Networking Practice Lead

Confidential

Senior Leadership Hire

Networking Practice Lead | Bangalore / Chennai | 20 Years Experience Required Page

Position: Networking Practice Lead | Location: Bangalore or Chennai, India Experience: 20 Years | Function: Technology Practice | Business Development | Leadership Industry: IT Services, Networking, Cloud, Cybersecurity, Managed Services

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for a seasoned and visionary Networking Practice Lead to spearhead our networking business unit across based in Bangalore or Chennai, India, this is a senior leadership role designed for a practitioner-turned-business-builder — someone who has not only deep technical roots in networking but has also successfully built and scaled a practice or business from the ground up.

With over 20 years of industry experience, you will drive revenue growth, lead a high-performing team, manage strategic partnerships, and position our networking practice as the preferred partner for enterprise, cloud, and managed networking solutions across the region.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Practice Leadership & Business Growth

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Own and grow the Networking Practice P&L; — set revenue targets, build the pipeline, and consistently deliver against business goals.

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Define and execute a multi-year practice strategy encompassing enterprise networking, SD-WAN, cloud networking, wireless, cybersecurity, and managed services.

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Identify and develop new business opportunities through market analysis, client engagement, and partner ecosystems.

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Lead end-to-end deals — from prospecting and solution design to proposal development, pricing, negotiation, and closure.

Client & Partner Relationship Management

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Build and sustain C-level and senior stakeholder relationships with enterprise clients, ensuring long-term retention and satisfaction.

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Manage strategic alliances with technology vendors including Cisco, Juniper, Palo Alto, Fortinet, AWS, Azure, and others.

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Serve as the trusted advisor for clients on networking transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure modernization journeys.

Team Building & Mentorship

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Recruit, develop, and lead a team of sales professionals, solution architects, and account managers within the networking practice.

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Mentor junior team members, establishing a culture of excellence, accountability, and continuous learning.

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Collaborate closely with pre-sales,



delivery, and engineering teams to ensure seamless solution deployment and client success.

Strategy & Market Intelligence

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Track industry trends, emerging technologies (AI-driven networking, SASE, Zero Trust, 5G enterprise), and competitive landscapes.

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Provide thought leadership through industry events, whitepapers, client workshops, and partner engagements.

Networking Practice Lead

Confidential

Senior Leadership Hire

Networking Practice Lead | Bangalore / Chennai | 20 Years Experience Required Page

•

Prepare and present business performance reviews, sales forecasts, and pipeline reports to executive leadership.

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Support marketing initiatives, go-to-market campaigns, and brand positioning for the networking practice.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

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20 years of progressive experience in IT networking, with at least 8–10 years in a senior business development, practice leadership, or P&L; ownership role.

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Demonstrated track record of building and scaling a networking or IT practice — from concept to a revenue-generating business unit.

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Deep expertise across LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, wireless networking (Wi-Fi 6/6E), data center networking, cloud networking, and cybersecurity.

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Solid enterprise sales background with a history of winning large, complex deals (multi-crore engagements preferred).

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Experience managing and growing a team; known as a coach who develops talent and drives high performance.

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Established relationships with key enterprise accounts and technology vendors in the India market.

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Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Electronics, or a related field; MBA preferred.

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

Candidates should have hands-on or advisory-level familiarity with the following technologies: Networking Domains

- LAN/WAN, SD-WAN, MPLS, SASE
- Enterprise Wireless (Wi-Fi 6/6E)
- Network Security & Zero Trust
- Data Center & Cloud Networking
- Managed Network Services (MNS) Vendor & Platform Ecosystem
- Cisco (Catalyst,



Meraki, DNA, ISE)
- Juniper, Aruba, Palo Alto, Fortinet
- AWS, Azure, Google Cloud Networking
- VMware NSX / Network Virtualization
- CRM tools & Sales Management Platforms

PREFERRED CERTIFICATIONS

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Cisco CCNP / CCIE (Enterprise, Security, or Data Center tracks)

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AWS Certified Advanced Networking — Specialty

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Microsoft Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700)

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Palo Alto PCNSE or Fortinet NSE 7/8

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CISSP, CISM, or CompTIA Security

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ITIL Foundation or PMP (advantageous for practice management)

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

Networking Practice Lead

Confidential

Senior Leadership Hire

Networking Practice Lead | Bangalore / Chennai | 20 Years Experience Required Page

KPI Metric Description Revenue & P&L;

Achievement of annual revenue, margin, and practice P&L; targets New Client Wins

Number and value of new enterprise logos acquired per quarter Pipeline Health

Pipeline size, velocity, and conversion rate by stage Customer Retention

Net Retention Rate (NRR) and client satisfaction scores (CSAT/NPS) Team Development

Team headcount growth, attrition rate, and certifications achieved Partner Ecosystem

Number of active vendor partnerships and joint go-to-market wins Thought Leadership

Industry event participation, case studies, and market visibility

WHAT WE OFFER

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An entrepreneurial environment where you shape the practice — your ideas directly influence strategy and direction.

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Competitive compensation package with performance-linked incentives tied to practice growth.

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Access to a strong partner ecosystem with top-tier vendors (Cisco, Palo Alto, AWS, and more).

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A collaborative, high-performance culture with investment in your continuous professional development.

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The opportunity to build and mentor a world-class networking team based out of Bangalore or Chennai.

IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE You are a rare combination of a networking technologist and a business builder. You have spent 20 years in the trenches of enterprise IT networking, understand the nuances of selling complex solutions to CIOs and CTOs, and have a demonstrated history of growing a practice or business unit from the ground up. You lead from the front, inspire teams, and are energized by the challenge of building something meaningful in a fast-evolving technology landscape.

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