Engagement Delivery Lead (AMS Projects)

About the Role

We are looking for an Engagement Delivery Lead to own end-to-end delivery for a portfolio of large, complex Application Development & Maintenance (ADM) and Application Managed Services (AMS) engagements within our Public Sector business. This is a client-facing leadership role: you will be the single point of accountability for delivery outcomes, governance, and client satisfaction across one or more Public Sector accounts, working closely with government agency stakeholders, internal delivery teams, and cross-functional service lines (Infrastructure, Cybersecurity, Data & AI, Quality Engineering) to ensure programs are delivered on time, within budget, and to the required quality and compliance standards.

This role suits an experienced delivery leader who has run sizeable ADM/AMS portfolios — spanning application maintenance, enhancements, modernization, and transformation — ideally within, or in service of, government or public agency clients, and who is comfortable operating at both the strategic (steering committee, P&L, account growth) and operational (SLA/KPI, RAID, resourcing) levels.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery Governance & Client Management

• Act as the primary point of contact for all delivery-related matters, representing the organisation to client stakeholders (including senior government agency representatives) and internal leadership.
• Own and chair governance forums — steering committees, program reviews, and operational cadences — providing transparent, data-driven updates on delivery status, risks, and program health.
• Build and sustain trusted relationships with client points of contact, fostering proactive communication and early issue resolution.

Program & Operational Delivery

• Lead end-to-end delivery of large, complex ADM/AMS engagements, including application maintenance, enhancements, modernization, and transformation workstreams for Public Sector clients.
• Oversee execution of project and service activities, ensuring adherence to quality standards, timelines, and contractual commitments.
• Manage and report on Service Level Agreements (SLAs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and where applicable Experience Level Agreements (XLAs); drive resolution of aging issues and escalations.
• Own delivery governance disciplines: workplan management, milestone tracking, RAID (Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies) management, and change/release management.
• Lead service transition and transformation initiatives, including onboarding of new applications, knowledge transfer, and continuous service improvement plans.

Financial & Commercial Ownership

• Own the P&L for assigned engagement(s): revenue, margin, cost-to-serve, and resource utilization.
• Support forecasting, capacity planning, and commercial governance in partnership with account and sales teams.
• Identify and support growth opportunities within existing accounts, including scope expansion and renewal pursuits.

Team & Stakeholder Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop cross-functional delivery teams (onshore/offshore), including program managers, technical leads, and delivery specialists.
• Coordinate with multiple internal stakeholders — service line leaders, solution architects, commercial teams — to ensure aligned, integrated delivery.
• Ensure compliance with relevant government/public sector security, data protection, and regulatory requirements applicable to the engagement.
• Contribute to organisational knowledge base by capturing delivery best practices, lessons learned, and reusable playbooks.

What You Bring

• Significant experience (typically 12+ years) in IT services delivery, with a strong track record leading large-scale, complex ADM and/or AMS engagements.
• Demonstrated experience delivering technology programs for Public Sector / government agency clients, including familiarity with relevant public sector governance, procurement, and compliance frameworks.
• Proven expertise in delivery governance, stakeholder management, SLA/KPI management, and RAID/risk management for multi-workstream programs.
• Experience managing P&L, commercial constructs, and resource/capacity planning for a delivery portfolio.
• Strong track record leading and developing cross-functional, multi-location (onshore/offshore) delivery teams.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and executive communication skills, with the ability to engage confidently with senior client and internal leadership.
• Working knowledge of ITIL-aligned service management processes (incident, problem, change, release management).
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Information Technology, Business, or a related field, or equivalent demonstrable experience.
• Familiarity with Agile and traditional delivery methodologies; PMP, PRINCE2, ITIL, or equivalent certification is an advantage.

Over Cognizant  
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is een bouwer van AI-oplossingen en een leverancier van technologiediensten. Wij slaan de brug tussen AI-investeringen en ondernemingswaarde door het bouwen van full-stack AI-oplossingen voor onze klanten. Onze diepgaande kennis van sectoren, processen en engineering stelt ons in staat om de unieke context van een organisatie te verankeren in technologische systemen. Deze systemen versterken het menselijk potentieel, realiseren tastbare resultaten en geven wereldwijde ondernemingen een voorsprong in een snel veranderende wereld. Ontdek hoe op cognizant.ai of @cognizant.

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