Senior Associate, Business Development (Sales, pre-sales, bid management) – IT Services

Service Line Specialist Enablement Specialist – Software & Platform Engineering

About Cognizant

Cognizant is one of the world’s leading professional services companies, helping clients become data-enabled and data-driven in the digital era. Our industry-based, consultative approach helps companies evolve into modern businesses. By leading clients in leveraging technologies essential to modern enterprises such as IoT, artificial intelligence, digital engineering & cloud, we enable new business and operating models that unlock new value in markets around the world. Cognizant’s unwavering focus on our clients is led by over 350,000 associates, who deliver services and solutions tailored to specific industries and the unique needs of the organizations we serve.

Overview

In this role, the Service Line Specialist Enablement Specialist will focus on Software & Platform Engineering (SPE) which covers the key areas such as Software Product Engineering, Enterprise Application Modernization and Application Development & Maintenance Services along with Quality Assurance Services. The role focuses on enabling, structuring and governing sales pursuits and proposals, working closely with Service Line Specialists (SLS), Client Partners and cross‑functional teams. The individual will balance bid management, presales support and sales enablement responsibilities, ensuring quality, consistency and on‑time delivery of client-facing commercial artefacts. This position requires strong collaboration within a highly matrixed, global environment and is designed as a foundational role for progression into Service Line Specialist (SLS) positions

Key Responsibilities:

1. Sales & Bid Enablement

Support and enable Cognizant’s offerings positioning in the market for assigned opportunities.
Provide structured support across lead qualification, pipeline preparation, proposal development and deal governance. Work closely with Service Line Specialists and Client Partners to support account strategy and pursuit execution. Assist in proactive deal shaping and opportunity qualification.

2. Bid & Proposal Management

Manage the end-to-end proposal lifecycle for assigned opportunities within SPE.
Collaborate and engage with multiple practices like Moment, Artificial Intelligence & Analytics, etc.
Coordinate and orchestrate inputs from: Solutioning and Architecture teams; Delivery and Operations; Finance and Commercial and Practice SMEs
Develop and maintain proposal structure, storyline and narrative flow.
Ensure compliance with corporate standards, templates and quality benchmarks.
Identify and manage risks, dependencies and delivery constraints during the proposal phase.

3. Operational Governance & Reporting

Track and manage milestones, deliverables and deadlines across active pursuits.
Support preparation of pipeline views, QBR inputs and executive status reporting.
Act as a quality checkpoint prior to key pursuit milestones.

4. Knowledge & Capability Development

Maintain and evolve reusable proposal content, templates and best practices.
Capture lessons learned from wins and losses to continuously improve sales effectiveness.
Build progressive understanding of SPE services, offerings and value propositions.

Required Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications, Business + technical training, or equivalent.
Exposure to Digital Engineering, Application Development, Modernization or Quality Engineering services
Experience in one or more of the following areas: Bid Management, Pre-sales / Proposal Management, Sales or Commercial Support, Consulting or Delivery roles with sales exposure
Strong understanding of sales cycles, RFP/RFI processes and deal governance.
Proven ability to work collaboratively in a virtual and highly matrixed environment.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Strong organizational skills with attention to detail, quality and deadlines.
Ability to interact effectively with stakeholders at multiple levels across business and technology teams
Software Product Engineering approaches, agile methodology and building green fields application using cloud native solutions.

Preferred Experience:

Understanding of estimation, pricing and commercial constructs.
Experience supporting complex, multi‑tower or multi‑geography pursuits.
Demonstrated interest in developing a career in sales, presales or service line leadership.
Desirable certifications: APMP, ITIL, Agile/Scrum, and any relevant practice‑specific certifications.