AI Forward Deployed Engineer

Cognizant Technology Solutions • Teaneck, NJ

101d • $220,000 - $275,000

About The Position

Blend client-oriented engineering with rapid experimentation to deliver measurable business transformation. Implement and improve AI solutions on the ground with customers, from prototypes to hardened production systems. Within Cognizant, leverage our partner ecosystem and Responsible AI standards to scale impact by owning end-to-end, outcome-oriented engagements with clients.

Requirements

• M.S. or Ph.D. in computer science, engineering, mathematics, other STEM fields or equivalent practical experience preferred.
• 20+ years of experience successfully delivering production software or data systems in client-facing, cross-functional environments.
• 15+ years of experience in one of the following industry categories preferred: 1) Banking, Financial Services, Insurance, Capital Markets; 2) Health care, Life Sciences; 3) Retail & Consumer Goods; 4) Manufacturing, Logistics, Energy, and Utilities.
• Demonstrated and consistent ability facilitating workshops, influencing executives, and converting ambiguity into actionable backlogs.
• Proficiency with Python, Java, TypeScript, SQL, and modern front-end frameworks and tooling.
• Experience building data pipelines, integrating APIs, and modeling data for analytics and operations.
• Hands-on with cloud services on Azure, AWS, or GCP, including networking and security.
• Willingness to travel 30-40% of time for client deployments and critical collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Engage diverse stakeholders to frame problems, define outcomes, and prioritize measurable innovation bets.
• Lead client workshops, discovery sprints, and demonstrations using design thinking and human-centered practices.
• Translate ambiguous client needs into technical roadmaps, MVP definitions, and iterative delivery backlogs.
• Coach client engineers, create enablement materials, and transition capabilities to sustained product teams.
• Ship value incrementally; measure outcomes, retire waste, and scale successful patterns across accounts.
• Design and build data products, APIs, and modular services on hyperscaler platforms.
• Wrangle large, messy datasets; build pipelines, quality checks, and governance aligned to compliance.
• Align with clients on DevSecOps automation, observability, and incident response for reliable, maintainable, secure operations at scale.
• Prototype rapidly leveraging your software engineering skills; harden prototypes into scalable production ready systems.
• Create intuitive user experiences and dashboards that drive adoption, insight, and operational decision-making.
• Partner with Cognizant partners and other industry ecosystem teams to accelerate solutions using proven accelerators.
• Contribute to sales pursuits, proposals, and case studies with credible technical storytelling that wins.
• Embed Responsible AI, privacy-by-design, and security-by-default controls per Cognizant and client standards throughout lifecycle.

Benefits

• 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

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree