Global HR Strategic Deals leader

Cognizant; Spring Hill (KS); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Global HR Strategic Deals Leader to guide multi-country HR strategies for complex deals and M&A. This senior role leads design of people solutions, collaborates with BD, Legal, and client executives, and ensures seamless employee transfers while aligning HR with Cognizant’s growth objectives.

The ideal candidate brings deep experience in HR leadership, rebadging, and international compliance, with a track record of coaching senior teams and delivering across regions in a

Qualifications

• 15+ years of human resources and strategic deals experience.
• Minimum 5 years in leadership roles.
• Extensive HR employee transfer and rebadging experience across regions.
• Deep familiarity with employment laws across multiple countries.
• Ability to design change management and communication strategies.
• Knowledge of strategic deal lifecycles, legal risks, and total rewards.
• Proven ability to manage senior stakeholder relationships and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, multi-country deals and HR aspects, including compliance, compensation, benefits, retention, integration, and change management.
• Perform due diligence, assess compensation/benefits gaps, and align costs.
• Advise deal teams on compensation harmonization, benefits mapping, and retention strategies.
• Partner with BD and Legal to assess feasibility and workforce implications.
• Design HR frameworks compliant with local laws and global standards.
• Lead stakeholder engagement across HR, Ops, Finance, and Legal.
• Coach senior teams and leaders on HR issues within strategic deals.
• Engage senior leaders to align HR solutions with growth strategy.
• Build best practices and continuous improvement in Cognizant’s deal operating model.
• Plan, hire, upskill, and manage succession for Strategic Deals team.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Change management

Coaching

HR strategy

Employee transfer

Global deals

Communication

Education

HR degree

Law degree

Job description

ABOUT US

Cognizant is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating, and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant, a member of the NASDAQ-100, is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com.

LEADING AT COGNIZANT

This is a Leadership Senior Director role at Cognizant. We believe how you lead is as important as what you deliver. Cognizant leaders at every level: Drive our business strategy and inspire teams around our future. Live the leadership behaviors, leading themselves, others and the business. Uphold our Values, role modeling them in every action and decision. Nurture our people and culture, creating a workplace where all can thrive.

At Cognizant, leadership transcends titles and is embodied in actions and behaviors. We empower our leaders at every level to drive business strategy, inspire teams, uphold our values, and foster an inclusive culture.

The Role

Cognizant helps companies modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they stay ahead in a fast-changing world.

Our Global Human Resources organization is looking for a Global HR Strategic Deals Leader to join our journey. We are seeking an experienced, globally minded HR leader with deep strategic transaction, employee transfer, and stakeholder management expertise. As a member of our team, you will lead the people solution for complex, multi-country strategic deals and M&A transactions.

The Global HR Strategic Deals Leader provides HR leadership and expertise for transactions involving complex, multi-geography rebadging strategies. This role partners closely with Business Development, deal teams, client executives, and cross-functional stakeholders to design and execute HR solutions that enable seamless employee transfers. The leader also engages senior business leadership to align the HR strategy with corporate growth objectives, mentors experienced team members, and drives continuous improvement across the Strategic Deals HR M&A capability.

Every choice we make aligns to our vision: to become the pre-eminent technology services partner to the world’s top companies.

At Cognizant, we are a high-performing team with heart. Our solutions are in demand and we’re passionate about making a difference. If you have experience with the above, are a selfless leader, and are committed to client-facing environment; if you want to grow your career with a team that wants to build something great together, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, multi-country deals and solution all HR aspects, including compliance, compensation, benefits, talent retention, cultural integration, and change management.
• Perform due diligence, assess compensation and benefits gaps, and ensure alignment on cost implications.
• Advise deal teams and clients on compensation harmonization, benefits mapping, and retention strategies that support talent continuity.
• Partner with Business Development and Legal to assess deal feasibility and workforce implications, including participation in internal deal qualification reviews.
• Design and implement risk-mitigated HR frameworks that comply with local labor laws, collective agreements, and global standards.
• Lead stakeholder engagement across HR, Operations, Finance, and Legal to ensure alignment and readiness.
• Coach senior sales teams, leadership, client teams, internal stakeholders, and key decision-makers on HR issues, processes, and risk sensitivities within strategic deals.
• Engage senior business unit leaders to align HR solutions with business objectives and growth strategy.
• Build and deploy best practices, improve cross-functional process efficiency, and embed continuous improvement into Cognizant’s deal operating model.
• Plan, hire, upskill, and manage succession for team personnel while championing expected leadership behaviors.
• Build a culture of development, coaching, and learning, and provide direct oversight, career management, and coaching support for senior leaders on the Strategic Deals team.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of human resources and strategic deals experience, including a minimum of 5 years in leadership roles.
• Extensive HR employee transfer and rebadging experience, with expertise managing regional and global deals.
• Deep familiarity with employment laws across multiple countries and their implications for transactions and people-solution design.
• Ability to design change management and communication strategies that maximize employee conversion rates.
• Deep knowledge of strategic deal lifecycles, legal risks, total rewards considerations, employee transfer practices, and regional regulations; able to operate at pace and guide deal teams through ambiguity.
• Proven ability to manage senior internal and external stakeholder relationships, employee engagement, project plans, risks, and deliverables.
• Strong coaching capability, high integrity, and the credibility to work with external HR teams, business leaders, and client stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of global organizations, service lines, business strategies, and the ability to align client objectives with HR and business needs while protecting Cognizant’s interests.
• Executive and C-suite credibility, with the ability to lead people-solution aspects of deals and collaborate across a large multinational team.
• HR and/or Law degree, or comparable experience, is preferred.
• Hybrid work requirement: 3 days per week in a client or Cognizant office.
• Embodiment of the Cognizant Way to Lead: Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Business.
• Embodiment of Cognizant’s Values: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do the Right Thing, and Own It.