Leading At Cognizant

This is a Leadership role at Cognizant. We 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 The Role

As a Software Engineering Group (SEG) & India CFO, you will make an impact by serving as a strategic financial leader with end-to-end P&L ownership for a large service line with annual revenue greater than USD 5Bn, while also serving as CFO for the Cognizant India entity. You will be a valued member of the Finance leadership team and work collaboratively with senior leaders across Service Line, Commercial and Corporate FP&A, Operations, the Cognizant India Board, and the India Leadership Council.

In This Role, You Will

Own and deliver budget and forecasted revenue and margins, overseeing all facets of budgeting, forecasting, and analysis across functions, and conducting in-depth analysis of consolidated and practice-level P&L results against budget, forecast, and prior outcomes.
Serve as a strategic advisor to leadership, offering analytical insights and options, formulating business-case initiatives across every P&L segment, and uncovering opportunities for cost reduction and sustainable margin growth.
Provide business advisory services across the entire contract lifecycle, from deal pricing modeling to analyzing and enhancing the financial health of portfolio accounts, and offer executives clear insight into growth drivers, risks, and opportunities.
Provide oversight of India financial regulatory matters as a member of the India Board of Directors, interface with India regulators as required, and contribute to the India Leadership Council on topics such as employee engagement, Tier 2 expansion, and CSR.
Lead with integrity to foster an inclusive, motivated, and engaged team, and spearhead initiatives to continuously improve, automate, and scale forecasting and reporting tools and systems.

What You Need To Have To Be Considered

Chartered Accountant or MBA in Finance from a Tier 1 institute.
15+ years of finance experience, with 10+ years in financial leadership roles preferred.
Diverse experience across financial disciplines, including P&L management, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting, with deep knowledge of the India regulatory environment.
Strong knowledge of the IT Services industry, with experience working in global, multinational organizations.
Exceptional leadership skills with the ability to lead large teams, alongside superior critical thinking, problem-solving, and clear oral and written communication with executive leadership.

These Will Help You Stand Out

Proven ability to partner with senior stakeholders across Commercial, Corporate FP&A, and Operations to shape and execute financial strategy.
Experience balancing stakeholder interests and aligning investment decisions with clear ROI objectives and accountability.
A track record of driving transformation projects and instilling financial and operational ownership across practices.

Work Model

At Cognizant, we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role's business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring 3 days a week in a client or Cognizant office in Bangalore, India. 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.

SEG & India CFO