Systems Engineer

Cognizant; New Albany (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Paid holidays + PTO

401(k) plan

Disability insurance

Parental Leave

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Lead Systems Engineer to oversee day-to-day IT support operations and lead L1/L2 teams in New Albany, OH. The role focuses on ITIL-aligned service delivery, incident management, and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities include KPI reporting, SOP development, and collaboration with vendors and stakeholders to ensure high service quality and SLA adherence.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in IT, CS, Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5+ years in IT Operations, Service Desk, End User Computing, Infrastructure Support, or Managed Services.
• 3-4 years leading or managing technical support teams.
• Strong ITIL Service Management knowledge (Incident, Problem, Change, Request).
• Experience managing operational escalations and cross-functional collaboration.
• Proven experience in operational reporting, KPI tracking, and SLA management.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate day-to-day operations of L1/L2 support teams including workload planning.
• Oversee Incident, Change, Problem, and Request Management per ITIL and SLA commitments.
• Act as primary escalation point for complex technical issues and service disruptions.
• Collaborate with support, infrastructure, vendors, and stakeholders to resolve incidents.
• Drive continual service improvement by addressing recurring issues and bottlenecks.
• Develop and maintain SOPs, runbooks, knowledge articles, and technical documentation.
• Support implementation of operational controls, monitoring, and governance frameworks.
• Create KPI dashboards, SLA metrics, and executive service review reports.
• Conduct quality audits of incidents and requests.
• Leverage AI tools and automation to improve productivity and reporting.

Skills

Technical leadership

ITIL processes

Operational reporting

Analytical & problem-solving

Stakeholder communication

SLA management

Education

Bachelor's degree in IT/CS/Engineering

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Excel

ServiceNow/ITSM

AI automation platforms

Job description

Job Title: Systems Engineer

Job Location: Onsite- New Albany, OH, USA

** Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future**

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Lead Systems Engineer to oversee day-to-day IT support operations and lead a team of L1/L2 support professionals. The ideal candidate will be responsible for driving operational excellence across Incident, Change, Problem, and Request Management processes while ensuring service quality, SLA compliance, customer satisfaction, and continuous process improvement.

This role requires strong leadership capabilities, operational management expertise, excellent stakeholder communication skills, and hands‑on experience with ITIL processes, service delivery reporting, automation initiatives, and AI-enabled operational improvements.

In this role, you will

• Lead and coordinate the day-to-day operations of L1 and L2 support teams by managing work allocation, resource planning, workload balancing, and priority assignments to ensure efficient service delivery.
• Oversee Incident, Change, Problem, and Request Management processes, ensuring adherence to ITIL best practices, governance standards, operational procedures, and SLA commitments.
• Act as the primary escalation point for complex technical issues, operational challenges, and service disruptions that cannot be resolved by frontline support teams.
• Collaborate closely with support teams, infrastructure teams, vendors, and business stakeholders to ensure timely resolution of incidents and effective restoration of services.
• Drive continuous service improvement by identifying recurring issues, operational bottlenecks, technology gaps, and process inefficiencies, implementing corrective and preventive measures to enhance service quality.
• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), operational runbooks, knowledge articles, technical documentation, and process guides to support consistent service delivery.
• Support the implementation of operational controls, compliance measures, monitoring solutions, and governance frameworks to improve system reliability, operational visibility, and risk mitigation.
• Manage operational reporting requirements by creating KPI dashboards, SLA measurements, performance scorecards, benchmarks, executive reports, and service review presentations for weekly, monthly, and quarterly stakeholder meetings.
• Conduct regular quality audits of incidents, requests, and support activities to ensure compliance with established processes, documentation standards, customer service expectations, and contractual obligations.
• Leverage AI tools, automation technologies, and modern operational practices to improve team productivity, reduce manual effort, enhance reporting capabilities, and optimize service delivery outcomes.

What you’ll need to succeed (required skills)

• Bachelor's degree in Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in IT Operations, Service Desk, End User Computing, Infrastructure Support, or Managed Services environments.
• 3-4 years of experience leading or managing technical support teams.
• Strong understanding of ITIL Service Management processes, including Incident, Problem, Change, and Request Management.
• Experience managing operational escalations and driving issue resolution across cross‑functional teams.
• Proven experience in operational reporting, KPI tracking, SLA management, and customer service delivery.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with a focus on operational excellence.
• Experience developing SOPs, process documentation, runbooks, and knowledge management assets.

Preferred Skills

• Tableau and Power BI Reporting
• Advanced Microsoft Excel Analytics & Reporting
• AI Tools and Automation Platforms
• Process Improvement Methodologies (Lean/Six Sigma)
• ServiceNow or Enterprise ITSM Tools
• End User Computing (EUC) Operations
• Audio Visual (AV) and Collaboration Technologies
• Managed Services and Enterprise Service Delivery Experience

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

Work model:

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work‑life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite role requiring 5 days a week at client site in New Albany, OH, USA.

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.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

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.

“Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.