Consulting Manager - Release Train Engineer

Cognizant; Ciudad de México; Hybrid; MXN 900,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Consulting Manager - Release Train Engineer to lead integrated planning, execution, and delivery for a GMP-regulated life sciences client. You will function as an RTE and project manager, coordinating cross-functional teams and vendors to deliver prioritized capabilities on schedule.

You will drive agile ceremonies, executive reporting, and governance across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, and Data teams, while ensuring alignment with business outcomes and regulatory

Qualifications

• Experience leading complex transformation programs or agile release trains in pharmaceutical manufacturing or other regulated life-sciences environments.
• Strong practical experience as a Release Train Engineer, Program Manager, Agile Program Lead, or equivalent role.
• Delivery experience involving manufacturing digitalization, MES, electronic batch records, or related manufacturing execution platforms.
• Familiarity with GMP, data integrity, validation/CSV principles, and site implementation constraints.
• Proven ability to lead senior stakeholders and deliver executive reporting.

Responsibilities

• Establish and manage the integrated workstream plan, release roadmap, delivery cadence, resources, milestones, dependencies, risks, action items, and decisions, while facilitating agile planning and execution across multiple teams.
• Coordinate stakeholders across Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, the client's Tech & Digital organization, Data Scientists, and site operations; oversee MES of the Future implementation and core data connectivity.
• Ensure Golden Batch and Connected Worker/OEE initiatives stay aligned to business outcomes and regulatory requirements; manage dependencies, blockers, and delivery risks.
• Support evaluation and prioritization of PAT opportunities, including vendor interaction and integration into the roadmap.
• Produce concise executive status reporting and surface milestones, risks, decisions, and next steps to the PMO; promote agile practices in a regulated environment.

Skills

Release Train Engineer

Agile Program Lead

Stakeholder Management

Executive Reporting

Quality/regulatory awareness

Tools

SAFe Certification

Job description

About Cognizant Consulting

Cognizant Consulting is more than Cognizant's consulting practice—we're a global community of 6,000+ experts dedicated to helping clients reimagine their business. Blending our deep industry and technology advisory capability, we create innovative business solutions for Fortune 500 clients. And now, we're looking for our next colleague who'll join us in shaping the future of business. Could it be you?

About the role

As a Consulting Manager - Release Train Engineer, you will make an impact by leading integrated planning, execution, and delivery coordination for the client's GMSx Manufacturing Workstream. You will operate as both a Release Train Engineer (RTE) and Project Manager, connecting business stakeholders, manufacturing sites, product teams, the client's Tech & Digital organization, and vendors to deliver priority capabilities in a coordinated, on-schedule, value-focused manner. You will be a valued member of the Cognizant Consulting Life Sciences delivery team and work collaboratively with MES Program Leadership, manufacturing site teams, quality, engineering, data science, and vendor partners, as well as clients.

In this role, you will:

• Establish and manage the integrated workstream plan, release roadmap, delivery cadence, resources, milestones, dependencies, risks, action items, and decisions, while facilitating agile planning and execution across multiple teams — including program increment planning, cross-team ceremonies, retrospectives, and delivery reporting.
• Coordinate stakeholders across Manufacturing, Quality, Training, Engineering, the client's Tech & Digital organization, Data Scientists, and site operations; and in conjunction with MES Program Leadership, oversee the MES of the Future implementation at the client site and coordinate the relevant Level 2 (L2) connectivity through the Manufacturing Data Fabric, recognizing these as critical dependencies for the workstream.
• Ensure Golden Batch and Connected Worker/OEE initiatives remain aligned to business outcomes, operational priorities, governance, and implementation readiness, while driving visibility and resolution of cross-functional dependencies, blockers, resourcing needs, and delivery risks.
• Support evaluation and prioritization of PAT opportunities for both the client Use Case and three-year roadmap, including vendor interaction, stakeholder alignment, decision preparation (business value and project costs), and integration into the broader roadmap.
• Produce concise executive-level status reporting (progress against outcomes, decisions required, risks, next steps); surface timely workstream status, milestones, dependencies, risks, and decisions to the PMO to support integrated program-level tracking and reporting; and promote consistent agile ways of working while adapting delivery practices to the needs of a regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing environment.
• 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).

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, or Querétaro, Mexico. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.

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.

What you must have to be considered

• Significant experience leading complex transformation programs or agile release trains in pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, or similarly regulated life-sciences environments.
• Strong practical experience as a Release Train Engineer, Program Manager, Agile Program Lead, or equivalent role.
• Demonstrated delivery experience involving manufacturing digitalization, MES, electronic batch records, manufacturing execution, shop-floor systems, OEE, connected worker, or industrial data platforms.
• Familiarity with GMP, data integrity, validation/CSV principles, quality-system implications, and site implementation constraints.
• Proven ability to lead senior stakeholders and resolve cross-functional delivery issues in a fast-paced environment, with strong communication, facilitation, planning, and executive-reporting skills.

These will help you succeed

• Direct experience with OEE, Golden Batch, process performance analytics, digital batch record transformation, PAT, or advanced manufacturing initiatives.
• Experience supporting multi-site manufacturing rollouts or global operating-model implementation.
• SAFe or comparable agile-at-scale certification and experience.
• 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).

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.