Account Director - Aerospace & Defense

Cognizant; Plano (TX); On-site; USD 150,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

401(k) plan

Paid holidays plus PTO

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an Account Director – Aerospace & Defense to lead client relationships, drive revenue growth, and orchestrate large, multi‑service engagements in the U.S. market.

You will partner with VP/CXO level stakeholders across IT and business units, shaping solutions that align with customer priorities and Cognizant capabilities. Ideal candidates bring 7+ years in A&D, strong proposal and negotiation skills, and deep knowledge of regulatory requirements such as ITAR, NIST, and CMMC.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in Aerospace & Defense domain
• Experience with ITAR, NIST, CMMC security controls
• Proven ability to manage full sales lifecycle from opportunity to close
• Strong proposal and presentation skills

Responsibilities

• Forge relationships with VP/CXO decision makers across IT and business teams in A&D
• Lead multi-service line deals and revenue targets
• Negotiate contracts and terms with clients
• Develop sales strategies for new business opportunities

Skills

A&D domain knowledge

Sales lifecycle management

Executive stakeholder engagement

Proposal development

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

CRM tools

Contract management software

Job description

About Cognizant

Cognizant is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, helping clients become data-enabled and data-driven in the digital era. Our industry-based, consultative approach helps companies evolve into modern businesses. By leading clients in using technologies crucial to modern enterprises such as IoT, artificial intelligence, digital engineering & cloud, we enable new business and operating models that unlock new value in markets around the world. Cognizant’s unwavering focus on our clients is led by over 350,000 associates, who deliver services and solutions tailored to specific industries and the outstanding needs of the organizations we serve.

Account Director – Aerospace & Defense

About Cognizant

Cognizant is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, helping clients become data-enabled and data-driven in the digital era. Our industry-based, consultative approach helps companies evolve into modern businesses. By leading clients in using technologies crucial to modern enterprises such as IoT, artificial intelligence, digital engineering & cloud, we enable new business and operating models that unlock new value in markets around the world. Cognizant’s unwavering focus on our clients is led by over 350,000 associates, who deliver services and solutions tailored to specific industries and the outstanding needs of the organizations we serve.

Overview

Account Directors are key contributors to commercial side of Cognizant IT and Consulting Business. They support the Client Partner and act as business owners for assigned accounts, leading the day-to-day activities and P&L of these accounts. The CRM works with delivery teams to enhance backlog, optimizing the resource mix and navigating scope changes to ensure client expectations are met. They work towards establishing a positive client experience. A CRM's shared measures are margin, revenue, client satisfaction & employee retention. CRM role-specific measures are renewal win rates, revenue, and margin.

Key Responsibilities

• Forge relationships with VP/CXO decision makers across IT and business teams in the A&D.
• Map client organization, build outstanding relationships with new business units, and build a sales strategy for developing new business opportunities
• Drive collective focus with multiple teams on larger multi service line deals
• Drive revenue by prioritization, structuring, and leading digital engagements
• Own and deliver on revenue and Total Commercial Value targets
• Lead financial and contract terms, negotiation, and outsourcing discussions
• Understand the client priorities, challenges, opportunities and provide solution and services, by demonstrating Cognizant capability and offerings and articulating value propositions
• Build and establish trusted relationships with client collaborators and elevate brand and service perception
• Lead and Drive RFPs / proactive proposals for renewals, extensions, and support new business growth
• Track industry trends relevant to client business, collaborate with internal capability organizations and provide proactive ideas, solutions and thought leadership
• Strategize, plan and complete to a revenue and pipeline growth

Qualifications And Experience

• Knowledge of Aerospace and Defense domain and demonstrated experience in this domain for 7+ years
• Regulated industry experiences in A&D covering the Compliance and Security aspects including but not limited to
• ITAR Compliance
• NIST 800-171 & NIST 800-53
• CMMC 2.0 Level 2 Security Controls related aspects
• Microsoft’s GCC – Government Community Cloud
• AWS GovCLoud
• FedRAMP experience
• Demonstrated ability to manage entire sales lifecycle from opportunity identification (focus on farming) to negotiation/contracting.
• Capable of working with clients to envision, structure and specify solution requirements. Demonstrated ability to close deals ranging in size from $250K to $5M+
• 5+ years of experience in software development and implementation areas.
• Strong knowledge on current industry trends and capabilities in software, experience and quality engineering disciplines.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills. Capable of structuring and editing presentations and proposals leveraging content that is both self-generated and provided by colleagues
• Self-drive, flexibility and ownership of objectives
• Logical and structured approach to presenting opinions/views and interpretation of information
• Demonstrated ability to influence decisions makers and develop followership among colleagues and subordinates

Preferred Experience

Desired Industry working experiences with, covering all preferred but Commercial and Defense industry are mandatory from Service Provider perspective.

• Commercial Aerospace OEMs & Tier-1s
• Defense OEMs & Tier-1s
• USA DoD & other Defense Agencies
• Alaskan Native Corporations – 8A Companies
• Third party ITAR and CMMC assessment agencies

Top Reasons to Join Our Team

Excellent compensation/benefits. A strong financial incentive package that includes a solid base salary with a highly attractive commission's plan. Further incentives include award programs, club trips, and excellent benefits package. Wide exposure to industry, product, and functional standard methodologies; as well as outstanding teams supporting your sales pursuits. Encouraging management team that rewards initiative & success. Exciting, industry leading practice where you can truly build a long-term career. Congenial, collaborative, and goal-oriented environment; the opportunity to work with and learn from a diverse, highly experienced team of business professionals. Tremendous opportunities for growth with a real career path promoting career advancement.

Benefits

Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

• 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, based on applicable law.

A Good fit for the Cognizant culture

A person who possesses a true passion for changing organizations for the better, and desires to do so within a goal, yet professional atmosphere filled with business professionals who all manifest a belief in partnership, innovation, and excellence. Our “Cultural Value Drivers” are well-known and clearly communicated within the organization: Open, Visible, Motivated, Empowered, Opportunity-Filled, Flexible & Collaborative.

Work Authorization

Must be US citizens