Head AI Sales & Business Design
Cognizant, Seattle, WA, United States
Leading at Cognizant
This is a Leadership role at Cognizant. We believe how you lead is as important as what you deliver. Cognizant leaders at every level:
Drive our business strategy
and inspire teams around our future.
Live the leadership behaviors , leading themselves, others and the business.
Uphold our Values , role modeling them in every action and decision.
Nurture our people and culture , creating a workplace where all can thrive.
At Cognizant, leadership transcends titles and is embodied in actions and behaviors. We empower our leaders at every level to drive business strategy, inspire teams, uphold our values, and foster an inclusive culture.
About the role As an
AI Sales and Business Design Leader , you will oversee three core capability towers within the AI Market Unit - Strategy, Business Solution Design, and Deal Pursuits. You will be a valued member of the team and work closely with AI Market Unit Leader, Partnerships and the Customer Engineering Function to ensure that the overall goals of the Market Unit are delivered in terms of TCV, Margin etc. In this role, you will cultivate strategic partner relationships, engage industry advisors and experts, and create a buzz about Cognizant’s AI capabilities unlocking large deal opportunities with new and existing clients, expanding the scope of potential opportunities, and championing the technical solutioning and integration of large pursuits to ensure higher success rates.
In this role, you will: Strategy & Deal Pursuit:
Define AI GTM blueprint - including target markets, accounts and commercial models
Establish AI-specific growth metrics (e.g., pipeline, deal conversion, attach rate) and align team to execute on them.
Oversight of the AI-focused demand generation programs
Partner with Cognizant BUs to embed AI into client account plans and pursuits
Represent the AI Market unit in leadership forums and executive reviews
Business design leadership:
Identify whitespace and emerging opportunities (GenAI, Intelligent Automation, AI-in-CRM, AI-in-SCM)
Guide the Offering leaders in designing repeatable AI offerings, use case blueprints, and value propositions
Ensure client-ready conceptual designs, business cases, and narratives
Ensure offering designs align with commercial strategy and AI unit priorities
Identify and shape AI transformation opportunities for lighthouse accounts
Review and approve key solution artifacts before client submission
Deal Pursuit
Lead deal qualification and pursuit in collaboration with the account team and AI Sales Leads
Build pricing capabilities and set AI commercial constructs (IP monetization, usage-based models etc.)
Act as a central coordination point between the AI Market Unit and BUs, Sales, ISLs, and Delivery leadership
Guide resource allocation, role alignment, and escalation management across pursuits
Consistently demonstrate the
Cognizant Way to Lead,
which means operating with
Personal Leadership
(building trust, collaboration, and inclusion),
Organizational Leadership
(driving vision and purpose, demonstrating a strategic and enterprise mindset, and creating and communicating a bold direction that inspires purpose), and
Business Leadership
(exemplifying client focus, managing ambiguity with accountability and results, and operating with financial acumen)
What you need to have to be considered
25+ years in consulting, solution design, pre-sales, innovation, or digital/AI transformation.
Proven leadership experience running multi-disciplinary solutioning or pre-sales teams.
Experience orchestrating large/complex technology or AI-led deals.
Exposure to partner ecosystems (hyperscalers, AI-native startups, ISVs)
Embodiment of the
Cognizant Way to Lead : Leading Self, Leading Others, & Leading the Business
The embodiment of Cognizant’s Values of: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do The right Thing, & Own It
These will help you succeed
Leadership
- Inspiring people, talent identification, and driving high performance.
Strategic Planning
- Anticipates future needs, sets long-term direction, defines priorities, and translates strategy into actionable plans aligned with organizational goals.
Commercial Judgement and Decision Making
- Applies business acumen, data, and market insight to make sound, timely decisions that balance risk, value, and commercial outcomes.
Exceptional stakeholder influence across sales, consulting, engineering, and partner teams;
Understanding of AI including agentic & ML, and ability to generate, oversee actionable and impactful roadmap that effectively engages the organization to achieve strategic milestones
Strong leadership skills aligned to Cognizant's Leadership Capabilities that have been delivered:
Leadership Capabilities
Sets the course (Strategic & Entrepreneurial)
Connects the dots (Change & Collaborative)
Inspires Followership (Client Focused & People)
Delivers Results (Operational & Client Focused)
Work model At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office.
The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations
Salary and Other Compensation Applications will be accepted until April 25, 2026.
The annual salary for this position is between $330,000 - $420,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
Benefits
Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.
