Lab Consulting Specialist (Associate Director)

Cognizant; New York (NY); Remote; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player seeks a dynamic Associate Director Lab Consulting Specialist to join their Advisory team. This role focuses on consultative selling for Laboratory clients, leveraging digital transformation solutions to enhance quality testing and operational efficiencies. The successful candidate will engage with clients to understand their needs, develop tailored strategies, and lead project delivery, ensuring high levels of innovation and satisfaction. Join a collaborative and goal-oriented environment that rewards initiative and success, offering tremendous opportunities for growth and a clear career path in the Life Sciences sector.

Benefits

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid Time Off

401(k) Plan

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Life Sciences with strong leadership and management skills.
• Proven experience in digital laboratory technologies and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Engage in value-based conversations with clients to align on objectives.
• Lead consulting project delivery ensuring high innovation and customer satisfaction.

Skills

Leadership Skills

Communication Skills

Strategic Thinking

Business Acumen

Understanding of Regulatory Aspects

Project Management Concepts

Life Science Lab Knowledge

Education

Relevant Degree in Science, Engineering, or Computing

Tools

LIMS

CDS

ELN/LES

SDMS

QMS

Job description

Overview

Cognizant’s Lab Centre of Excellence (Lab CoE) is a world leader in delivering digital transformation services to Quality Laboratories primarily in the Life Sciences space. Through our deep domain knowledge and expertise in Laboratory informatics, automation and AI, we deliver digital laboratory solutions that help in quality testing, batch release, data gathering, accurate reporting and improved operational efficiencies, whilst maintaining compliance.

The Associate Director level Lab Consulting Specialist role will form part of the wider Advisory team(s) within Cognizant Life Sciences and Life Science Manufacturing Group. The position is responsible for providing expert advice and solutions to clients to help them achieve their goals or create opportunities through value-based discussion with an ultimate objective to develop business.

The role will focus on consultative selling for Laboratory clients across the North American region leveraging the wider set of Cognizant Lab service offerings to assist clients on their digital transformation needs.

The qualified candidate can live in the United States, will work remotely, and must be able to travel as required for business up to 30%.

Key Responsibilities

1. Engage in value-based conversations with customers to ideate and align on their vision or objective and help them realize through technology guidance in the QC Lab space.
2. Develop pursuit strategies on solutions to sell across clients.
3. Support Sales team to front end conversation to win deals.
4. Collaborate with wider account teams to identify and acquire new opportunities within the digital quality and laboratory transformational space.
5. With support from marketing, demonstrate thought leadership within digital laboratory, Lab of the Future space through publication of articles, videos and participation in conferences.
6. In partnership with marketing co-design marketing approaches for new business generation.
7. Support marketing events within the country and regions as needed.
8. Responsible for creating and executing consulting/transformational plans for the client to meet their company goals.
9. Understand and be able to articulate the Cognizant offerings and analyze customer needs to determine requirements and describe proposed solutions to meet client needs.
10. Be able to articulate project delivery methodologies and digital solutions. Keep current with emerging technologies.
11. Oversee the generation of technical and commercial proposals.
12. Support the resourcing strategy for clients and articulate resource requirements for consulting projects and activities.
13. Ensure customer satisfaction and cognizant value are monitored and managed.
14. Ownership and responsibility for proposal delivery and compliance. Generation of proposal is supported by the regional proposals group.
15. Lead consulting project delivery as required, ensuring on time delivery, high innovation levels and customer satisfaction.
16. Support Lab-CoE RFPs as required. Support Lab account teams with innovation ideas.
17. Lead internal development of new digital/GenAI use cases, from concept to go-to market strategies. Work with Lab-CoE leadership to create internal business cases for investment projects for new technologies such as GenAI.

Required Experience

Areas of Specialization: Knowledge of Quality and Laboratory and its diverse range of digital products LIMS, CDS, ELN/LES, SDMS, QMS data integrity and orchestration, reporting.

1. Scope and scale of challenge necessitates a leader with the right proven experience, strategic thinking and execution capabilities. Credibility (through experience) is essential to success in this role.
2. A challenging role requiring Life Science lab knowledge, leadership and management skills with reasonable technical knowledge and ability to understand the space from Lab Systems to interconnecting systems.
3. Role requires both understanding of laboratory, manufacturing and quality related digital technologies and an ability to demonstrate credibility as an account authority to a broad range of stakeholders.
4. Has worked in within Lab facility and possesses a detailed understanding of lab and quality operations, cGMP regulations and Data Integrity practices.
5. Collaborated with matrixed team across geographies.
6. Will require travel as needed.
7. Effective communication skills with the ability to interface with operational, capital projects and senior management within the organization.
8. Experience as a service provider, with good business acumen.
9. Understanding of the regulatory aspects of the Life Science Manufacturing industry, with specific knowledge in analytical testing, laboratory operations and product release processes.
10. Understanding of Project Lifecycle phases and tasks.
11. Professional fluency in spoken and written English.
12. Detailed knowledge of project management concepts, such as project charter, schedule development and project budgeting.

Preferred Experience

1. Knowledge of computer and application validation activities (preferably using GAMP methodology), cGMP, and 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11.
2. Knowledge of current Good Manufacturing Practices including Good Documentation Practices, Data Integrity Practices and ICH Guidelines.
3. Knowledge of pharmaceutical product development processes and business units is advantageous.
4. Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Education

Relevant degree such as science, engineering, computing or similar with 10 years + experience.

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.

Salary and Other Compensation:

The BASE SALARY for this position $150,000 - $170,000 + Annual Target Bonus of 30%.

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 legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or any time in the future.