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Lead IBM Sterling Engineer

00070064531

Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world.

Our Culture

Your passion, integrity and experience are integral to Cognizant's success. You will join a dynamic and expanding global leader in IT and Business consultancy where you will be valued for who you are. We take pride in our partnership with our clients, so your ability to add value and provide exceptional service to our clients is fundamental to your success. In return, you will be presented with opportunities to develop your career and collaborate with talented colleagues in a supportive, diverse environment.

At Cognizant we recognize that companies that are open and welcoming to a multi-culturally diverse workforce will thrive with fresh perspectives and collaborative knowledge. Cognizant focuses on promoting & increasing gender diversity and providing a workplace which encourages great participation and an equal playing field, where merit and accomplishment are the only criteria for success.

Role Summary:

We are looking for an experienced Lead Sterling Engineer with strong expertise in IBM Sterling B2B Integrator / Sterling File Gateway / Sterling Secure Proxy and hands-on experience working in the banking or financial services domain. The ideal candidate should have strong technical leadership capabilities, deep understanding of B2B file transfer platforms, payment/file processing flows, secure data exchange, and banking compliance requirements.

The role requires leading Sterling platform design, development, support, integration, migration, and enhancement activities while collaborating closely with business, operations, infrastructure, security, and vendor teams.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Lead design, development, configuration, and support activities for IBM Sterling B2B Integrator, Sterling File Gateway, and related Sterling components.
  • Work on onboarding, configuration, and maintenance of trading partners, communication protocols, file routes, business processes, maps, envelopes, certificates, and mailbox configurations.
  • Manage high-volume file transfer and transaction processing across banking applications, external partners, payment networks, vendors, and regulatory systems.
  • Design and develop Sterling maps using Map Editor, including complex transformations, validations, and translation logic.
  • Work with different message and file formats such as Flat Files, XML, EDI, ISO formats, CSV, SWIFT-related formats, NACHA, ACH, payment files, and banking-specific layouts.
  • Configure and support communication protocols such as SFTP, FTPS, FTP, AS2, Connect: Direct, HTTPS, MQ, and Web Services, as applicable.
  • Lead Sterling production support, incident resolution, root cause analysis, and performance tuning activities.
  • Review and optimize Sterling business processes, workflows, adapters, schedules, services, and routing rules.
  • Support Sterling upgrades, migrations, patching, environment setup, disaster recovery activities, and platform modernization initiatives.
  • Ensure secure file transfer practices including encryption, decryption, PGP, certificates, SSL/TLS, key management, and secure authentication.
  • Collaborate with banking business teams to understand file movement, payment processing, reconciliation, settlement, regulatory reporting, and downstream system integration requirements.
  • Provide technical leadership to development and support teams, including task allocation, technical reviews, mentoring, and issue escalation.
  • Prepare technical design documents, mapping specifications, operational runbooks, deployment plans, and support documentation.
  • Coordinate with infrastructure, network, database, middleware, information security, and application teams for end-to-end Sterling delivery.
  • Ensure adherence to banking compliance, audit, data security, and operational risk requirements.
  • Participate in release planning, change management, deployment validation, and post-production support.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives to improve platform stability, monitoring, automation, and operational efficiency.

