Location: Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh (primary), with time in Delhi and regular travel to network and field sites

Employment Type: Full-time senior technical leadership role

Reporting Line: Director, Strategy and Operations

Compensation: commensurate with experience and standards

Application Contact: [email protected]

Minimum Initial Term: 24 months

Start Date: As mutually agreed

About AirJaldi

Rural Broadband Pvt. Ltd. (“AirJaldi”), founded in 2009, builds and operates broadband networks for rural and underserved communities in India. Our work combines practical field deployment, cost-efficient network design, open and interoperable technologies, and a long-term commitment to digital inclusion.

Operating under the AirJaldi brand, we build and manage broadband infrastructure across multiple states using wireless, fiber, and hybrid access models. A related entity, AirJaldi Research and Innovation, supports training, experimentation, and applied research in rural connectivity.

Role Summary

AirJaldi is seeking a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to provide hands-on technical leadership while helping the organisation in further developing its technical direction and capabilities.

The CTO will be deeply involved in day-to-day technical decision-making and network operations, while sharing responsibility for developing and implementing AirJaldi’s technical roadmap, standards, and leadership as the organisation grows.

This is a growth‑stage CTO role suited to a technically strong leader with the skills, judgment, and motivation to undertake the responsibilities of this position and lead the technical team.

Scope of Work / Key Responsibilities

1. Core Technical Ownership (Primary Focus)

· Own the design, reliability, and day-to-day technical integrity of AirJaldi’s broadband networks and systems.

· Lead hands-on work across IP networking, routing, switching, bandwidth management, wireless and fiber infrastructure.

· Provide technical leadership for Linux-based servers and various platforms supporting NOC operations, provisioning, monitoring, authentication, billing and security.

· Actively participate in troubleshooting, incident response, and resolution of complex network or systems issues.

· Define and improve operational standards for uptime, performance, fault handling, and field maintainability.

2. Network Operations & Field Systems

· Strengthen NOC practices including monitoring, security, alerting, escalation, change management, and root-cause analysis.

· Guide deployment and optimisation of rural access networks, including fixed wireless, Wi‑Fi-based access, point-to-point and point‑to‑multipoint systems, and fiber-linked backhaul.

· Support field teams with technical guidance, standards, and hands-on problem solving when required.

· Improve robustness of deployments taking into account power instability, terrain, weather, and remote maintenance realities.

3. Systems, Automation & Documentation

· Incrementally improve automation for provisioning, configuration management, backups, and routine operational tasks.

· Ensure clear, usable documentation for network architecture, operating procedures, and troubleshooting.

· Reduce operational fragility and dependence on individual knowledge through better systems and documentation.

4. Technical Direction & Pragmatic Strategy

· Contribute to short- and medium-term technical planning in line with organizational goals and take part in discussions on the overall structure and future plans of AirJaldi.

· Evaluate technology options and vendors with attention to cost, performance, sustainability, and rural suitability.

· Support capex and procurement decisions with sound technical judgment.

· Think ahead about scale, resilience, and security, while remaining grounded in operational reality.

5. Team Leadership & Capability Building

· Mentor and support AirJaldi’s technical team engineers.

· Provide technical guidance and escalation support to deployment teams, regional heads, customer support teams, and AirJaldi management.

· Help define roles, responsibilities, and technical expectations across the team.

· Foster a learning culture focused on reliability, accountability, and continuous improvement.

· Participate in hiring and onboarding of technical staff as needed.

Required Experience & Profile

· Strong and proven hands-on experience in ISP, telecom, broadband, wireless networking, or

comparable infrastructure environments.

· Deep working knowledge of Linux systems and servers in production environments.

· Solid understanding of IP networking, routing, switching, firewalls, VPNs, DNS, and network

troubleshooting.

· Experience with monitoring, alerting, and operational support systems.

· Exposure to wireless access technologies and/or rural network deployments.

· Demonstrated ability to take ownership, make sound technical decisions, and learn quickly.

· Comfort working in resource-constrained, real-world operating environments.

· Professional proficiency in Hindi and English

· Ability to represent AirJaldi credibly in technical, operational, and public forums.

Personal Attributes

· Proven leadership capabilities

· Technically curious, hands-on, and pragmatic.

· Motivated by responsibility, ownership, and learning rather than hierarchy.

· Able to balance immediate operational needs with longer-term improvement.

· Clear communicator who works effectively with technical and non-technical colleagues.

· Aligned with the mission of expanding meaningful rural connectivity.

Application Process

Interested candidates should email a CV/resume and a short note describing relevant experience and interest in the role to [email protected] with an email title: “application for CTO position” Please highlight experience with networks, systems, operations, and any leadership or mentoring roles.