Role: Senior Director: Platform Deployment and Management – India

Business Vertical: AITDS – Technology

The Senior Director of AI Platform & MLOps is a senior strategic leader who will define the technology vision and roadmap for the entire AI Training Data Services business. You are responsible for ensuring our platform provides a significant competitive advantage, drives business growth, and operates with financial and operational excellence. You will lead the overall platform engineering organization, manage other technology leaders (including Directors), and serve as the key technology partner to the business unit head and executive team.

Responsibilities

Strategic & Visionary Leadership:

· Define and own the multi-year technology vision and strategic roadmap for the AITDS platform, aligning with overall company P&L and strategic goals.

· Drive key strategic decisions, including major build-vs-buy analyses, new technology adoption, and long-term architectural direction.

· Act as a technology evangelist, representing the AITDS platform's capabilities to C-level client stakeholders, industry partners, and internal executives.

· Champion innovation, staying ahead of industry trends in MLOps, LLMOPs, and GenAI to ensure our platform remains state-of-the-art.

Organizational & Executive Leadership:

· Lead, mentor, and develop a team of technology leaders, including Directors and Senior Managers (a "leader of leaders").

· Establish and govern the entire platform engineering function, setting standards for technical excellence, security, and operational rigor.

· Own the entire technology budget for the AITDS vertical, driving a culture of financial accountability and optimizing for long-term ROI.

· Define and track key performance indicators (KPIs) for platform reliability, efficiency, and business impact.

Business & Client Partnership:

· Serve as the senior technology partner to the AITDS Business Unit Head, translating business needs into a cohesive technology strategy.

· Engage in strategic, high-stakes negotiations with clients and partners, providing executive-level technical credibility and vision.

· Ensure the platform's design and deployment strategy meets global compliance, security, and data residency requirements at a strategic level.

Skills & Qualifications

· Experience: Min 15+ years in a technology field, with at least 8 years in a senior leadership capacity, including experience managing other managers or directors.

· Strategic Vision: Proven ability to create and execute a long-term technology strategy that directly aligns with and drives business outcomes.

· Business Acumen: Strong understanding of business financials (P&L, ROI, TCO). Experience linking technology investments directly to revenue growth and profitability.

· Executive Presence: Exceptional communication and presentation skills, with the ability to influence and build consensus among executive leadership and senior client stakeholders.

· Broad Technical Expertise: While not necessarily hands-on daily, you must possess a deep, strategic understanding of cloud architectures, MLOps/LLMOPs principles, data engineering, and enterprise security.

· Organizational Scaling: Demonstrated success in building and scaling a high-performing, multi-level technology organization from the ground up.

· An advanced degree (master's or PhD) in Computer Science, AI, or a related field is a strong plus.

· A portfolio of projects (e.g., GitHub) or detailed case studies demonstrating your work in building AI-driven solutions.

The Cognizant community:
We are a high caliber team who appreciate and support one another. Our people uphold an energetic, collaborative and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.

• Cognizant is a global community with more than 300,000 associates around the world.
• We don’t just dream of a better way – we make it happen.
• We take care of our people, clients, company, communities and climate by doing what’s right.
• We foster an innovative environment where you can build the career path that’s right for you.

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 and one of Forbes World’s Best Employers 2025) is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com

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.

Disclaimer: 
Compensation 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.

Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.