AI Engagement Lead

About AI & Analytics: Artificial intelligence (AI) and the data it collects and analyzes will soon sit at the core of all intelligent, human‑centric businesses. By decoding customer needs, preferences, and behaviors, our clients can understand exactly what services, products, and experiences their consumers need. Within AI & Analytics, we work to design the future—a future in which trial‑and‑error business decisions have been replaced by informed choices and data‑supported strategies.

By applying AI and data science, we help leading companies to prototype, refine, validate, and scale their AI and analytics products and delivery models. Cognizant’s AIA practice takes insights that are buried in data and provides businesses a clear way to transform how they source, interpret and consume their information. Our clients need flexible data structures and a streamlined data architecture that quickly turns data resources into informative, meaningful intelligence.

Please note, this role is not able to offer visa transfer or sponsorship now or in the future

We are seeking a Senior Manager AI/ML Lead to drive end‑to‑end machine learning strategy and delivery on Google Vertex AI. The role involves designing, training, deploying, and monitoring scalable ML and Generative AI solutions. You will operate at the intersection of data science, MLOps, and business value creation. This position requires strong leadership to guide teams and influence enterprise AI adoption.

A key focus will be building production‑grade systems that deliver measurable business impact.

• Lead the complete ML lifecycle on Vertex AI including feature engineering, model training, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring.
• Architect scalable MLOps pipelines using Vertex AI Pipelines, Model Registry, and Feature Store.
• Drive adoption of Generative AI solutions including Gemini API, prompt engineering, and RAG‑based architectures.
• Collaborate with data engineering teams to ensure robust data pipelines and high‑quality training datasets.
• Establish model governance frameworks covering versioning, A/B testing, drift detection, and responsible AI practices.
• Partner with business stakeholders to identify high‑impact use cases and translate them into production AI solutions.
• Lead, mentor, and scale AI/ML teams while maintaining high technical standards and conducting model reviews.
• Stay updated with GCP AI advancements and evaluate new capabilities for enterprise implementation.

• 8+ years of experience in machine learning or data science, including 3+ years delivering production ML on cloud platforms.
• Strong expertise in Google Cloud Vertex AI including custom training, AutoML, pipelines, Feature Store, and Model Registry.
• Proficiency in Python with ML frameworks such as Tensor Flow, PyTorch, scikit‑learn, or XGBoost.
• Hands‑on experience with Generative AI, including prompt engineering, RAG architectures, and LLM evaluation.
• Solid understanding of MLOps practices including CI/CD, model monitoring, data versioning, and containerization (Docker/Kubernetes).
• Degree in Machine Learning, Computer Science, Statistics, or related field; GCP ML Engineer certification is a plus.

Applications will be accepted until 10 Jun 2026.

The hourly salary for this position is between $[137,] depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

• 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