Frontier Principal - Leading the AI Frontier

Cognizant; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 150,000 - 175,000; 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

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant in the United States seeks a Frontier Principal to shape AI-augmented delivery and AI-era operating models for enterprise clients.

You will co-design transformation strategies with C-suite stakeholders, define frontier-model evaluation, and govern AI safety and risk. This role also leads Frontier Practice P&L and builds a learning community across the firm.

Qualifications

• 20+ years of enterprise AI leadership experience.
• Proven ability to lead AI transformations and strategy.
• Experience engaging C-suite stakeholders and guiding governance.

Responsibilities

• Set strategic direction for AI-augmented delivery across the enterprise.
• Co-design AI transformation blueprints with client executives.
• Define evaluation frameworks for frontier-model deployment and safety.
• Govern adversarial-AI risk and AI safety policy; lead incident-response strategy.
• Own Frontier practice direction and P&L; structure outcome-based models.
• Maintain Frontier learning community, methodologies and CoE standards.

Skills

AI transformation strategy

Frontier-model evaluation

Red-team governance

C-suite engagement

P&L leadership

Cross-ISL influence

Job description

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.). Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 1000, and the Fortune 500 and we are among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world.

Frontier Principal

ABOUT THE ROLE

The shared apex of both Frontier tracks, earned and not assigned. Cognizant's most senior Frontier authority: sets the strategic direction for AI-augmented delivery (Engineer side) or the AI-era operating model (Operator side), co-designs AI transformation strategies directly with C-suite clients, governs frontier-model evaluation, adversarial-AI risk and responsible-AI at the enterprise perimeter, and owns the direction and P& L of a Frontier practice. Maintains the learning community, methodologies and gold standards of the capability (the CoE mandate), is recognised externally as a domain authority, and is an intellectual anchor of the programme.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Set the strategic direction for AI-augmented delivery or the AI-era operating model across the enterprise.
• Co-design AI transformation strategies with C-suite client stakeholders; produce transformation blueprints.
• Define evaluation frameworks for frontier-model deployment, including red-team protocols and safety benchmarks.
• Govern adversarial-AI risk and AI safety policy; lead incident-response strategy at the enterprise perimeter.
• Own the direction and P& L of a Frontier practice; structure outcome-based commercial models.
• Maintain the Frontier learning community, methodologies and gold standards (the CoE mandate).

WHAT YOU BRING

Core skills : AI transformation strategy, Frontier-model evaluation & red-team governance, Multi-agent coordination strategy, Adversarial-ML & AI safety policy, Outcome-based commercial structuring, C-suite engagement & board communication, Practice P& L ownership, Frontier talent development, Cross-ISL influence & standards-setting.

Competencies : Frontier Strategy & Direction, Enterprise AI Governance & Safety, C-Suite Transformation Advisory, Frontier Practice & P&L Leadership, Frontier Talent & Community Building, Thought Leadership & External Authority.

ENTRY AND GROWTH

Experience : 20+ yrs with enterprise AI leadership; recognised authority in AI delivery or AI-era operations.

Entry : Earn the Frontier Principal designation through sustained Frontier leadership, external authority and a Principal panel; it is earned, not assigned.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

Builds, ships and permanently owns AI-native systems end to end in a small Frontier pod, and is measured on the customer outcome the pod commits to, not on technical throughput alone.

Application Accepted: 10/30/2026

The annual salary for this position is between $150,000 - $175,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

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 language

Our strength is built on our ability to work together. Our diverse backgrounds offer different perspectives and new ways of thinking. It encourages lively discussions, creativity, productivity, and helps us build better solutions for our clients. We want someone who thrives in this setting and is inspired to craft meaningful solutions through true collaboration.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.