and policy management
- Quote engine and document services live in production
MS Dynamics CRM 2016 → Dynamics 365 Migration
CRM | Cloud Migration | Data Governance
Led on-premise MS Dynamics CRM migration to Dynamics 365, ensuring zero data loss, security compliance, integration compatibility, and full operational readiness for enterprise teams.
- Zero data loss with full security compliance
- All integrations validated and operational post-migration
- Structured knowledge transfer and stabilization completed
Eurostar — Enterprise Travel Booking Platform
Travel | UK/EU | CMS/CRM
Senior Drupal Consultant delivering large-scale travel booking, hotel, insurance, and third-party service integrations for one of Europe's most prominent rail travel providers, serving millions of users across the UK and Europe.
- Multi-service booking system with hotel and insurance integration
- Scalable, secure architecture supporting millions of users
- Custom SSO and third-party platform integrations
Royal Mail Group — Enterprise Digital Services
Government & Logistics | UK
Drupal SME for nationwide UK digital services including parcel tracking, government payment services, and SSO infrastructure using OpenSSO LDAP for Royal Mail's public-facing enterprise platforms.
- National-scale parcel tracking and government service delivery
- OpenSSO LDAP-based SSO architecture implemented
- Payments and compliance services delivered on schedule
Founder — ICEM (2002–2005)
Entrepreneurship | Education | Digital Literacy
Founded and led the Institute of Computer Education & Management — a digital literacy institution delivering MSCIT-aligned programmes and building foundational skills in technology education. Built lifelong competencies in ownership, mentoring, people leadership, and execution discipline.
- Curriculum design and faculty development owned end-to-end
- Government-aligned digital literacy programmes delivered (MSCIT)
- Foundational leadership and mentoring skills established
Technical Skills & Toolset
A broad, hands-on technical foundation enabling informed leadership, architecture conversations, and AI-assisted delivery
Languages & Frameworks
Python, Django, PHP, Drupal, AngularJS, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, jQuery, REST, SOAP, AJAX, .Net
Cloud & DevOps
AWS, Azure DevOps, Google Cloud, Docker, CI/CD , Jenkins, Hudson
CRM & CMS Platforms
Salesforce, MS Dynamics 365, Drupal, AEM, SharePoint, VTiger CRM, Magento
Agile & Project Tools
JIRA, Confluence, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Rally, Trello, Miro, Mural, Xray
AI & Emerging Tech
ChatGPT, Claude (Anthropic), Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Azure OpenAI, MCP, RAG, Prompt Engineering, Agentic AI, AI-Assisted SDLC
Databases & Servers
MS SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Oracle, Apache, Nginx, IIS, LAMP/WAMP
My Delivery Playbook
How I lead, architect, and execute high-stakes enterprise programs
Technology Strategy
- Architecture aligned to business outcomes
- Scalability, security, and cost efficiency by design
- Pragmatic, context-aware technology selection
- AI-native delivery and governance thinking
Execution & Governance
- MVP-first, architecture-aware release cadence
- Agile, SAFe, Waterfall, or Hybrid based on context
- Strong CI/CD pipelines and release quality gates
- RAID governance and KPI-driven tracking
Teams & Culture
- Servant leadership and Agile coaching
- Clear ownership, accountability, and DoD standards
- Mentorship-driven high-performance culture
- Emotional intelligence in stakeholder relationships
Career Evolution
A consistent, purposeful progression from software engineering to enterprise delivery leadership
1996–2002
Academic Foundation — B.Sc. Computer Science + MCA, Amravati University
Built strong theoretical and practical foundations in programming, systems, and software engineering
2002–2005
Founder & Director — ICEM (Institute of Computer Education & Management)
Entrepreneurship in digital literacy; owned curriculum, operations, faculty, and government-aligned MSCIT programmes
2005–2010
Software Engineer → Team Lead — T3 Softwares, VNV Solutions, WebAccess
CRM, CMS, LMS, and enterprise web platforms; deep production engineering on PHP, Drupal, and open-source stacks
2010–2013
Senior Consultant (Drupal SME) — Capgemini | Technical Lead — Iksula
Enterprise delivery for Eurostar and Royal Mail; Drupal SME recognition; E-commerce platforms at Iksula
2013–2025
Project Lead → Scrum Master → Project/Delivery Manager — CGI Inc. (11.5 years)
Enterprise Agile transformation, SAFe ART leadership, CRM/Telecom/Insurance delivery, coaching 100+ professionals
2025–2026
Senior Manager — QA Delivery — QualityKiosk Technologies
Agile QA governance for enterprise insurance platforms; KPI-driven dashboards; 40+ member team leadership
Apr 2025 – Present
Volunteer (AVP) — Digital & Web Governance, PMI Mumbai Chapter
Leading digital platforms, content governance, and member engagement for PMI Mumbai's online presence
Certifications & Credentials
Industry-recognised qualifications underpinning delivery, Agile, and leadership excellence
PMP — Project Management Professional
Project Management Institute | ID: 3446544
Certified SAFe® Agilist (SA)
Scaled Agile, Inc.
Certified SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)
Scaled Agile, Inc.
Certified Scrum Master (CSM)
Scrum Alliance
ITIL v4 Foundation
IT Service Management
Generative AI for Managers
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Six Sigma White Belt
Process Quality & Continuous Improvement
Manager As a Coach
Leadership Coaching & People Development
Professional Training
AWS, Azure, GCP, PSM, PSPO II, CBAP, TOGAFGenAI & Prompt Engineering, Agentic AIEmotional Intelligence
Academic Credentials
Strong academic foundation from Amravati University
Master of Computer Applications (MCA)
Amravati University | 1999–2002
B.Sc. Computer Science
Amravati University | 1996–1999
Professional Commitment
The values and principles that guide every engagement
I commit as a long-term IT professional to ethically and accountably steward the organization's technology vision, architecture, and delivery in alignment with PMI's principles of responsibility, respect, fairness, and honesty and Agile/SAFe leadership values.
I lead technology with a product- and value-driven mindset, enabling Lean, Agile, and SAFe execution that emphasises flow, transparency, continuous improvement, and predictable delivery at scale. I foster empowered, cross-functional teams; establish clear governance and decision frameworks; and ensure alignment between strategy, execution, and measurable business outcomes.
I remain hands-on where it matters — guiding architecture, coaching leaders and teams, and governing delivery — while embedding security-by-design, data privacy, regulatory compliance, and responsible AI innovation. My commitment is to build resilient, scalable, and sustainable platforms that compound long-term enterprise value with integrity, trust, and accountability.
Let's Build Something That Matters
Open to Technical Delivery Manager, Program Manager, and Enterprise Agile Coach opportunities. Available for consulting, full-time, and advisory engagements.