Summary Of Role
Service Line Sales Specialists (SLS) provide deep expertise in a Service Line Practice Area to support the Client Leadership Team to close new and expansion opportunities on accounts. They are actively involved in growing the service line's footprint and assisting the Client Partners to engage clients with service line opportunities. SLS are trusted advisors with a good mix of strategic and tactical management experience.

In this role, the SLS will focus on Cognizant Custom Software Engineering services that are catered to by the Software and Platform Engineering Service Line. This includes "Digital Engineering (DE)", "Application Development & Management (ADM)" and "Quality Engineering & Assuarance (QEA)" Practices. The SLS will balance client/project responsibilities with business development and sales responsibilities including identifying, qualifying and closing new business opportunities in DE, ADM & QEA. The SLS should be a highly client facing, dynamic, results oriented, experienced DE, ADM & QEA field sales executive keen to be part of a results-oriented culture accelerating digital change for our large, complex clients.

The SLS needs to be highly client facing and should spend most of their time driving client conversations leading to sales. The SLS also work collaboratively and team up with Pre Sales/Practices, Solution Architects, Offerings and Delivery leaders to ensure that all services and value adds from SPE are represented to the client in a very convincing manner.

Role Responsibilities
Market Leadership:

• Creates sales strategies and plan for the Client Partners' review and for its incorporation into the broader client strategy and plan.
• Provides subject matter expertise to proposal development and overall solution.

Relationship Management

• Executes and manages the account plan within function/specialism under the guidance or collaboration of the Markets i.e. Client Partners, CRMs etc.
• Should be the go to person for Client Partners and CRMs to call upon should an opportunity that is relevant to SPE is identified
• Invests time in strengthening existing client relationships. Participates in reviews and provides educated and relevant perspectives.
• Client Relationship Management; engage with CXO, VP and Director level clients and their immediate direct reports

Business Development

• Responds to and deliver on client requests; responds to RFP's
• Identifies opportunities, makes proactive proposals to client in line with account strategy
• Obtains the approvals to pursue opportunities
• Leads pursuits to close new and expansion opportunities related to their sales specialisms, working closely with Client Leadership Team
• Secures revenue renewals related to their sales specialisms
• Engages the relevant internal Cognizant teams and service lines team for developing solutions
• End to end account management including account forecasting, budgeting and operations
• Drive RFP responses as well as proactive sales leading to revenue acceleration. Be able to spot opportunities
• Ability to sell both T&M as well as Fix Fee work involving end to end digital transformation involving run and operate of Legacy Estate, Transformation to the new digital core and Quality Engineering
• Handles risks and issues related to the account, including delivery oversight
• Creates and presents account QBR presentations and executive status reports

Experience & Skills

• 12-15+ years of experience in a senior-level consulting client-facing role or account manager leadership role
• Ability to become a trusted advisor of the client who can understand client aspirations, pain points etc. and orchestrate the right capabilities within Cognizant to establish credibility with the client
• Knowledgeable in selling DE, ADM & QEA services in the market.
• Understands how to capture client pain points and provide detailed. guidance to the other teams for e.g. Pre Sales, Practice, Solution Architects etc. in terms of how to construct a differentiated proposition
• Strong experience in direct interaction with customers in the local market
• Ability to drive and orchestrate conversations with point of view to CxO and Head of Digital and/or Technologies
• Should have led sales pursuits in the past with the ability to size up deals
• Should be knowledgeable in cross-industry use cases for SPE
• Strong knowledge of the relevant partner ecosystem and the ability to collaborate within the ecosystem
• Recent experience working for IT professional services or management consulting firm(s)
• Recent experience managing global service delivery model(s)
• Excellent problem solving, business communication (written & oral), and client management skills are essential
• Experience developing opportunity pipelines, qualifying high priority deals, and winning new business in line with agreed targets
• Experience closing sales with a specific emphasis on growing sales. Specifically, win new deals in customer account per pre-agreed targets.
• Proven leadership qualities such as conflict/issue resolution, strategic and critical thinking and ownership, particularly with highly diverse teams
• Ability to work collaboratively in a virtual and highly-matrixed environment Cloud, Legacy modernization, Modern Engineering (Full Stack Engg, SRE and SDET), AI and Automation experience and knowleage are preferable.
• Experience on solutioning and/or Delivery of one or more of ADM, Digital Engineering or Quality Engineering and Assurance, are valuable but not mandatory.