#J-18808-Ljbffr
Drive our business strategy
and inspire teams around our future.
Live the leadership behaviors , leading themselves, others and the business.
Uphold our Values , role modeling them in every action and decision.
Nurture our people and culture , creating a workplace where all can thrive.
At Cognizant, leadership transcends titles and is embodied in actions and behaviors. We empower our leaders at every level to drive business strategy, inspire teams, uphold our values, and foster an inclusive culture.
About the role As an
AI Sales and Business Design Leader , you will oversee three core capability towers within the AI Market Unit - Strategy, Business Solution Design, and Deal Pursuits. You will be a valued member of the team and work closely with AI Market Unit Leader, Partnerships and the Customer Engineering Function to ensure that the overall goals of the Market Unit are delivered in terms of TCV, Margin etc. In this role, you will cultivate strategic partner relationships, engage industry advisors and experts, and create a buzz about Cognizant’s AI capabilities unlocking large deal opportunities with new and existing clients, expanding the scope of potential opportunities, and championing the technical solutioning and integration of large pursuits to ensure higher success rates.
In this role, you will: Strategy & Deal Pursuit:
Define AI GTM blueprint - including target markets, accounts and commercial models
Establish AI-specific growth metrics (e.g., pipeline, deal conversion, attach rate) and align team to execute on them.
Oversight of the AI-focused demand generation programs
Partner with Cognizant BUs to embed AI into client account plans and pursuits
Represent the AI Market unit in leadership forums and executive reviews
Business design leadership:
Identify whitespace and emerging opportunities (GenAI, Intelligent Automation, AI-in-CRM, AI-in-SCM)
Guide the Offering leaders in designing repeatable AI offerings, use case blueprints, and value propositions
Ensure client-ready conceptual designs, business cases, and narratives
Ensure offering designs align with commercial strategy and AI unit priorities
Identify and shape AI transformation opportunities for lighthouse accounts
Review and approve key solution artifacts before client submission
Deal Pursuit
Lead deal qualification and pursuit in collaboration with the account team and AI Sales Leads
Build pricing capabilities and set AI commercial constructs (IP monetization, usage-based models etc.)
Act as a central coordination point between the AI Market Unit and BUs, Sales, ISLs, and Delivery leadership
Guide resource allocation, role alignment, and escalation management across pursuits
Consistently demonstrate the
Cognizant Way to Lead,
which means operating with
Personal Leadership
(building trust, collaboration, and inclusion),
Organizational Leadership
(driving vision and purpose, demonstrating a strategic and enterprise mindset, and creating and communicating a bold direction that inspires purpose), and
Business Leadership
(exemplifying client focus, managing ambiguity with accountability and results, and operating with financial acumen)
What you need to have to be considered
25+ years in consulting, solution design, pre-sales, innovation, or digital/AI transformation.
Proven leadership experience running multi-disciplinary solutioning or pre-sales teams.
Experience orchestrating large/complex technology or AI-led deals.
Exposure to partner ecosystems (hyperscalers, AI-native startups, ISVs)
Embodiment of the
Cognizant Way to Lead : Leading Self, Leading Others, & Leading the Business
The embodiment of Cognizant’s Values of: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do The right Thing, & Own It
These will help you succeed
Leadership
- Inspiring people, talent identification, and driving high performance.
Strategic Planning
- Anticipates future needs, sets long-term direction, defines priorities, and translates strategy into actionable plans aligned with organizational goals.
Commercial Judgement and Decision Making
- Applies business acumen, data, and market insight to make sound, timely decisions that balance risk, value, and commercial outcomes.
Exceptional stakeholder influence across sales, consulting, engineering, and partner teams;
Understanding of AI including agentic & ML, and ability to generate, oversee actionable and impactful roadmap that effectively engages the organization to achieve strategic milestones
Strong leadership skills aligned to Cognizant's Leadership Capabilities that have been delivered:
Leadership Capabilities
Sets the course (Strategic & Entrepreneurial)
Connects the dots (Change & Collaborative)
Inspires Followership (Client Focused & People)
Delivers Results (Operational & Client Focused)
Work model At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office.
The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations
Salary and Other Compensation Applications will be accepted until April 25, 2026.
The annual salary for this position is between $330,000 - $420,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
Benefits
Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance
Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off
401(k) plan and contributions
Long-term/Short-term Disability
Paid Parental Leave
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Disclaimer The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.
#J-18808-Ljbffr