Director Global HR M&A Strategic Deals Leader

Leading at Cognizant

This is a Leadership role at Cognizant. We believe how you lead is as important as what you deliver. Cognizant leaders at every level: Drive our business strategy and inspire teams around our future. Live the leadership behaviors, leading themselves, others and the business. Uphold our Values, role modeling them in every action and decision. Nurture our people and culture, creating a workplace where all can thrive.

At Cognizant, leadership transcends titles and is embodied in actions and behaviors. We empower our leaders at every level to drive business strategy, inspire teams, uphold our values, and foster an inclusive culture.

About the role

As a Director, Global HR M&A Strategic Deals Leader, you will make an impact by shaping the people strategy and execution for large-scale outsourcing, rebadging, transformation, and selected M&A opportunities across APAC. You will partner with Business Unit and SBU leaders, Solution Teams, Deal Architects, Legal, Compliance, Employee Relations, senior client stakeholders, and executive sponsors to support revenue-generating deals from pursuit through Day-1 integration and post-transfer execution.

You will also lead the APAC operations team responsible for workforce analysis, HR compliance, compensation and offer development, employee transfer documentation, transition governance, and operational support for rebadging and selected M&A transactions.

In this role, you will:

· Lead HR workstreams for large, complex strategic outsourcing and rebadging deals from qualification, pursuit, and RFI/RFP response through negotiation, closure, and execution.

· Shape workforce transition and employee transfer strategies across APAC, balancing client requirements, employee experience, legal compliance, employment risk, and commercial objectives.

· Lead due diligence, employee consultation, compensation alignment, offer management, retention planning, transition readiness, Day-1 integration, and post-transfer activities.

· Build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders, CHROs, Legal leaders, executive sponsors, and BU/SBU leaders; serve as the HR subject matter expert in client discussions, solution design, town halls, and executive presentations.

· Lead and develop Regional HR Strategic Deal Leads and the APAC rebadging operations team, establishing scalable operating models, controls, governance, reporting, execution frameworks, and consistent delivery quality.

· Consistently demonstrate the Cognizant Way to Lead, which means operating with Personal Leadership (building trust, collaboration, and inclusion), Organizational Leadership (driving vision and purpose, demonstrating a strategic and enterprise mindset, and creating and communicating a bold direction that inspires purpose), and Business Leadership (exemplifying client focus, managing ambiguity with accountability and results, and operating with financial acumen).

What you need to have to be considered

· 15+ years of progressive HR experience, including 8+ years supporting outsourcing, rebadging, HR M&A, or strategic deal programs.

· Proven experience partnering with business leaders on large-scale transformation, outsourcing, and revenue-generating engagements.

· Deep understanding of APAC labor laws, employee transfer regulations, workforce transition frameworks, consultation obligations, works council requirements, and employment risk mitigation.

· Experience leading geographically dispersed teams and providing coaching, governance, and execution oversight across regional strategic deal teams.

· Strong client-facing capability and executive stakeholder management experience, including participation in due diligence, negotiations, solution design, and executive presentations.

· Ability to lead workforce analytics, compensation benchmarking, offer development, HR compliance reviews, employee transfer documentation, transition governance, and reporting.

· Embodiment of the Cognizant Way to Lead: Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Business.

· Embodiment of Cognizant's Values: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do the Right Thing, and Own It.

Corporate Strategic Alignment

· Engage with senior BU leads to align HR solution in coordination with business objectives and growth strategy

· Lead on the building and deployment of best practice to support strategic deals

· Align with cross functional teams to improve process efficiencies to achieve quicker revenue experience.

· Coach internal stakeholders and key decision makers on HR strategic deals processes and risk sensitivities

· Build systematic best practice and continuous improvement into Cognizant’s deal operating model.

Global Team Development

· Responsible for planning hiring upskilling and managing succession for team personnel

· Demonstrate and champion expected leadership behaviors

· Building a culture of development coaching and learning within the team

· Provide direct oversight career management and coaching support for senior leaders of the strategic deals team

These will help you succeed

· Experience in IT Services, Business Process Services, Consulting, or Global Capability Centers.

· Background supporting multi-country outsourcing, managed services, or digital transformation deals.

· Experience supporting transactions exceeding $50M in annual contract value.

· Exposure to the HR aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or integration programs

Work model

This role is based in India, with Hyderabad or Chennai preferred. The specific working arrangement and office attendance expectations will be communicated during the hiring process and will be based on business, project, and client requirements.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you are engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured, we will always be clear about role expectations.

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.

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.

Aanvullende arbeidsinformatie
De informatie over de beloning is correct op de datum van deze vacature. Cognizant behoudt zich het recht voor om deze informatie op elk moment te wijzigen, met inachtneming van de toepasselijke wetgeving.

Van sollicitanten kan worden verwacht dat zij gesprekken bijwonen, persoonlijk of via een videogesprek. Daarnaast kan van kandidaten worden gevraagd om tijdens elk gesprek een geldig, door de overheid uitgegeven identiteitsbewijs (zoals een identiteitskaart of paspoort) te tonen.

Cognizant is een werkgever die gelijke kansen biedt. Je sollicitatie en kandidatuur worden niet beoordeeld op basis van ras, huidskleur, geslacht, religie, levensovertuiging, seksuele geaardheid, genderidentiteit, nationale afkomst, handicap, genetische informatie, zwangerschap, veteranenstatus of enige andere eigenschap die wordt beschermd door federale, regionale of lokale wetgeving.