Team Manager - Training Lead
*In-Office- Mesa, AZ*
Role Overview
Cognizant is seeking an experienced Team Manager – Training Lead to own and elevate the training function for the Waymo Rider Support program in Mesa, Arizona. Waymo's fully autonomous ride-hailing service depends on a support team that is fast, empathetic, and precise — and that excellence starts with world-class training.
In this role you will lead a team of trainers and take end-to-end ownership of new hire onboarding, speed to proficiency, and training throughput. You will translate training effectiveness into the operational outcomes our client cares about most — customer satisfaction, interaction quality, and average handle time — while continuously strengthening the training function in close partnership with Waymo and our offshore delivery teams.
Key Responsibilities
1. Training Leadership & Team Development
▸ Lead, coach, mentor, and develop a team of trainers; set clear performance goals, conduct reviews, and build individual development plans.
▸ Run Train-the-Trainer (TTT) and trainer certification programs; calibrate delivery consistency and quality across all trainers.
▸ Manage trainer capacity, scheduling, and utilization to align with hiring plans and production demand.
▸ Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous learning within the training team.
2. Training Throughput & Speed to Proficiency
▸ Own the end-to-end new hire journey — induction, classroom/virtual training, assessments, nesting/OJT, and transition to production.
▸ Drive speed to proficiency across defined 30/60/90-day milestones, ensuring new hires reach performance benchmarks on schedule.
▸ Deliver the required volume of certified, production-ready agents on time and in full to meet hiring and ramp commitments.
▸ Minimize training-to-production ramp loss and early-tenure attrition through effective bridging, grad-bay support, and structured handoffs to operations.
3. Client SLAs, KPIs & Performance Accountability
▸ Own training's contribution to key client SLAs and KPIs — Customer Satisfaction (CSAT), Quality of Interactions, and Average Handle Time (AHT).
▸ Track training-specific metrics: assessment pass rates, certification rates, throughput/batch fill rates, and 30/60/90-day performance.
▸ Correlate training effectiveness to downstream operational outcomes; conduct root-cause analysis on performance gaps and implement corrective action plans.
▸ Present training performance, insights, and improvement roadmaps in client WBRs, MBRs, and QBRs.
4. Curriculum Design & Content Development
▸ Design, develop, and maintain training curricula, facilitator guides, participant materials, job aids, knowledge articles, assessments, and simulations.
▸ Apply instructional design and adult-learning principles (e.g., ADDIE/SAM) to build engaging, outcome-driven learning experiences.
▸ Create blended learning — instructor-led, virtual ILT, e-learning, and self-paced modules — suited to a fast-ramp contact-center environment.
▸ Build role-play and scenario-based exercises reflecting real Waymo Rider Support situations: empathy, de-escalation, AV-safety communication, and policy compliance.
▸ Develop refresher and up-skilling programmers tied to process changes, product updates, and agent performance trends.
5. Quality Partnership & Continuous Improvement
▸ Partner with the QA function to identify recurring defects and knowledge gaps and feed insights into ongoing Training Needs Analysis (TNA).
▸ Establish tight feedback loops between Training, Quality, and Operations to close performance gaps at root cause.
▸ Drive continuous improvement and efficiency initiatives (Lean / Six Sigma principles) to make training faster, more effective, and more scalable.
▸ Conduct regular training effectiveness evaluations using Kirkpatrick or similar frameworks and act on findings.
6. Process Custodianship & Change Management
▸ Serve as custodian of all training processes, documentation, and content — maintain version control, audit readiness, and a single source of truth.
▸ Keep training content continuously aligned with evolving client processes, product/feature updates, and policy changes.
▸ Manage requests end-to-end: assess impact, update materials, and roll out timely refresher training across the floor.
▸ Translate complex or ambiguous process changes into clear, learner-friendly training content quickly and accurately.
7. Client & Offshore Collaboration
▸ Collaborate closely with Waymo stakeholders and Cognizant's offshore/global delivery teams to standardize, strengthen, and scale the training function.
▸ Align all training to the client's brand voice, tone, and rider-experience standards to ensure a consistent CX across sites and geographies.
▸ Drive joint calibration sessions with offshore trainers to harmonize content, delivery quality, and performance standards globally.
▸ Champion training best practices and knowledge sharing across Cognizant's delivery network.
8. Reporting, Governance & LMS Administration
▸ Build and maintain training dashboards and MIS/reporting for leadership and the client — clear visibility into training health, throughput, and outcomes.
▸ Administer and continuously optimize the LMS and associated training tools; drive adoption of digital learning technologies.
▸ Ensure completion of mandatory, compliance, data-privacy, and confidentiality training and maintain audit readiness at all times.
▸ Support budget planning for training resources, materials, and technology SUCESS METRICS
Qualifications
▸ 5+ years of experience in Training / L&D within a BPO, contact center, or customer support environment, including 2+ years leading or managing trainers.
▸ Proven ownership of new hire and production training with a measurable track record of improving speed to proficiency and throughput.
▸ Strong command of contact-center metrics — CSAT, Quality, AHT, FCR — and the ability to link training design to business outcomes.
▸ Hands-on experience in curriculum design, content development, and instructional design methodology.
▸ Demonstrated people-leadership, coaching, and facilitation skills in a fast-paced environment.
▸ Experience collaborating with clients and cross-functional / offshore teams.
▸ Strong analytical, reporting, and stakeholder-management capabilities.
▸ Proficiency with LMS platforms and standard productivity and training tools.
Preferred Qualifications
Bilingual in English & Spanish (verbal and written) is a strong added advantage for supporting a diverse rider and agent base.
▸ Certifications in instructional design, training/facilitation, or process excellence (e.g., Six Sigma Green Belt, ATD CPTD).
▸ Experience in rideshare, mobility, technology, or high-growth / start-up-paced support environments.
▸ Familiarity with modern e-learning authoring tools (Articulate 360, Adobe Captivate) and AI-assisted training solutions.
▸ Working knowledge of Kirkpatrick, ADDIE, and other L&D evaluation frameworks.
Education
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (Education, HR, Communications, Business, or related), or an equivalent combination of education and professional experience.
Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in the United States without requiring company sponsorship now or at any time in the future.
Cog2026
Certified Customer Experience Professional or equivalent accreditation in customer service operations or social media analytics
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.
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.
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.
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