Associate Partner, Consulting, Autonomous Telecommunications and Agentic AI

Associate Partner, Consulting, Autonomous Telecommunications and Agentic AI

Leading at Cognizant

This is a Leadership (D+) role  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 Cognizant Consulting

Cognizant Consulting is more than Cognizant's consulting practice. We're a global community of 5,000+ experts dedicated to helping clients reimagine their business. Blending our deep industry and technology advisory capability, we create innovative business solutions for Fortune 500 clients. And now, we're looking for our next colleague who'll join us in shaping the future of business. Could it be you?

About the role

As a Associate Partner, Consulting, Autonomous Telecommunications and Agentic AI, you will make an impact by defining and commercializing AI-first strategies that help telecommunications clients reduce costs, improve customer experiences, and modernize their operations. You will be a valued member of the Telecommunications Consulting team and work collaboratively with clients, sales leaders, client partners, consulting teams, technology specialists, analysts, and strategic partners.

This role combines telecommunications industry expertise, AI-enabled offering development, executive client engagement, and market leadership. You will shape differentiated solutions across customer experience, telecommunications products, sales and marketing, business and operations support systems, service operations, and networks.

In this role, you will:

* Define and execute AI-first telecommunications strategies that translate emerging capabilities into measurable client outcomes, including cost reduction, improved customer experience, operational efficiency, and new growth opportunities.

* Develop and commercialize differentiated autonomous telecommunications offerings, including agentic AI, multi-agent systems, closed-loop operations, zero-touch operations, AI-enabled customer experience, telecommunications products, sales and marketing, business and operations support systems, and networks.

* Lead strategic client engagements and large-scale transformation programs, building trusted relationships with senior executives, shaping tailored solutions, establishing executive governance, and advancing commercial opportunities.

* Scale domain-led, AI-augmented delivery models, including agentic pods and digital coworkers, to modernize legacy environments and generate non-linear improvements in productivity, quality, and efficiency.

* Strengthen Cognizant's market position and ecosystem, developing the offering roadmap, producing thought leadership, engaging external analysts and industry forums, enabling internal sales teams, and establishing strategic alliances and partnerships.

* Consistently demonstrate the Cognizant Way to Lead, which means operating with Personal Leadership by building trust, collaboration, and inclusion;
Organizational Leadership by driving vision and purpose, demonstrating a strategic and enterprise mindset, and communicating a bold direction that inspires purpose; and Business Leadership by exemplifying client focus, managing ambiguity with accountability and results, and operating with financial acumen.

Work model

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a hybrid position based in Texas with up to 25% travel to client and Cognizant locations. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

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.

What you must have to be considered

* Extensive leadership experience in telecommunications consulting, industry advisory, offering development, or large-scale business and technology transformation.

* Deep expertise across telecommunications customer experience, products, sales and marketing, business and operations support systems, service operations, and network domains.

* Demonstrated experience defining AI-first strategies and developing solutions involving agentic AI, multi-agent systems, closed-loop operations, or zero-touch operations.

* Proven ability to build senior executive relationships, influence C-suite stakeholders, lead executive governance, and…