Cognizant - Associate Director - Pricing

About Cognizant Corporate:

Cognizant Corporate is a global community united by a shared purpose: to make a meaningful impact. We are committed to excellence and driven by outcomes that matter. Collaboration is at the heart of how we work, and our forward-thinking mindset fuels continuous learning, innovation, and growth.

At Cognizant, careers transcend titles. We empower our people to think strategically, inspire others, and lead with purpose - always guided by our core values. Join us in shaping the future of business.

About the role:

As Associate Director - Pricing you will make an impact being Commercial and financial advisor on Cognizant's largest and most complex IT services pursuits, Senior individual contributor leading deal shaping, modelling, structuring, and negotiation across the bid lifecycle, Authoritative financial voice internally with leadership and externally with clients and their advisors. You will be a valued member of the EMEA Finance team and work collaboratively with Sales, Delivery, FP&A, Tax, Legal, and Treasury to deliver commercially competitive, financially sound deals aligned to Cognizant's return objectives.

In this role, you will:

- Lead pricing strategy on complex, large-scale, and strategic deals from qualification through closure.

- Shape differentiated pricing constructs and commercial solutions aligned to client business drivers and Cognizant's win themes.

- Own end-to-end deal financials - pricing models, P&L, cash flow, IRR/NPV, margin shaping, and sensitivity analysis.

- Identify commercial risks and mitigations; present clear recommendations to deal approval forums.

- Ensure consistency across pricing, SOW, MSA, and broader commercial artefacts.

- Lead financial and commercial negotiations with clients, procurement, and third-party advisors.

- Represent the financial position credibly in senior client and executive forums.

- Drive internal deal governance, including executive-level approvals; escalate risks and exceptions proactively. Ensure adherence to pricing policies, delegation of authority, and approved toolsets.

- Liaise with FP&A, Tax, Technical Accounting, Legal, and Treasury to validate commercial structures.

- Coach, mentor, and develop pricing talent; contribute to succession planning and future leader build-out.

- Champion standardized tools, methodologies, and best practices across the regional/global team.

- Lead and contribute to regional and global pricing initiatives and capability uplift programs.

- Monitor internal stakeholder satisfaction and continuously improve team responsiveness and commercial impact.

What you need to have to be considered?

- 12-15 years of experience in pricing, deal commercial, or sales finance roles within IT services, consulting, or technology outsourcing.

- Deep expertise across IT services pricing constructs - T&M, fixed price, managed services, outcome-based, transaction-based, and gain-share. Proven track record on large, complex transformation and managed services deals.

- Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with a proven ability to engage with diverse teams.

- Proven ability to coach, mentor, and develop junior pricing talent

- Collaborative, objective, and high-integrity commercial advisor

These will help you succeed:

- Experience in IT and ITES Pricing with leading global IT organizations.

- Strong command of deal economics - P&L, cash flow, investment cases, revenue recognition and tax implications

- Degree-qualified; professional accounting qualification.

- Demonstrated ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders and drive outcomes under pressure.

- Comfortable working across global time zones and matrixed organizations.

- A self-starter with excellent organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.