Associate Director, Consulting Lead – Payments Domain Practice
Location: New York, New Jersey, USA
Work Mode: Hybrid (3 days/week at client location)
About the Role
We are seeking a senior consulting leader to build and scale our Payments Domain Practice. As a Consulting Lead, you will drive strategic growth, shape market-facing offerings, and lead high-impact transformation programs for clients across the payment’s ecosystem.
This role combines domain expertise, advisory leadership, business development, and delivery oversight, with a strong focus on creating measurable business outcomes and long-term client value.
Your Key Responsibilities
· Define and execute the practice vision, including offerings, target markets, growth strategy, and capability roadmap.
· Serve as a trusted advisor to senior client stakeholders by bringing industry insights, operating model expertise, and transformation recommendations.
· Partner with sales and account teams to shape opportunities, develop proposals, and support RFP/RFI pursuits.
· Develop differentiated consulting offerings, frameworks, accelerators, and thought leadership assets.
· Provide oversight across engagements to ensure quality, consistency, commercial discipline, and measurable outcomes.
· Build and mentor a high-performing consulting team, driving capability development, knowledge sharing, and career growth.
Stakeholder Management
Collaborate with cross-functional teams across consulting, delivery, technology, and operations.
Thought Leadership
Stay ahead of payments trends, regulatory developments, and emerging technologies; translate insights into market-facing perspectives.
Payments Domain Expertise (Core to Role)
- Payment modernisation initiatives and Payment Hub implementation
- ISO 20022 readiness (impact assessment, migration, testing, cutover)
- Payment rail integration (real-time payments, ACH, wires, cards, SWIFT, cross-border, open banking/APIs)
- Partner onboarding, integration, certification, and operational readiness
- End-to-end payments transformation across product, operations, risk, compliance, and technology
Required Qualifications
- 12+ years of experience in consulting, advisory, or transformation leadership roles
- Strong Payments domain expertise with ability to influence senior stakeholders
- Proven success leading consulting engagements from opportunity through delivery
- Experience in business development, proposal creation, and client presentations
- Demonstrated experience building consulting offerings and reusable assets
- Strong understanding of operating models, digital transformation, data, and AI-led change
- Excellent executive communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills
- Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred
Preferred Experience
· A senior consulting leader with strong domain credibility and executive presence, who can translate market needs into scalable offerings, drive growth, and deliver complex transformation programs while developing high-performing teams.
- Experience building or scaling a consulting practice or domain capability
- Hands-on Payment Hub transformation experience (routing, validation, reconciliation, exception handling)
- Deep expertise in ISO 20022 migration and payment formats
- Experience with global payment networks, processors, or ecosystem partners
- Exposure to fintech, vendor onboarding, and integration programs
- Experience in AI, analytics, automation, or platform modernization initiatives
- Strong commercial acumen (pipeline, revenue, margin, utilization)
- Experience mentoring senior consultants and operating in global, matrixed environments
Compensation & Benefits
- Base Salary Range: USD $165,000 – $194,000
- Eligible for performance-based incentives/bonus (as applicable)
- Comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, vision, and wellness programs
- Retirement savings support and paid time off
- Learning & development opportunities and leadership training
Work Environment
- Hybrid model with 3 days/week at client site
- Collaborative, inclusive, and growth-oriented consulting environment
- Opportunity to work on large-scale transformation programmes across global clients
Equal Opportunity Statement
We are an equal opportunity employer committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of race, gender, disability, or other protected characteristics.
Application Deadline
30 July 2027
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.
