Remote HR Deal Lead: Strategic Outsourcing & Transitions

Cognizant; Richmond (VA); Remote; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

401(k) plan and contributions

Disability insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking an Associate Director, HR Deal Lead to oversee the people workstream across strategic bids and employee transitions. You will drive design, due diligence, and contract-ready solutions partnering with Sales, Solutioning, Commercial, Finance, Legal, Delivery, and regional HR teams.

You will support outsourcing opportunities across the Americas and beyond, handling transfer approaches, cost inputs, risk analysis, and client engagement—reporting to a Director or Senior Director

Qualifications

• Experience leading an HR deal workstream, including end-to-end people activities.
• Experience in transformation, employee relations, or workforce transition, with success independently leading complex workstreams.
• Strong practical knowledge of employment law.
• Experience in client-facing delivery, commercial risk assessment, contractual review, and cross-functional stakeholder management within a matrix organization.
• Commercial acumen and a solution-focused approach.
• Credibility with senior stakeholders, with strong judgment and risk awareness.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills and confidence in negotiation.
• Strong program management skills and the ability to work effectively amid ambiguity, competing priorities, and deadlines.
• A collaborative and resilient working style, with the ability to work effectively across cultures.
• A strong sense of ownership, a desire to create meaningful outcomes, and a passion for work that serves customers, communities, or global challenges.
• Embodiment of Cognizant’s values: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do the Right Thing, and Own It.

Responsibilities

• Lead HR input into people solution design for outsourcing pursuits, partnering with Sales, Solutioning, Commercial, Finance, Legal, Delivery, and regional HR teams.
• Assess regional sensitivities and regulatory employee-transfer implications. Define appropriate transfer, rebadge, rehire, restructuring, and integration approaches.
• Lead people due diligence and translate employee data into risks, assumptions, dependencies, liabilities, and mitigation actions. Develop HR cost inputs covering compensation and benefits, pensions, payroll, redundancy or severance, consultation, and transition activity to support deal pricing and approvals.
• Review people-related provisions in master services agreements, statements of work, transfer schedules, and related contractual documents while working with Legal and Commercial. Present the people solution to senior stakeholders, provide guidance, and influence decisions.
• Establish strong customer engagement and lead client-facing activities, including oral presentations, due diligence, solution design, town halls, Day One activities, offer letters, client status reporting, and meetings. Plan and deliver end-to-end employee transitions.

Skills

HR deal leadership

Transformation experience

Employment law

Stakeholder management

Client-facing delivery

Commercial acumen

Negotiation skills

Program management

Cross-cultural collaboration

Ownership & accountability

Strategic thinking

Job description

Cognizant is seeking an Associate Director, HR Deal Lead to oversee the people workstream across strategic bids and employee transitions. You will drive design, due diligence, and contract-ready solutions partnering with Sales, Solutioning, Commercial, Finance, Legal, Delivery, and regional HR teams.

You will support outsourcing opportunities across the Americas and beyond, handling transfer approaches, cost inputs, risk analysis, and client engagement—reporting to a Director or Senior Director