Consulting Principal

Cognizant; Chennai; Hybrid; INR 4,200,000 - 6,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a senior IT consultant to drive high-impact engagements for global clients in a hybrid work model. You will shape strategies, optimize technology investments, and deliver measurable improvements in client performance and societal advancement.

Responsibilities include leading end-to-end engagements, identifying modernization opportunities, and developing reusable methodologies to ensure quality and value across projects.

Qualifications

• Fifteen to seventeen years of progressive IT consulting experience.
• Deep domain knowledge across enterprise tech architectures (apps, infra, data).
• Consulting skills in problem structuring, hypothesis-driven analysis and storytelling with data.
• Hybrid work experience coordinating distributed teams with collaboration tools.
• Advanced stakeholder management and negotiation abilities.
• Experience in project and program management disciplines with governance.
• Familiarity with industry regulations, security and compliance in enterprise IT.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex IT consulting engagements from start to finish, aligning with client strategy and delivering business value.
• Assess client technology landscapes to identify modernization opportunities and risk-reducing measures.
• Develop frameworks and methodologies to drive consistency, quality and innovation.
• Translate business challenges into practical technology solutions within budget constraints.
• Guide target operating models for technology and consulting functions, focusing on governance and tools.
• Coordinate hybrid work delivery across onsite and remote teams with clear communication and priorities.
• Influence senior stakeholders through clear presentations and structured recommendations on IT investments.
• Develop roadmaps for cloud adoption, modernization and data-driven decision making.
• Mentor consultants and contribute to knowledge assets and offerings.
• Ensure engagement governance by monitoring risks, dependencies and resource utilization.
• Collaborate with delivery and operations teams to turn strategies into executable programs.
• Champion ethical and sustainable technology recommendations with accessibility and societal impact.
• Manage stakeholder expectations with transparent progress and feedback loops.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Problem structuring

Storytelling with data

Hybrid/remote team coordination

Leadership of complex engagements

Job description

Job Summary

Drive high impact consulting engagements for global clients in the IT consulting domain using extensive experience to shape strategies optimize technology investments and enhance business value in a hybrid work model. Collaborate across diverse teams to deliver data driven insights sustainable outcomes and measurable improvements in client performance and societal advancement.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex IT consulting engagements from inception to completion ensuring that project scopes timelines and outcomes align with client strategic objectives and deliver measurable business value.
• Oversee end to end assessment of client technology landscapes identifying modernization opportunities that improve efficiency reduce operational risk and support long term digital transformation.
• Provide thought leadership on IT consulting best practices developing frameworks and methodologies that can be reused across engagements to drive consistency quality and innovation.
• Drive collaborative problem solving with cross functional client teams translating business challenges into practical technology solutions that are feasible sustainable and aligned with budget constraints.
• Guide the design of target operating models for technology and consulting functions focusing on governance processes and tools that enhance agility transparency and accountability.
• Coordinate hybrid work delivery across onsite and remote team members ensuring effective communication shared understanding of priorities and timely resolution of issues without requiring travel.
• Influence senior client stakeholders through clear presentations and well structured recommendations enabling informed decisions on investments in applications infrastructure and data capabilities.
• Develop roadmaps for cloud adoption application modernization and data driven decision making ensuring that implementation phases are pragmatic risk aware and aligned with regulatory expectations.
• Support practice growth by mentoring consultants contributing to knowledge assets and shaping service offerings that strengthen the firms market position in IT consulting and digital advisory.
• Ensure rigorous engagement governance by monitoring risks dependencies and resource utilization implementing corrective actions that safeguard quality standards and client satisfaction.
• Collaborate with delivery and operations teams to transition approved strategies into executable programs aligning delivery plans metrics and feedback loops to achieve promised outcomes.
• Champion ethical and sustainable technology recommendations promoting solutions that enhance accessibility reduce environmental impact and contribute positively to society through responsible innovation.
• Manage stakeholder expectations by setting realistic milestones communicating progress transparently and incorporating feedback that improves both client experience and internal ways of working.

Qualifications

• Possess fifteen to seventeen years of progressive experience in IT consulting demonstrating consistent success in leading complex transformation projects and delivering measurable business improvements.
• Bring deep domain knowledge across enterprise technology architectures including applications infrastructure and data platforms with the ability to explain technical concepts in accessible business language.
• Apply strong consulting skills in problem structuring hypothesis driven analysis and storytelling with data ensuring that recommendations are evidence based and practically implementable.
• Use proven experience in hybrid work environments to coordinate distributed teams leveraging collaboration tools and structured rituals that maintain productivity and alignment without travel.
• Demonstrate advanced competency in stakeholder management and negotiation enabling consensus among diverse business and technology groups while preserving focus on shared outcomes.
• Exhibit practical knowledge of project and program management disciplines including planning risk management and benefits tracking with hands on use of standard methodologies adapted to consulting contexts.
• Show familiarity with industry regulations security considerations and compliance requirements relevant to enterprise IT integrating these elements into strategic and architectural guidance for clients.