Senior Program Director

Cognizant; Wayzata (MN); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

Paid holidays plus PTO

401(k) plan and contributions

Long-term/Short-term Disability

Paid Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant seeks a Senior Program Director to own end-to-end Infrastructure Management Services delivery across North America, driving service excellence, client satisfaction, and AI‑led transformation.

You will lead large, globally distributed delivery teams, manage executive relationships, govern commitments, and grow the business with solid P&L ownership and disciplined execution.

This onsite/hybrid role requires time in Minneapolis, MN, and offers a competitive package with incentives.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in IT services with at least 8 years of senior delivery leadership, including 10+ years in IMS, infrastructure operations, and SLA-based managed services delivery.
• Proven experience managing large-scale enterprise infrastructure engagements and geographically distributed delivery organizations, including service desk and infrastructure tower operations.
• Strong client-facing leadership experience with executive and CXO-level stakeholder management, plus demonstrated ownership of large-account P&L, revenue, operating margins, and forecasting.
• Proven track record of driving transformation, automation, and operational excellence, with a strong understanding of AI-led delivery models and infrastructure modernization strategies.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills, with deep knowledge of IT outsourcing, managed services governance, and service delivery best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead with strategic vision, client-centric thinking, innovation, disciplined execution, collaboration and a commitment to developing people in line with the Cognizant Way to Lead.
• Proven track record of building trust, demonstrating ownership, exercising sound judgment and fostering an inclusive culture that supports growth and associate success.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end IMS delivery operations across the North America footprint, ensuring SLA achievement, contractual compliance, operational stability, and service excellence.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for client IT leadership and business stakeholders, managing executive relationships, governance forums, escalations, and customer satisfaction initiatives.
• Direct revenue, operating margin, forecasting, and financial performance for a multi-million-dollar managed services engagement, while driving achievement of business growth objectives including a 20% YoY growth target.
• Lead AI-led transformation initiatives, automation programs, and modernization efforts aligned with client business outcomes, and translate client business challenges into technology solutions from pursuit through steady-state delivery.
• Manage large-scale global delivery teams across onsite, nearshore, offshore, and matrixed organizations, and build, mentor, and retain high-performing delivery leadership teams.

Skills

Senior delivery leadership

P&L management

Executive stakeholder mgmt

AI-led transformation

IT outsourcing

Job description

Leading at Cognizant

This is a Leadership 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.

This includes leading with strategic ability, architecting client value, driving AI-led innovation, executing with discipline, building a collaborative ecosystem, and amplifying human potential.
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.

About the role

As an Senior Program Director, you will make an impact by owning end-to-end Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) delivery, operational excellence, and financial performance across a large-scale North America engagement, serving as the primary client-facing delivery executive who drives service excellence, stakeholder satisfaction, AI-led transformation, and profitable business growth. You will be a valued member of the Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) delivery team and work collaboratively with client IT leadership, business stakeholders, market units, vertical leaders, solution and pre-sales teams, and clients.

In this role, you will

• Own end-to-end IMS delivery operations across the North America footprint, ensuring SLA achievement, contractual compliance, operational stability, and service excellence.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for client IT leadership and business stakeholders, managing executive relationships, governance forums, escalations, and customer satisfaction initiatives.
• Direct revenue, operating margin, forecasting, and financial performance for a multi-million-dollar managed services engagement, while driving achievement of business growth objectives including a 20% year-over-year growth target.
• Lead AI-led transformation initiatives, automation programs, and modernization efforts aligned with client business outcomes, and translate client business challenges into technology solutions from pursuit through steady-state delivery.
• Manage large-scale global delivery teams across onsite, nearshore, offshore, and matrixed organizations, and build, mentor, and retain high-performing delivery leadership teams.
• Consistently demonstrate the Cognizant Way to Lead through strategic agility, client value creation, AI-led innovation, disciplined execution, collaborative ecosystem building and amplifying human potential through a culture of growth, inclusion and effective human-AI collaboration.

Work model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is an Onsite/Hybrid position requiring time each week in a client office in Minneapolis, MN. 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 must have to be considered

• 15+ years of experience in IT services with at least 8 years of senior delivery leadership, including 10+ years in Infrastructure Management Services (IMS), infrastructure operations, and SLA-based managed services delivery.
• Proven experience managing large-scale enterprise infrastructure engagements and geographically distributed delivery organizations, including service desk and infrastructure tower operations.
• Strong client-facing leadership experience with executive and CXO-level stakeholder management, plus demonstrated ownership of large-account P&L, revenue, operating margins, and forecasting.
• Proven track record of driving transformation, automation, and operational excellence, with a strong understanding of AI-led delivery models and infrastructure modernization strategies.
• Excellent communication, executive presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills, with deep knowledge of IT outsourcing, managed services governance, and service delivery best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead with strategic vision, client-centric thinking, innovation, disciplined execution, collaboration and a commitment to developing people in line with the Cognizant Way to Lead.
• Proven track record of building trust, demonstrating ownership, exercising sound judgment and fostering an inclusive culture that supports growth and associate success.

These will help you succeed

• Experience leading AI-driven infrastructure transformation and automation programs, with a strong understanding of emerging AI technologies applied within IMS.
• Experience working with strategic alliance partners, vendors, and innovation ecosystem partners.
• Prior experience managing large North America-based enterprise infrastructure engagements.
• Industry experience in IT outsourcing and managed infrastructure services environments.
• Experience thriving in complex, fast-evolving environments by translating strategy into action, fostering cross-functional collaboration and championing continuous learning and curiosity.

Salary and Other Compensation

• The annual salary for this position is between $200,000 - $230,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
• This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Applications will be accepted until September 30, 2026.

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