Life Sciences Program Lead & Business Analyst

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

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.