Business Analyst / Functional Lead - Life Sciennces

Cognizant; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 132,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision Insurance

Paid holidays + PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long‑term/Short‑term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant in Foster City, CA seeks a seasoned Business Analysis & Life Sciences Programs leader to drive digital transformation and data integration initiatives in regulated Life Sciences environments. You will coordinate stakeholders, vendors, and Cognizant delivery teams to meet objectives on time and with high quality.

Role combines stakeholder management, analysis, and delivery leadership across validation, data, and infrastructure teams, ensuring seamless governance and change management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Business Analysis, Functional Consulting, Project Delivery, or Program Management roles.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, and cross‑functional coordination skills.
• Experience delivering projects within Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Manufacturing, or Laboratory Informatics environments.
• Knowledge of regulated industry standards, including GxP, CSV/CSA, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, and related compliance requirements.
• Proven experience supporting project governance, planning, risk management, and execution of large‑scale programs.
• Experience gathering, documenting, and translating business requirements into functional specifications.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with business, technical, infrastructure, validation, and vendor teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary point of contact between business stakeholders, vendor partners, and Cognizant delivery teams, ensuring alignment across all program activities.
• Lead stakeholder workshops, requirements‑gathering sessions, business process reviews, and project governance meetings to drive informed decision‑making.
• Manage project communications, risks, dependencies, action items, and status reporting to ensure successful program execution.
• Coordinate activities across business, technical, infrastructure, validation, and site teams to support timely delivery and operational readiness.
• Translate business requirements into functional specifications and partner with technical teams to support implementation, testing, deployment, and change management activities.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Facilitation

Communication

Cross-functional coordination

Business analysis

Project coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

Job description

As a Business Analysis & Life Sciences Programs, you will make an impact by driving the successful delivery of digital transformation and data integration initiatives within regulated Life Sciences environments. You will be a valued member of the program delivery team and work collaboratively with business stakeholders, technology teams, infrastructure teams, vendors, and site leadership to ensure project objectives are achieved on time and with high quality. This role combines stakeholder management, business analysis, project coordination, and delivery leadership to support complex enterprise programs.

In This Role, You Will

• Serve as the primary point of contact between business stakeholders, vendor partners, and Cognizant delivery teams, ensuring alignment across all program activities.
• Lead stakeholder workshops, requirements‑gathering sessions, business process reviews, and project governance meetings to drive informed decision‑making.
• Manage project communications, risks, dependencies, action items, and status reporting to ensure successful program execution.
• Coordinate activities across business, technical, infrastructure, validation, and site teams to support timely delivery and operational readiness.
• Translate business requirements into functional specifications and partner with technical teams to support implementation, testing, deployment, and change management activities.

Work Model

Onsite

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work‑life balance through our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role's business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring 5 days per week in a client or Cognizant office in Foster City, CA.

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 Need to Have to Be Considered

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Information Technology, Engineering, Life Sciences, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience in Business Analysis, Functional Consulting, Project Delivery, or Program Management roles.
• Strong stakeholder management, facilitation, communication, and cross‑functional coordination skills.
• Experience delivering projects within Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Manufacturing, or Laboratory Informatics environments.
• Knowledge of regulated industry standards, including GxP, CSV/CSA, FDA 21 CFR Part 11, and related compliance requirements.
• Proven experience supporting project governance, planning, risk management, and execution of large‑scale programs.
• Experience gathering, documenting, and translating business requirements into functional specifications.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with business, technical, infrastructure, validation, and vendor teams.

These Will Help You Stand Out

• Functional knowledge of Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES), including PAS‑X, Syncade, POMS, or similar platforms.
• Experience supporting laboratory data management, digital manufacturing, data integration, or digital transformation initiatives.
• Familiarity with scientific data platforms, cloud‑based integration solutions, and enterprise data ecosystems.
• Working knowledge of AWS services, including S3, data lake concepts, and cloud‑based architectures.
• Experience supporting infrastructure onboarding activities, networking concepts, firewall configurations, and connectivity requirements.
• Strong understanding of software implementation lifecycles, testing coordination, deployment planning, and organizational change management.
• Experience working with global delivery teams in complex enterprise environments.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. 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.

Salary And Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until October 9, 2026.

The annual salary for this position is between $88,000 - $132,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

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, subject to applicable law.