Cross Functional Tower Lead

Cognizant; Wayzata (MN); On-site; USD 90,000 - 107,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an experienced Cross-Functional Tower Lead to oversee ITSM and SIAM across global infrastructure towers, driving service excellence and scalable transformation for manufacturing operations. You will align internal teams, vendors, and business units to deliver resilient architectures and governance.

The role requires 8+ years in IT Infrastructure with SIAM or cross-functional leadership, ITIL proficiency, and strong vendor management.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience managing complex IT Infrastructure operations, with at least 3+ years in a SIAM (Service Integration and Management) or Cross-Functional Lead capacity.
• Strong background supporting mission-critical environments, specifically manufacturing operations or 24/7 high-availability production plants.
• ITIL v4 Managing Professional or ITIL Expert certification is highly preferred. SIAM Foundation/Professional certification is a strong plus.
• Deep understanding of modern infrastructure architecture, cloud environments, network topologies, and ITSM enterprise tooling.
• Proven track record of managing multi-vendor ecosystems and driving performance from third-party MSPs.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

Responsibilities

• Design scalable and resilient infrastructure architectures aligned with SIAM and ITSM principles, business goals, security standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement an end-to-end SIAM operating model that integrates processes, tools, internal teams, and service providers for consistent service delivery.
• Serve as the strategic owner for the ITSM platform (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management) and cross-functional tooling roadmaps.
• Improve incident, problem, change, and service integration processes to reduce downtime, strengthen operational stability, and enhance service quality.
• Standardize cross-tower workflows to eliminate operational silos and accelerate MTTR.
• Act as the ultimate escalation point for major cross-functional incidents, ensuring rapid remediation and thorough root-cause analysis.
• Create transition roadmaps, governance controls, service metrics, standard playbooks, and architecture documentation to support smooth transformation and consistent operations.
• Establish multi-vendor governance frameworks, holding third-party service providers accountable to SLAs and OLAs.
• Define and report on KPIs that accurately reflect end-to-end ecosystem health.
• Collaborate with business teams, IT operations, and service providers to identify improvement opportunities, optimise resources, and support reliable manufacturing operations.
• Align IT service delivery schedules with manufacturing and business operational timelines to minimize disruptions.
• Drive regular Service Review meetings and Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) initiatives across all infrastructure towers.

Skills

SIAM experience

ITIL v4

Vendor management

Cross-functional leadership

IT infrastructure

ITSM tooling

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/IT/Engineering

Equivalent experience

Tools

ServiceNow

Jira Service Management

Job description

Applicants must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship. Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future.

The Cross-Functional Tower Lead will oversee and manage the entire ITSM process and technology towers across the organization. This role acts as the central orchestrator ensuring seamless integration between internal IT teams, external vendors, and business business units. The ideal candidate will blend strategic architecture design with day-to-day operational governance to drive service excellence, operational stability, and scalable infrastructure transformation.

About Cognizant’s CIS Practice:

Cognizant’s CIS (Cognizant Infrastructure Services) Practice is a global leader in providing IT infrastructure services. We deliver innovative solutions to optimize and transform IT infrastructure, ensuring business agility and operational efficiency. Our services include cloud computing, data center management, network services, and cybersecurity. We focus on understanding client needs and delivering customized solutions to drive business success.

In this role, you will:

Architecture & Operating Model Strategy

• Design scalable and resilient infrastructure architectures aligned with SIAM and ITSM principles, business goals, security standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop and implement an end-to-end SIAM operating model that integrates processes, tools, internal teams, and service providers for consistent service delivery.
• Serve as the strategic owner for the ITSM platform (e.g., ServiceNow, Jira Service Management) and cross-functional tooling roadmaps.

Operational Excellence & Integration

• Improve incident, problem, change, and service integration processes to reduce downtime, strengthen operational stability, and enhance service quality.
• Standardize cross-tower workflows to eliminate operational silos and accelerate Mean Time to Resolution (MTTR).
• Act as the ultimate escalation point for major cross-functional incidents, ensuring rapid remediation and thorough root-cause analysis.

Governance, Playbooks & Documentation

• Create transition roadmaps, governance controls, service metrics, standard playbooks, and architecture documentation to support smooth transformation and consistent operations.
• Establish multi-vendor governance frameworks, holding third-party service providers accountable to Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and Operational Level Agreements (OLAs).
• Define and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) that accurately reflect end-to-end ecosystem health.

Business Collaboration & Continuous Improvement

• Collaborate with business teams, IT operations, and service providers to identify improvement opportunities, optimise resources, and support reliable manufacturing operations.
• Align IT service delivery schedules with manufacturing and business operational timelines to minimize disruptions.
• Drive regular Service Review meetings and Continuous Service Improvement (CSI) initiatives across all infrastructure towers.

What you’ll need to succeed:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years of experience managing complex IT Infrastructure operations, with at least 3+ years in a SIAM (Service Integration and Management) or Cross-Functional Lead capacity.
• Strong background supporting mission-critical environments, specifically manufacturing operations or 24/7 high-availability production plants.
• ITIL v4 Managing Professional or ITIL Expert certification is highly preferred. SIAM Foundation/Professional certification is a strong plus.
• Deep understanding of modern infrastructure architecture, cloud environments, network topologies, and ITSM enterprise tooling.
• Proven track record of managing multi-vendor ecosystems and driving performance from third-party MSPs.
• Exceptional communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.

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.

Annual compensation between $90,000-$107,000 is being offered for the role. 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

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.