Senior Architect - Forward Deployed Engineer

Forward Deployed Engineer (Agentic AI)

About the role

As a Forward Deployed Engineer (Agentic AI), you will make an impact by defining and delivering enterprise-scale agentic AI solutions that drive measurable business outcomes. You will act as a trusted technical advisor, partnering with client leadership and internal stakeholders to shape AI strategy, architect scalable systems, and build reusable capabilities across engagements.

In this role, you will:

• Serve as the primary technical authority for agentic AI engagements, owning architecture, delivery quality, and executive stakeholder alignment.
• Define and execute AI roadmaps by identifying high-value use cases, prioritizing initiatives, and linking solutions to business outcomes such as cost, revenue, and risk optimization.
• Architect and implement enterprise-scale multi-agent systems, including orchestration, communication, memory management, governance, and fail-safe mechanisms.
• Drive technology decisions across model selection, platforms, and build-versus-buy strategies aligned to client constraints and environments.
• Establish robust evaluation, monitoring, and governance standards, including performance tracking, drift detection, and agent behavior auditing.

Work model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible while supporting a healthy work-life balance through our wellbeing programs. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is an onsite position requiring 5 days a week in a Cognizant office in Chennai, Bangalore, or Hyderabad.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting and may change based on project and business requirements.

What you need to have to be considered

• Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale GenAI or agentic AI solutions in production environments.
• Strong expertise in agentic AI frameworks, large language models, and multi-agent system design.
• Hands-on experience with cloud AI platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and enterprise AI architecture patterns.
• Solid foundation in distributed systems, scalability, and resilient system design.
• Ability to engage and influence senior stakeholders (CTO, CDO, business leaders) with clear technical and business communication.

These will help you stand out

• Experience contributing to AI accelerators, reusable frameworks, or platform capabilities.
• Knowledge of AI security, governance, and responsible AI practices including risk mitigation strategies.
• Demonstrated ability to build and mentor high-performing engineering teams.
• Track record of driving AI adoption across large enterprises and complex environments.
• Contributions to thought leadership such as blogs, conferences, or industry forums.

Closing statement

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 innovative ideas to this role.