Senior AI Agent Lead

Cognizant; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 180,000; 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 is seeking a Senior AI Agent Lead to design, deliver, and deploy enterprise-scale autonomous AI agent solutions built on Google Gemini. You will work with AI/Cloud Engineering to translate business goals into actionable roadmaps and oversee secure, scalable deployments in a hybrid Atlanta setting.

You will lead cross-functional teams, drive governance, and ensure operational excellence across AI platforms and tools within Cognizant's ecosystem.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience leading technology delivery, platform engineering, or enterprise software initiatives.
• Proven expertise designing and implementing Generative AI, LLM, and AI agent orchestration solutions.
• Hands-on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including cloud-native architecture and deployment practices.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes, containerized deployment, and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
• Understanding of GCP security principles, governance frameworks, and secure AI development.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and communicate with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience translating business requirements into technical strategies, roadmaps, and execution plans.

Responsibilities

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of scalable, autonomous AI agent solutions leveraging Gemini models and agentic AI frameworks.
• Define and drive cloud-native architecture strategies for AI platforms deployed on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
• Oversee the implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to securely connect AI agents with enterprise apps and data sources.
• Partner with business and tech stakeholders to translate strategic objectives into delivery roadmaps.
• Provide technical leadership and governance for AI solution design, deployment, security, scalability, and operations.

Skills

Generative AI

LLM orchestration

Cloud architecture

Cross-functional leadership

Stakeholder communication

Tools

GCP (Google Cloud Platform)

Kubernetes / GKE

Gemini / Vertex AI

Job description

About the role

As a Senior AI Agent Lead, you will make an impact by leading the design, delivery, and deployment of enterprise-scale autonomous AI agent solutions powered by Google's Gemini Large Language Models. You will be a valued member of the AI and Cloud Engineering team and work collaboratively with business stakeholders, machine learning engineers, cloud architects, and technology leaders to deliver innovative, business-driven AI capabilities.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of scalable, autonomous AI agent solutions leveraging Google Gemini models and agentic AI frameworks.
• Define and drive cloud-native architecture strategies for AI platforms deployed on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
• Oversee the implementation of the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to securely connect AI agents with enterprise applications, internal data sources, and external business tools.
• Partner with business and technology stakeholders to translate strategic objectives and complex requirements into actionable delivery roadmaps.
• Provide technical leadership and governance for AI solution design, deployment, security, scalability, and operational excellence across the AI ecosystem.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring attendance in a client or Cognizant office in Atlanta, Georgia. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you're engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

What you need to have to be considered

• 7+ years of experience leading technology delivery, platform engineering, or enterprise software development initiatives.
• Proven expertise designing and implementing Generative AI, Large Language Model (LLM), and AI agent orchestration solutions.
• Hands‑on experience with Google Cloud Platform (GCP), including cloud‑native architecture and deployment practices.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes, containerized application deployment, and Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE).
• Understanding of GCP security principles, governance frameworks, and secure AI application development.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑functional teams and communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience translating business requirements into technical strategies, roadmaps, and execution plans.

These will help you stand out

• Experience working with Google Gemini models and the broader Vertex AI ecosystem.
• Knowledge of Model Context Protocol (MCP) architecture and enterprise AI integrations.
• Experience building enterprise‑scale agentic AI solutions in regulated or large‑scale environments.
• Familiarity with MLOps, AI platform operations, and production AI lifecycle management.
• Cloud certifications related to Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes, or AI/ML technologies.

Salary and Other Compensation

The annual salary for this position is between $ 150,000 - $ 180,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits

• 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 law.