Transformation Leader - Executive Engagement & AI Thought Leadership

Cognizant; New Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 240,000 - 360,000; Full time

Job summary

Cognizant is seeking a Transformation Leader - Executive Engagement & AI Thought Leadership to elevate a key insurance account through strategic executive engagement and AI-driven innovation.

Lead cross-functional teams, shape the client's business and technology agenda, and act as a trusted advisor. This client-facing role requires strategic thinking, partnering with CIOs and other senior leaders, and delivering measurable value from Cognizant's capabilities.

Qualifications

• 15–20 years of experience in insurance, technology services, or consulting.
• Proven success in building sustained C-suite relationships.
• Strong executive communication and storytelling skills.
• Working knowledge of P&C insurance, underwriting, and claims.
• Executive-level fluency in AI, cloud modernization, cybersecurity, and data analytics.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred; ability to travel near Hartford, CT.

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the annual thought leadership calendar across priority insurance, AI, data, workforce transformation, application modernization, cloud, and security themes.
• Build and sustain relationships across the client's IT and business leadership tiers with executive briefings.
• Coordinate Cognizant's AI, Analytics, Cloud, Security, and Insurance practices for the account.
• Identify industry events and develop client-Cognizant speaking opportunities.
• Design and lead quarterly innovation immersion and co-creation sessions aligned to priorities.
• Develop and refresh a three-year strategic account roadmap and contribute insights and investment cases.
• Mobilize internal practice leaders and delivery teams to advance strategic initiatives.
• Establish governance and reporting for the engagement with dashboards and metrics.

Skills

C-suite relationships

Executive storytelling

Leadership

Client engagement

AI & Cloud knowledge

Insurance industry knowledge

Education

MBA or equivalent

Insurance/tech services experience

Tools

Guidewire

Duck Creek

PeopleSoft

ServiceNow

Salesforce

Job description

ABOUT US

Cognizant is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating, and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant, a member of the NASDAQ-100, is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com.

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.

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.

The Role

Cognizant helps companies modernize technology, reimagine processes and transform experiences so they stay ahead in a fast-changing world.

We are looking for a Transformation Leader - Executive Engagement & AI Thought Leadership to join our journey. We're looking for someone who is strategically minded, executive-ready, and skilled at mobilizing cross-functional teams. As a member of our team, you will lead the elevation of Cognizant's strategic engagement with a key insurance account through thought leadership, innovation, and trusted C-suite partnership.

This role serves as the single-threaded owner of strategic engagement elevation for a long-standing, high-value client relationship. The Transformation Leader will connect Cognizant's delivery depth, industry insight, and AI-led innovation to the client's business and technology agenda, establishing structured executive engagement rhythms and positioning Cognizant as a strategic advisor and co-architect of the client's future.

Every choice we make aligns to our vision: to become the pre-eminent technology services partner to the world's top companies.

At Cognizant, we are a high-performing team with heart. Our solutions are in demand and we're passionate about making a difference. If you have experience with the above, are a selfless leader, and are committed to client-facing environment; if you want to grow your career with a team that wants to build something great together, we want to hear from you!

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the annual thought leadership calendar across priority insurance, AI, data, workforce transformation, application modernization, cloud, and security themes, including 4-6 client-tailored Points of View each year.
• Build and sustain relationships across the client's IT and business leadership tiers, delivering executive briefings that emphasize strategic insight and measurable business value.
• Coordinate Cognizant's global AI & Analytics, Cloud, Security, and Insurance practices to bring the strongest intellectual capital and subject matter expertise to the account.
• Identify industry events and develop joint client-Cognizant speaking and panel opportunities, targeting at least two external co-presentations annually.
• Design and lead quarterly innovation immersion and co-creation sessions aligned to priorities such as Agentic AI, underwriting transformation, claims automation, and security posture.
• Develop and refresh a three-year strategic account roadmap and contribute insights, investment cases, and capability perspectives to the client's annual technology planning and budgeting cycle.
• Mobilize internal practice leaders, SMEs, delivery teams, and hyperscaler partners to advance strategic initiatives without direct line authority.
• Establish governance and reporting for the engagement, including executive relationship mapping, activation roadmaps, monthly dashboards, and metrics tied to client satisfaction, renewals, expansion, and revenue outcomes.

Qualifications

• 15-20 years of progressive experience in the insurance industry, technology services, consulting, or managed services, including at least 5 years in a senior client-facing or account leadership role.
• Proven success building sustained C-suite relationships with CIO, CISO, CDO, COO, and other senior stakeholders in large, complex organizations.
• Strong executive communication and storytelling skills, including experience producing client-relevant Points of View, white papers, executive briefings, workshops, or conference presentations.
• Working knowledge of P&C and Group Benefits insurance, including underwriting, claims, billing, policy administration, risk engineering, and actuarial functions; familiarity with platforms such as Guidewire, Duck Creek, PeopleSoft, ServiceNow, and Salesforce is preferred.
• Executive-level fluency in Generative and Agentic AI, cloud modernization across AWS, Azure, or GCP, cybersecurity and Zero Trust, application reliability, data and analytics, AI governance, and MLOps.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through a matrix organization, influence without authority, and manage relationships through service disruptions, security incidents, or delivery challenges.
• MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred but not required; ability to travel and work in a client-proximate model, preferably near Hartford, Connecticut.

Embodiment of the Cognizant Way to Lead and Cognizant's Values: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do the Right Thing, and Own It.