Production Support Portfolio Lead (Hybrid)
Important Disclaimers:
**Please note: A few of our roles may require in-person interviews at Cognizant offices or client locations, depending on project or client needs.**
**Candidate must be legally authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future**
In this role, you will:
- The Production Support Portfolio Lead is responsible for end-to-end operational health of a 16-application portfolio.
- This role owns incident reduction strategy, cross-team escalation management, and engineering-partnership for a portfolio that generates approximately 1,100 incidents over a 5-month window.
- We are looking for a lead who can combine deep ITSM operational experience with analytical rigor, stakeholder communication skills, and a proactive improvement mindset to convert reactive incident patterns into permanent fixes.
Work model: Hybrid
Location: Ohio - IL
We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Ohio, IL. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs.
What you need to have to be considered:
- ITSM Expertise — Hands-on experience with incident, problem, and change management disciplines (ITIL certified), with a proven track record managing high-volume incident environments of 1,000+ tickets across multi-application portfolios.
- Primary Stack Proficiency (.NET / MSSQL / VB.NET) — Strong working knowledge of .NET, MS SQL Server, and VB.NET sufficient to review code, run diagnostic queries, guide technical fixes, and have credible conversations with engineering teams during P1/P2 incidents.
- Incident Reduction & Problem Management — Demonstrated ability to move beyond reactive firefighting by conducting RCA, identifying recurring failure patterns, and driving permanent fixes through engineering backlogs.
- Portfolio-Scale Application Management — Experience simultaneously overseeing 10+ applications in production, managing SLA compliance, prioritizing cross-application incidents, and maintaining overall operational health across a diverse technology landscape.
- Cross-Team Escalation & Stakeholder Management — Ability to lead war-room calls, manage client-facing escalations, and bridge communication between support teams, engineering leads, and senior business stakeholders under pressure.
- Analytical & Reporting Capability — Proficiency in extracting and interpreting incident data to produce meaningful KPI dashboards, trend reports, and executive health scorecards using tools like Excel or Power BI.
- Legacy Application Support Awareness — Functional familiarity with legacy technologies (VB.NET, MS Access, WebSpeed/Progress) to triage issues, coordinate fixes, and assess modernization risk without being solely dependent on niche specialists.
- Continuous Improvement Mindset — Proven ability to apply structured improvement methodologies (Lean, Kaizen, or equivalent) to convert operational pain points into measurable, sustainable reductions in incident volume and resolution time.
-- 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.
Salary and Other Compensation:
Applications will be accepted until 7/3/2026.
The annual salary for this position is between $60K – $117K depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.
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
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.
What we offer
- The chance to work with impact. Here, you’re empowered to bring your biggest thinking to help our company and clients improve everyday life.
- Ownership over your career. Stay at the top of your game through our award-winning learning and development ecosystem. And when your ambitions change or we offer new opportunities, we help you pivot by providing reskilling, on-the-job learning and guidance to find new roles that might be a better fit.
- The opportunity to thrive on a high caliber team with heart. We celebrate each other’s experiences and perspectives and promote a sense of belonging through our affinity groups and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- A comprehensive total rewards package, including a competitive salary and a pension plan with matching contributions.
- Flexible health and financial benefits to support you and your eligible dependents—from day one.
- True work-life balance. Be at your best through paid time off, flexible work arrangements, volunteering opportunities, social events, and so much more.
About us
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, building the bridge 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, realize tangible returns and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at www.cognizant.com or @cognizant.
Other employment-related information
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, provincial or local laws.
If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email [email protected] with your request and contact information.
Language requirements vary depending on roles, but we ask that all candidates have basic English proficiency for company-wide communications purposes. For roles based in Quebec, professional English proficiency is required, as you’ll deliver services to and collaborate with stakeholders outside the province who may not speak French.