Required Skills and Experience

  • Strong hands-on experience with IBM Sterling B2B Integrator, Sterling File Gateway, and Sterling ecosystem components.
  • Experience in Sterling maps, business process design, partner onboarding, mailbox setup, envelope configuration, and protocol configuration.
  • Strong experience handling high-volume file transfer processing, preferably in banking or financial services environments.
  • Good understanding of banking file exchange, payments, transaction processing, settlement, reconciliation, clearing, and regulatory reporting flows.
  • Experience working with formats such as EDI, XML, Flat File, CSV, ISO 20022, SWIFT MT/MX, ACH, NACHA, or other banking-specific file formats.
  • Strong knowledge of secure transmission protocols including SFTP, FTPS, AS2, HTTPS, Connect: Direct, MQ, and Web Services.
  • Experience with encryption and security standards such as PGP, SSL certificates, TLS, SSH keys, digital certificates, and key rotation.
  • Knowledge of Linux/Unix commands, shell scripting, SQL queries, and basic database troubleshooting.
  • Ability to troubleshoot Sterling process failures, translation errors, adapter issues, file routing failures, and partner connectivity issues.
  • Experience with monitoring, alerting, job scheduling, incident management, problem management, and production support processes.
  • Strong understanding of enterprise release management, change management, and ITIL-based support processes.
  • Ability to lead technical discussions, guide junior team members, and collaborate with multiple stakeholders.
  • Strong documentation, analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills.
  • Experience in large banking, payments, cards, treasury, corporate banking, or capital markets environments.
  • 8+ years of overall IT experience.
  • 5+ years of hands-on IBM Sterling B2B Integrator / Sterling File Gateway experience.
  • 2+ years in a technical lead or senior engineer role.
  • IBM Sterling B2B Integrator certification or relevant IBM middleware certification is preferred.

Benefits:

Joining Cognizant will give you the opportunity to learn and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry, while having your finger on the pulse of emerging industry trends and working on the cutting edge of technology in your field of expertise.

We recognize that our people perform at their best when they feel valued as significant contributors and that is why at Cognizant, taking care of our employees is a priority:

· You can pursue innovative career tracks and opportunities here

· You can enhance your professional development through education and dedicated training

· We’ll give you the skills you need to keep pace with the changing workplace while our compensation, benefits and wellness packages help you stay healthy and plan for the future.


Next Steps:

Please reach out to our friendly and welcoming team today to apply and register your interest for this full-time role. We'd love to help you get your next role and enable you to fulfil your professional ambitions.

About Cognizant: 
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.

Additional employment information
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.

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.

Benefits that help you thrive and grow

Our benefits program is built with you in mind—so you can enjoy a fulfilling, balanced and healthy life.

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Financial wellbeing

We regularly review market data to ensure compensation reflects the value you bring. Your benefits extend beyond pay and may include retirement plans, financial education, etc.

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Physical and mental health

We empower you to prioritize your wellbeing through paid time off, flexible working where possible, healthcare plans, counselling, our Mental Health Allyship program and more. 

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Your career, your way

With 350,000+ roles at Cognizant, you’ll have opportunities explore new technologies, industries and locations—and build the skills you need to grow your career.

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Real-world impact

Think about the biggest brands you rely on. Chances are, they rely on us to help strengthen their business. Here, you’ll turn bold ideas into solutions that improve lives everywhere.

Your path to Cognizant

Here’s what you can expect from our hiring process. Please keep in mind that it may vary by role and location. Explore our FAQs to learn more.

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Step 1: Apply to the right opportunity

Find an open role that matches your skills and career goals and show us why you’re the person for the job. Don’t see the right opportunity? Consider joining our Talent Community.

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Step 2: Connect with your recruiter

If one of our recruiters sees a fit, they’ll set up a short intro call to learn more about you and how your experiences and skills match the role.

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Step 3: Show off your skills

If you and our team would like to continue the process, you’ll interview with our hiring team. Some roles may also require technical assessments and/or client interviews.

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Step 4: Decision time

Our team will then review each candidates’ potential to succeed in the role. This step may take some time because we want to find the right fit for both you and us—but you can count on us to keep you updated.

APJ Dez
Cognizant has given me the opportunity to thrive as a leader and as a person. The culture of recognition, the great benefits and the sense of community motivate me, and I strive to give my best every day.
Decree Olam Team Leader - Intuitive Operations & Automation
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Cognizant has one of the best learning ecosystems you can ask for. From sponsored certifications to training platforms to mentorship, we have all that we need to grow.
Debashish Mishra SAP MM Developer
Apj Kate
I have the privilege of working with an amazing, diverse team with loads of international experience. It’s inspiring when we all bring our different thinking, skills and experience together to deliver great things.
Kate Wilson Technology Consulting Manager

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