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
Cognizant is hiring a senior product leader to own the Trust Platform end to end. This platform sits at the center of how Cognizant and its clients establish trust in AI and digital systems, spanning trust and safety, identity and fraud risk, and compliance and data governance. The role reports directly to the Chief Responsible AI Officer and carries full accountability for platform strategy, roadmap, and outcomes.
This is a lead role. The person in this seat sets direction for the platform, represents it to executive stakeholders and clients, and may manage an engineering team depending on how the org is structured at the time of hire. Cognizant is looking for someone who has done this before, at scale, in a regulated or high-stakes environment.
In this role, you will:
· Overall product strategy and roadmap for the Trust Platform, covering trust and safety, identity/fraud risk, and compliance and data governance capabilities.
· Translation of Responsible AI principles into concrete platform requirements, working directly with the Chief Responsible AI Officer and legal, security, and compliance leadership.
· Prioritization and trade-off decisions across a broad and sometimes competing set of stakeholder needs, including engineering, legal, security, sales, and client delivery teams.
· Platform architecture decisions in partnership with engineering leadership, including build versus buy calls on trust, safety, and risk tooling.
· A team of product managers and, depending on structure, an engineering team, with direct hiring and performance management responsibility.
· Executive-level reporting on platform health, risk posture, and adoption, including direct presentations to senior leadership and, where relevant, clients and regulators.
· Vendor and partner evaluation for trust, identity, fraud, and compliance technology.
· 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 in product management, with at least 5 years in a senior leadership role owning a platform or major product line.
· Direct experience building or scaling products in trust and safety, identity/fraud, risk, or compliance and data governance. Experience across more than one of these areas is strongly preferred given the scope of this platform.
· A track record of operating in regulated or high-scrutiny environments, where decisions need to hold up to legal, security, and audit review.
· Demonstrated success taking products from concept through launch and into GA, including at least one 0-to-1 launch owned end to end and one experience scaling an existing product post-launch.
· Comfort working directly with C-suite stakeholders and translating ambiguous, high-level mandates (such as Responsible AI principles) into a concrete, buildable roadmap.
· Experience managing people, whether product managers, engineers, or both, and a demonstrated ability to build and retain strong teams.
· Strong technical fluency. This role does not require writing code, but it requires enough depth to have credible, detailed conversations with engineering on architecture and trade-offs.
· Excellent written and verbal communication, with the ability to adjust the message for an engineering room versus an executive room versus a client meeting.
· Embodiment of the Cognizant Way to Lead: Leading Self, Leading Others, & Leading the Business
· The embodiment of Cognizant’s Values of: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do The right Thing, & Own It
These will help you succeed
· Prior experience at a large IT services, consulting, or enterprise software company where trust and compliance requirements vary by client and by geography.
· Familiarity with AI governance frameworks and emerging AI regulation (EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, or equivalent).
· Experience partnering with a Chief Trust Officer, Chief Risk Officer, Chief Responsible AI Officer, or equivalent function.
Work model
At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible, and we are here to support a healthy work-life balance though our various wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring in a client or Cognizant office in San Francisco, CA.
The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re 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.
Salary and Other Compensation
Applications will be accepted until October 25, 2026
The annual salary for this position is between $141,750 - $259,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, 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.
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.
Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.
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, state 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.
