Senior Program Manager

Cognizant Technology Solutions•Deerfield, IL

33d•Onsite

About The Position

Sr. Program Manager Cognizant's Digital Engineering practice is seeking a highly qualified Sr. Program Manager with at least 18+ years' experience leading complex software programs with a background in developing and building high-performing, scalable, enterprise applications. You will be part of a digital software team that works on high-demand applications. Our engineers have a passion for high-quality, reliable, and maintainable code. You will work side by side with product managers, designers, and clients, making decisions together to quickly deliver valuable working software to clients and their users. Our engineers are agile and retrospective, and not afraid to identify what we're doing wrong, so we can fix it, and what we're doing right, so we can improve on it. Above all, we judge success by the success of our team and the happiness of our customers. Cognizant Digital Engineering If you're like us, you've got big ideas. At Cognizant, we're exploring new ideas every day. We help industry leading companies reinvent their business models and innovate products that create new value—by connecting people with things, insights, and experiences. Cognizant digital engineering designs, engineers and delivers digital products and experiences that drive digital-first business models. We offer the most comprehensive digital engineering expertise and client-centric methodology for sustainable innovation. Location: Deerfield - IL USA Please note - You must be legally authorized to work for any employer in USA without the need for employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.

Requirements

15+ years of experience in technical program management.
Advanced knowledge of the full life cycle of product development.
Experience in product development planning and providing leadership.
Ability to collaborate with IT engineers and report to senior managers.
Ability to work with many system and product teams.
Experience in software product engineering, deployment, and integration.
Ability to evaluate product performance metrics, as well as diagnose and resolve issues.
Ability to work with ambiguity.

Responsibilities

Lead end‑to‑end planning, execution, and delivery of complex software development programs.
Drive alignment across engineering, product, design, and QA teams to ensure timely, high‑quality outcomes.
Define program scope, success metrics, schedules, and resource plans while managing risks and dependencies.
Facilitate cross‑functional communication, ensuring transparency and accountability at all stages.
Monitor progress through data‑driven reporting and proactively resolve blockers.
Partner with stakeholders to refine requirements and maintain a clear product vision.
Champion process improvements, operational excellence, and scalable program frameworks.
Ensure compliance with organizational standards, security practices, and governance models.
Manage risk, maintain a risk register, and bring risks to leadership discussions.
Run program governance with delivery and stakeholders.