Service Line Specialist (SLS) – IOA / BPO
(Banking, Payments and Lending business)
About Cognizant
Cognizant (Nasdaq-100: CTSH) is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant is ranked 185 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world. Learn how Cognizant helps clients lead with digital at www.cognizant.com or follow us @Cognizant.
Cognizant’s IOA Business & The Role
Cognizant’s Intuitive Operations and Automation (IOA) business unit is one of Cognizant’s highest growth businesses and a critical part of Cognizant’s business strategy. To accelerate this growth even further, IOA is expanding its lines of businesses in the Banking, Payments and Lending industry across banks and non-banking financial institutions, across the Americas. To aid this strategic growth, we are seeking a business development executive to support this management, and growth of the portfolio. It is expected that this individual has specific background working with senior client executives and other senior leadership to drive sales and business development in a high growth, while functioning in a highly autonomous environment.
Key Responsibilities
- Market strategy development – drive the market strategy for the assigned industry segment including but not limited to profitable revenue growth, competitive differentiation, industry partnerships and practice investments.
- Drive pipeline & sales origination for focus segments across emerging and traditional industry companies that have unique requirements for operational scale.
- Develop trusted relationships with senior client executives and partner for mutual success.
- Drive best-in-class client propositions, partnering with solutions, delivery, process excellence and automation teams.
Key Accountabilities
- Closing sales - The main responsibility and focus of the role will be the growth of our IOA business within the lending industry. Specifically, responsible for winning new deals in customer accounts per assigned targets.
- Sales plan creation - A critical early task will be developing and executing a growth plan for selected verticals.
- Pipeline management - Among the critical tasks likely be featured in the sales plans, would be developing new opportunity as well deal renewal pipeline, qualifying high priority deals, and winning new business in line with agreed targets.
- Demand generation - To work with IOA lending teams to identify prospects, create marketing plans and take responsibility to engage new clients in conversation.
- Proposal development - Understand customer needs and translate them into winning proposals for Cognizant and its customer in partnership with the presales and solution teams.
- IOA solution development oversight- As a pursuit leader, partner with IOA solution architects, delivery teams and other horizontal practices such as contact center, collections, HR, F&A, et al to create effective deal solutions.
- Deal shaping / pricing development- Develop creative deals, commercial structures and pricing proposals as part of a winning sales pursuit. Work closely with the business unit and regional finance teams.
- Market intelligence - Provide competitive intelligence associated with market pricing and specific competitor strengths, weaknesses, tactics, etc.
- Marketing - Leverage Cognizant’s marketing organization and capabilities to create innovative marketing activities targeted for specific sales opportunities and general local market brand building.
- C-Level Client relationship building - Build relationships across CXO levels in client organizations and developing executive level relationships.
- Regular third-party intermediary interaction - Participate /lead in industry analyst and deal advisor events, meetings, forums, Cognizant capability pitches, etc. to develop deeper industry connects in relation to our client pursuits.
- Renewal deals in the industry - Build relationships with the potential customers by working with Cognizant’s commercial markets (Industry Vertical teams). Build disruptive propositions to hunt and win new deals.
Key Competencies
- BPO - Deep understanding of BPO services clubbed with AI / Intelligent Process Automation and able to engage C-level executives in detailed BPO deal, solution, transition, and transformation shaping discussions.
- IOA solution development - Experience in developing BPO solutions ground up, in partnership with different stakeholders within an organization.
- Hands on participation in solution and content development.
- Ability to lead and work in diverse, multi-functional, multi-geographic teams.
- Industry experience - Demonstrated ability to understand business process challenges in one or more of our key industries and translating the needs in developing compelling business process solutions with a strong focus on technology-enabled process delivery.
- Communication Skills - Excellent public speaking and presentation skills including the ability to convey a set of complex and detailed deal elements in a compelling, engaging, and easy to understand manner suitable for C-level buyers. Ability to create compelling sales story lines and PowerPoint decks for presentation to C-level executives.
- Approach to Work - Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, client-focused, changing environment and work independently in a self-directed manner.
Required Qualifications
- A minimum of 10 years of experience in a client facing role or account leadership role in professional services or management consulting firms.
- Experience of leading diverse teams, experience of cultivating and collaborating in a multi-cultural environment.
- Strong experience with the global service delivery model.
- Bachelor’s Degree OR equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
Preferred Qualifications
- Relationships at senior levels within the relevant industry segments.
- Knowledge of how matrix structures work across global markets.
- Strong analytical and consultative selling approach.
- Global Business Services - Client-facing GBS project experience is preferred.
- Technology - Understanding of technology solutions is required, especially how it affects business and operations.
- Professional Contacts - Existing strong relationships with third-party advisors, industry analyst, and potential C-level buyers is preferred.
- Matrixed Organization - Experience working in a highly matrixed organization is preferred.
- Virtual Work Environment - Experience working in a virtual home/office work environment is preferred.
Cognizant Culture
A person who possesses a true passion for changing organizations for the better, and desires to do so within a success-oriented, yet professional atmosphere filled with business professionals who all manifest a belief in partnership, innovation, and excellence. Our “Cultural Value Drivers” are well-known and clearly communicated within the organization: Open, Transparent, Driven, Empowered, Opportunity-Filled, Flexible & Collaborative.
Location
This executive ideally lives in the Eastern or Central Time Zone of continental United States, be accessible to a major US airport within an hour’s drive, with a willingness to travel 40-60% a week. Weekly travel will vary depending on customer and prospect requirements.
