Program Director--Banking & FS

Cognizant•Atlanta, GA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

Cognizant Technology Solutions is currently seeking a highly skilled Program Director – Banking & Payments, who will be responsible for leading Transition of Professional Services work for several products in Banking and Payments space from the client to Cognizant and ensuring seamless delivery post-transition. The associate will be responsible for client engagement, governance, and operational leadership to manage complex service portfolios, talent movement, and process integration while maintaining business continuity and client satisfaction.

Requirements

20+ years in IT Industry with strong capability in client facing program management for large professional services transformation.
Proven track record in professional services stakeholder management, negotiation, and influencing skills.
Experience of managing $50M+ transformation programs involving professional services for applications cutting across various Banking and Payments domains.
Deep understanding of Professional Services delivery models and client engagement.
Exposure in Core Banking products like - Finacle, Flexcube, Temenos, BancMate, DNA, Finxact, Vault (Thought Machine), Mambu, FIS MBP, IBS, Temenos Transact / T24
Core Banking domain like – CASA, Loan, GL balancing, retail + corporate + treasury banking etc.
Payments products like: TSYS TS2 / Prime, Marqeta, Fiserv VisionPlus, FIS OPF, Finastra GPP, Fiserv Dovetail / EPP, Volante VolPay, ACI MTS, Paymntus etc.
Payments domain like: SWIFT, SEPA, ACH, Wire, Zelle, RTP, Issuing, Acquiring, Network like Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Discover, Merchant Acquiring etc.
Exposure in “Core Banking Transformation Management” “Payments Transformation Management” “Large scale transition”

Nice To Haves

Senior leadership role in project & program management, experienced in managing large global teams.
Domain expertise across Banking vertical.
Track record of delivering complex programs, as well as leveraging organizational capabilities to support offers/solutions

Responsibilities

Professional services transition
Develop and own the transition roadmap for Professional Services, including timelines, milestones, and risk mitigation plans.
Lead knowledge transfer sessions, process documentation, and operational readiness activities.
Manage rebadging and onboarding of client resources, ensuring compliance with labor laws and contractual obligations.
Coordinate with offshore and nearshore teams for smooth handover and ramp-up.
Client Engagement
Act as the primary onsite liaison for client Professional Services SBU owners.
Facilitate workshops, alignment meetings, and executive reviews to ensure stakeholder buy-in.
Influence client decisions on process standardization, automation, and managed services adoption.
Identify risks related to transition complexity, talent retention, and regulatory compliance.
Keep client abreast of mitigation strategies with progress and ensure adherence to client standard of security, privacy, and contractual requirements.
Operational Integration & Talent Transformation
Align transitioned services with Cognizant’s delivery model, SLAs, and compliance standards.
Implement process harmonization across geographies and service lines.
Ensure operational stability during and after transition, minimizing disruption to client business.
Oversee resource movement, including rebadging, hiring, and onboarding.
Drive upskilling and cross-skilling programs for rebadged employees to align with Cognizant’s operating model.
Foster cultural integration and employee engagement during transition.
Continuous Improvement
Post-transition, lead initiatives for process optimization, automation, and cost efficiency.
Monitor service performance and drive improvements to meet evolving client needs.