Principal Field Solution Engineer
Technical solutions champion for our Engineering platforms portfolio - Flowsource, Neuro AI Engineering, Neuro IT Operations and Skygrade
About the role
Platforms are now central to how Cognizant competes, protects incumbency and delivers transformation at scale. With 400+ platform instances live at clients and a growing pipeline, platforms have become a default position in client visits, bid processes and senior engagement sessions. As we shift from adoption toward recognized, repeatable revenue - through chargeback in the near term and managed and outcome-based models over the strategic horizon - technical go-to-market becomes a decisive capability.
The Principal Field Solution Engineer (FSE) is the technical anchor of an enterprise platform deal - an intensely client-facing and market-facing role at the front line of our go-to-market motion, engaging clients directly and championing our platforms in the market. The FSE sits alongside account and sales teams to translate a client's engineering, AI, cloud and operations challenges into a credible, demonstrable solution built on our platforms. The FSE owns the technical win: discovery, architecture fit, demos, proofs of concept, and the technical narrative that carries a deal from first conversation to signed commercial model. Sales and commercial outcomes follow as a by-product of the mindshare and client confidence the FSE earns, rather than from direct selling.
The platforms the FSE champions
An FSE is expected to reach working fluency across the full portfolio and depth in at least one area. The four platforms address distinct client outcomes:
- Flowsource - our unified full-stack software engineering platform. Simplifies adoption of gen-AI-powered tooling in a single collaborative interface across design, build and test driving speed and efficiency gains through automation, code companions, governed workflows and guardrails. It brings an agentic workforce that works alongside human engineers.
- Neuro AI Engineering - our platform for industrializing the production of agentic-AI applications. Provides a full-stack AI engineering approach - LLM orchestration, agentification, blueprints, guardrails, monitoring/evaluation and governance - so engineers ship resilient AI solutions that drive business innovation.
- Neuro IT Operations - our autonomous run-IT-operations platform. Applies a bias for automation end-to-end - observability, AIOps, incident correlation and automated resolution - enabling breakthrough run performance and rotation of IT staff from run toward innovation.
- Skygrade - our integrated cloud modernization and management platform. Combines Cognizant IP, third-party tooling and hyperscaler integrations for rapid assessment, highly automated modernization, and AI-augmented, FinOps- and SecOps-ready cloud management.
What the FSE does
- Partners with sales, account and professional services teams as the technical lead on enterprise platform pursuits, owning the technical win from qualification to close.
- Runs technical discovery to understand a client's engineering, AI, cloud and operations landscape, and maps their outcomes to the right platform or combination of platforms.
- Designs and presents solution architectures that show how our platforms integrate with the client's existing tooling, hyperscaler footprint and ecosystem partners.
- Builds and delivers compelling, tailored demonstrations and drives proofs of concept and readiness assessments that de-risk adoption and prove value.
- Articulates the commercial and delivery value of platforms - including chargeback, managed-services and outcome-based models - and helps quantify productivity, cost and time-to-market benefits.
- Responds to the technical sections of RFPs, RFIs and bid processes, and shapes proposals with credible, defensible solutioning.
- Represents the platforms at industry events and conferences (e.g. AWS re:Invent, Google Next, Microsoft Ignite) and in cloud-marketplace and partner motions.
- Champions the platforms in the market - building client mindshare and establishing Cognizant as a leading software firm and our platforms as best-in-class software.
- Captures recurring client requirements and field feedback, and works with our Platform Engineering teams to channel enhancement requests into the roadmap.
- Hands off to our implementation teams and Forward Deployed Engineers for delivery, protecting adoption and reducing churn once a platform is adopted.
- Identifies opportunities to leverage our Forward Deployed Engineers to drive platform adoption across the client's estate, driving outcomes and creating value for clients.
- Grooms and builds a team of FSEs around themselves - mentoring and developing talent to scale the technical go-to-market motion.
What the FSE brings
- An experienced software or platform product engineer - for example an advisory/solutions engineer, developer advocate or solution architect for a software product, or a hands-on software engineer ready to move into a client-facing technical go-to-market role; experience in software products is valued over IT-services.
- On that foundation, 20+ years in software, AI, digital and cloud engineering - including 5+ years in advisory-led technical conversations on software products and platforms with senior client engineers and architects and C-suite technology leaders (CTO, CDO, CIO, CAIO).
- Minimum 2+ years hands-on across the AI-infused Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) - modern engineering and DevSecOps, legacy and cloud modernization for AI readiness, AI assurance (quality testing and performance-drift monitoring) and run operations (SRE / AIOps) - and the Agent Development Lifecycle (ADLC), building agentic and gen-AI solutions with large language and performance-optimized small language models.
- Working knowledge of our key partner ecosystems - hyperscalers (AWS, Microsoft, Google) and AI-native providers (Anthropic, OpenAI, NVIDIA) - and the surrounding AI/engineering tooling (LLM providers, orchestration frameworks, CI/CD and observability).
- Excellent communication and storytelling - able to build and deliver demos that translate technical capability into clear business outcomes.
- Comfort operating in ambiguity, managing multiple pursuits, and collaborating across our sales/commercial, Platform Engineering, Demo and Workshops, and implementation/Forward Deployed Engineering teams.
- Willingness to travel to client sites, studios and industry events as required.
Nice to have
- Hyperscaler or relevant professional certifications (solutions architect, DevOps, ML/AI, security).
- Experience championing or delivering PaaS / SaaS or platform-based engagements, including managed-services or outcome-based commercial models.
- Exposure to cloud-marketplace listings and co-sell motions with AWS, Azure, GCP or NVIDIA.
- Prior experience contributing platform feedback into product roadmaps.
How success is measured
- Technical win rate, revenue and margin across the platform portfolio.
- Quality and velocity of PoCs and readiness assessments converted to signed engagements.
- Client adoption and expansion of platforms within the accounts the FSE supports.
- Strength of the field-to-product feedback loop and contribution to reusable demo and solution assets.
- Client advocacy - the number of clients willing to recommend us to others, turning satisfied clients into our sellers through referrals and references.
Top Reasons to Join Our Team
Excellent compensation/benefits. A strong financial package that includes a solid base salary with a highly attractive bonus plan. Wide exposure to industry, product, and functional standard methodologies; as well as outstanding teams supporting your sales pursuits. Encouraging management team that rewards initiative & success. Exciting, industry leading practice where you can truly build a long-term career. Congenial, collaborative, and goal-oriented environment; the opportunity to work with and learn from a diverse, highly experienced team of business professionals. Tremendous opportunities for growth with a real career path promoting career advancement.
Salary and Other Compensation :
The annual base salary for this position is between $200,000 - $250,000 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.
This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual bonus program and stock awards, 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, based on applicable law.
A Good fit for the Cognizant culture
A person who possesses a true passion for changing organizations for the better, and desires to do so within a goal, yet professional atmosphere filled with business professionals who all manifest a belief in partnership, innovation, and excellence. Our “Cultural Value Drivers” are well-known and clearly communicated within the organization: Open, Visible, Motivated, Empowered, Opportunity-Filled, Flexible & Collaborative.
Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected Veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.
