Sr. AI Forward Deployed Engineer/Architect (Remote)

This position is open only to visa-independent candidates and will not support visa sponsorship now or in the future.

Title : Sr. AI Forward Deployed Engineer/Architect (Remote)

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly accomplished AI leader to drive the design and governance of enterprise-scale AI solutions that power Cognizant's most strategic client transformations. This role is responsible for defining AI-native enterprise architectures, designing human-agent collaboration models, and establishing responsible AI frameworks that enable scalable, secure, and compliant AI adoption across industries.

As a Distinguished Frontier Engineer, you will lead the intellectual design of AI delivery programs, author governance standards and guardrails for agentic systems, and guide executive stakeholders through AI transformation journeys. You will partner with business, technology, and delivery leaders to architect next-generation AI platforms leveraging Generative AI, Agentic AI, enterprise knowledge systems, and responsible AI principles.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in AI architecture, enterprise architecture, AI governance, and regulated decision-making systems with a strong consulting and client-facing background.

Experience

• 7to 15 years of overall IT experience.

• Minimum 3+ years in Enterprise Architecture, AI Architecture, or Digital Transformation leadership roles.
• Proven experience designing and deploying enterprise-scale AI and Generative AI solutions.
• Experience leading large-scale technology transformation programs across multiple business domains.
• Strong experience working directly with executive stakeholders and client architecture boards.

Required Skills

Technical Skills

• Agentic AI
• Generative AI
• AI Functional Architecture
• Enterprise Architecture
• Responsible AI
• Large Language Models (LLMs)
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)
• Multi-Agent Systems
• AI Governance & Compliance
• Cloud-native AI Architectures
• AI Platform Strategy

Domain Expertise

• Enterprise Digital Transformation
• AI Strategy & Governance
• Regulated Business Processes
• Human-in-the-Loop AI Systems

Nice to Have Skills

• Financial Services
• Healthcare & Life Sciences
• Insurance
• Regulatory Technology
• Cloud Platforms (Azure, AWS, GCP)
• AI Security & Risk Management
• MLOps and AI Operations

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise AI Architecture

• Design AI-native enterprise architectures for large transformation programs.
• Define human-agent capability matrices and operating models for AI-enabled delivery.
• Architect multi-agent ecosystems that integrate enterprise applications, data platforms, and business processes.
• Develop scalable context engineering and knowledge orchestration frameworks.

Agentic AI Governance

• Define guardrails, policies, and boundary specifications for agentic AI systems.
• Establish governance models for AI autonomy, decision-making, and escalation controls.
• Design human oversight mechanisms for enterprise AI operations.
• Create standards for AI system traceability, transparency, and auditability.

Responsible AI Leadership

• Architect Responsible AI frameworks covering:
  • Bias detection and mitigation
  • Explainability
  • Model transparency
  • Ethical AI adoption
  • Audit trail design
• Ensure compliance with corporate, industry, and regulatory AI requirements.

AI Delivery Excellence

• Lead client architecture workshops and executive design reviews.
• Govern AI-First Application Development Lifecycle (ADLC) adoption across delivery portfolios.
• Define standards for AI-generated code quality, validation, and production readiness.
• Drive reusable AI architecture patterns, accelerators, and playbooks across engagements.

Regulated AI Decision Systems

• Design AI-powered decisioning systems for regulated industries.
• Define compliance controls and governance checkpoints for high-risk AI use cases.
• Establish monitoring and observability frameworks for AI-driven business processes.

Thought Leadership

• Act as a trusted advisor to clients and internal leadership teams.
• Influence AI strategy, architecture standards, and innovation roadmaps.
• Mentor architects, AI engineers, and enterprise technology leaders.
• Contribute to Cognizant's AI intellectual property, frameworks, and industry best practices.

Application Accepted: 9/30/2026

The annual salary for this position is between $100,000 - $180,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual incentive program, based on performance and subject to the terms of Cognizant’s applicable plans.

Benefits: Cognizant offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements:

· Medical/Dental/Vision/Life Insurance

· Paid holidays plus Paid Time Off

· 401(k) plan and contributions

· Long-term/Short-term Disability

· Paid Parental Leave

· Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Disclaimer: The salary, other compensation, and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable la

Our strength is built on our ability to work together. Our diverse backgrounds offer different perspectives and new ways of thinking. It encourages lively discussions, creativity, productivity, and helps us build better solutions for our clients. We want someone who thrives in this setting and is inspired to craft meaningful solutions through true collaboration.

If you are content with ambiguity, excited by change, and excel through autonomy, we’d love to hear from you!