Consulting Principal, Automotive Consulting

About the role

Consulting Principal (Automotive Exp.)
Designation: Associate Director level
Work arrangement: Hybrid, Minneapolis, MN or Detroit, MI

Cognizant is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming clients' business, operating, and technology models for the digital era. Our unique industry-based, consultative approach helps clients envision, build, and run more innovative and efficient businesses. Headquartered in the U.S., Cognizant, a member of the NASDAQ-100, is ranked 195 on the Fortune 500 and is consistently listed among the most admired companies in the world.

Within Cognizant is Cognizant Consulting, a global consulting organization delivering strategic and domain consulting through industry and technology expertise. With over 6,000 consultants worldwide, Cognizant offers high-value consulting services that improve business performance and operational productivity, lower operational expenses and enhance overall performance. Clients draw upon our deep industry expertise, program and change management capabilities, and analytical objectivity to help improve business productivity, drive technology-enabled business transformation and increase shareholder value. We provide a number of Business/IT Consulting Services including Business Strategy, IT Strategy & Roadmap Development, Process Re-Engineering & Transformation, Enterprise Architecture & Technology Selection, and Domain Solutions. The Cognizant Consulting team is a high performing organization that is continually expanding our client base and increasingly being recommended by analysts such as Forrester and Gartner.

Job Summary

Consulting Principal role requiring 12 to 16 years of experience in automotive industry focused on delivering high impact advisory and transformation projects for global clients in a hybrid day shift work model driving operational excellence digital enablement and sustainable performance improvements for multinational automotive enterprises.

Responsibilities

• Strong program management expertise; collaborate with clients and cross-functional Cognizant teams to deliver process improvements and help achieve client objectives.
• Lead Business Transformation for clients across the manufacturing value chain; help grow consulting footprint and revenue at the client.
• Proven ability to sell, lead, and deliver consulting engagements while influencing senior executives and developing consulting teams.
• Lead end-to-end consulting engagements, including strategy, operating model transformation, process optimization, and digital initiatives.
• Ability to drive AI-led discussions and workshops helping clients navigate AI.
• Expertise in serving manufacturing clients (Industrial / Auto / Diversified) and ability to provide tailored solutions to address their specific needs.
• Work with a diverse set of external and internal stakeholders—clients, account leadership, service lines—to support proposal development, solution shaping, and client presentations (including supporting large IT transformation deals).
• Manage client relationships, ensuring successful project delivery.
• Drive the consulting practice's thought leadership agenda, including authoring white papers, workshops, webinars, etc.
• Lead and mentor consulting teams comprising consultants, analysts, and subject matter experts.
• Excellent customer facing capabilities, and an established track record for selling & delivering consulting engagements.
• Strong program management expertise.
• A demonstrated ability to understand technology / architecture imperatives for consulting and IT transformation deals.
• Extensive experience working in manufacturing segment.
• Experience of working with C-level executives at the client organization.
• MBA with an excellent academic background (preferred). Preferably hold advanced education in engineering operations or business disciplines and have worked on large scale process improvement programs such as lean manufacturing reliability centered maintenance or integrated business planning.
• Value ethical consulting practices inclusivity and sustainability ensuring that all advisory work supports responsible industrial growth safe working environments and positive societal outcomes through improved manufacturing performance.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Excellent customer facing capabilities, and an established track record for selling & delivering consulting engagements.
• Strong program management expertise.
• A demonstrated ability to understand technology / architecture imperatives for consulting and IT transformation deals.
• Extensive experience working in manufacturing segment.
• Experience of working with C-level executives at the client organization.
• MBA with an excellent academic background (preferred).

Required Education

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or Master's degree strongly preferred.

Things to Know Before You Apply

• Work authorization: Cognizant will only consider applicants for this position who are legally authorized to work in Canada without requiring employer sponsorship, now or at any time in the future.
• Accommodations: If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email CareersNA2@cognizant.com with your request and contact information.
• AI in hiring: We use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to help us screen and assess applications more efficiently. Our team performs additional human review and ultimately decides who moves forward in our hiring process.
• Open position: Unless otherwise stated, this job posting is for an open position on our team.
• Language proficiency: We ask that all candidates have basic English proficiency for company-wide communications purposes. For roles based in Quebec, professional English proficiency is required, as you'll deliver services to and collaborate with stakeholders outside the province who may not speak French.

Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization's unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.

Benefits

Salary and Other Compensation

Applications will be accepted until October 9th, 2026. The annual salary for this position is between $122,400.00 $194,000.00 depending on experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

Incentives

Eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive program and stock awards, subject to applicable plan terms.

Benefits

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Paid Holidays plus PTO, 401(k) with company contributions, Short-term/Long-term Disability, Paid Parental Leave, Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Disclaimer: Salary, other compensation, and benefits are accurate as of the date of this posting and may be modified at any time, subject to applicable law.