ROLE: AI STRATEGIST
Job Description:
We are seeking a Principal AI Strategist — a credible, hands-on thought leader who operates with equal authority in the boardroom and alongside delivery teams. This is a doing role, not an advisory one. You will define the AI vision, shape operating models, govern programmes, and drive measurable outcomes for one of the UK's most consequential financial institutions.
Location: London
Onsite: Hybrid
Focus Areas
▸ Board & Executive AI Advisory
▸ Enterprise Transformation
▸ AI Operating Model Design
▸ AI-Enabled Value Creation
▸ Commercial & Growth Strategy
▸ Global Practice Leadership
Strategic Advisory & AI Thought Leadership
▸ Define and own the end-to-end AI vision for CLIENT — translating regulatory priorities, business goals, and data landscape into a coherent AI strategy, investment roadmap, and governance framework with board-level accountability.
▸ Design the AI Operating Model from scratch — including the Centre of Excellence (CoE) blueprint, use-case governance lifecycle, model assurance standards, and RACI frameworks aligned to CLIENT's regulatory obligations.
▸ Lead AI maturity assessments and capability evaluations, synthesising findings into executive-ready narratives and MVP-to-production roadmaps.
▸ Frame and present compelling business cases and investment proposals for AI initiatives, covering commercial viability, risk, regulatory compliance, and measurable returns.
Hands-On AI Solution Design & Delivery
▸ Architect and guide enterprise-grade AI solutions — selecting the right AI solution patterns (retrieval, reasoning, automation, multi-agent orchestration) based on business context, data characteristics, and regulatory constraints.
▸ Work directly alongside engineering and data science teams to unblock delivery, elevate technical quality, and ensure solutions meet CLIENT's accuracy, explainability, and security standards.
▸ Lead evaluation and optimisation of AI outputs — balancing performance, latency, and regulatory trustworthiness across the full production lifecycle.
▸ Oversee technical go-live readiness, infrastructure capacity, and the industrialisation of AI solutions from prototype to enterprise-scale production.
Client & Executive Engagement
▸ Serve as the primary AI trusted advisor to CLIENT's C-suite and senior leadership — building deep, long-term confidence in AI adoption and transformation.
▸ Lead discovery, design thinking, and use-case prioritisation workshops with CLIENT business and technology stakeholders.
▸ Translate complex AI capability into clear strategic narratives, board presentations, and executive roadmaps.
▸ Identify and shape new AI opportunities within CLIENT — growing Cognizant's AI footprint through genuine value creation and commercial pipeline development.
Practice & Team Leadership
▸ Mentor cross-functional AI delivery teams — setting technical and strategic standards that elevate collective capability across architects, engineers, and business analysts.
▸ Contribute to Cognizant's AI practice — developing reusable accelerators, frameworks, and thought leadership that extend beyond the CLIENT engagement.
▸ Build and retain top AI talent, developing the individuals who will lead Cognizant's next generation of AI engagements.
What We Are Looking For
Essential
▸ Demonstrated track record leading AI strategy, operating model design, and AI CoE development at Principal or Director level in a regulated enterprise environment — you have owned the outcomes, not contributed to them.
▸ Deep, hands-on experience designing and delivering production AI solutions — you understand which AI patterns to apply and why, and you can challenge and improve a technical design in real time.
▸ Proven cloud-native AI delivery on AWS (primary), with working knowledge of Azure and/or GCP — hands-on architecture experience, not oversight.
▸ Experience designing and deploying Agentic AI and Multi-Agent Systems in enterprise environments where accuracy, explainability, and auditability is non-negotiable.
▸ Multi-million-pound programme leadership — you have held accountability for a large AI portfolio's outcomes and commercial performance
▸ Senior stakeholder management in Financial Services, Public Sector, or equivalent regulated sectors — comfortable presenting AI strategy at board level and defending technical decisions to risk and compliance functions.
▸ Working command of AI governance frameworks (NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001 or equivalent) applied in practice, not in theory.
▸ Commercial acuity — the ability to identify AI opportunity, articulate value, and grow client engagement organically.
Highly Desirable
▸ Direct experience in Financial Services regulation or prior CLIENT engagement.
▸ AI product development — having built and commercialised an AI product, accelerator, or reusable capability.
▸ MLOps / LLMOps and AI industrialisation at scale across multiple geographies.
▸ Enterprise architecture qualification (TOGAF, SAFe, or equivalent).
コグニザントのコミュニティ：
私たちは、互いを尊重し支え合う優秀な人材の集まりです。社員一人ひとりが成長し、力を発揮できるよう、エネルギッシュで協力的かつインクルーシブな職場環境を大切にしています。
- コグニザントは、世界中に30万人以上のアソシエイトを擁するグローバルコミュニティです。
- 私たちは、より良い方法を夢見るだけでなく、それを実現します。
- 人、クライアント、企業、地域社会、そして環境に対して、常に「正しいこと」を行うことで責任を果たします。
- あなたにとって最適なキャリアパスを築くことができる、革新的な環境を提供します。
私たちについて：
コグニザント（NASDAQ: CTSH）は、AI builderおよびテクノロジーサービスプロバイダとして、AI投資を企業価値へとつなげるフルスタックのAIソリューションを提供しています。業界、業務プロセス、エンジニアリングに関する深い専門性を強みに、各企業固有のコンテキストをテクノロジーシステムに組み込み、人の力を最大限に引き出すとともに、具体的な成果の創出と、急速に変化する世界におけるグローバル企業の競争力維持を支援します。詳しくは、当社ウェブサイト www.cognizant.com をご覧ください。
コグニザントは機会均等を重視する雇用主です。応募者および候補者は、人種、肌の色、性別、宗教、信条、性的指向、性自認、国籍、障がい、遺伝情報、妊娠、退役軍人の地位、または連邦、州、地方の法律で保護されているその他の特性に基づいて差別されることはありません。
免責事項：
応募者は、対面またはビデオ会議による面接への参加を求められる場合があります。また、各面接の際に、現住所または政府発行の身分証明書の提示が必要となる場合があります。