About the Position

Associate Director, Business Development (Service Line Specialist) – Data, AI & Analytics - Belgium

About the Role

As a Service Line Specialist – Data, AI & Analytics, you will make an impact by driving sales, business development, and customer relationships for AI, Agentic AI, Analytics, and Data solutions within the Life Sciences industry across the Benelux market, with a specific mandate to make Agentic AI adoption a differentiated growth lever. You will own the targets for the Artificial Intelligence & Analytics (AIA) service line across the Benelux Life Sciences market, spanning the pharma, biotech, MedTech, and CRO/CDMO segments. You will be a valued member of the Benelux Life Sciences / AIA team and work collaboratively with sales, solutioning, delivery, and partner teams, ecosystem partners, and client executives.

Responsibilities

Drive revenue and Agentic AI growth: Own the AIA service line sales targets across priority Benelux Life Sciences accounts, identify market gaps and growth opportunities, design penetration plans for new logos, and manage the full sales lifecycle from pipeline creation through conversion and closure, including fulfillment.
Own and lead deals: Direct the deal-pursuit process end to end with a focus on Agentic AI-led deals, multi-agent platform proposals, and AI transformation programs; position Cognizant's accelerators and platforms (agent-engineering frameworks, "Agent Foundry"-style accelerators); and lead complex, multi-stakeholder pursuits and commercial negotiations, engaging clients through workshops, demos, and PoCs.
Manage client relationships and act as a trusted advisor: Maintain a regular cadence with key Life Sciences clients, advising CIO / CTO / CDO / CDIO and business leaders by translating Agentic AI capabilities into measurable business outcomes, ROI, and operating-model change, and own the stakeholder-management map across key accounts as well as relationships with internal leaders.
Develop the Benelux GTM strategy, sales plays, and offering commercialization: Define the service line vision and roadmap, build and execute the Agentic AI GTM (industry plays, messaging, and repeatable solutions), package enterprise-ready offerings (agent-engineering frameworks, multi-agent workflows, orchestration, monitoring), and deliver at- or above-market revenue growth with strong forecasting discipline and pipeline hygiene.
Own alliances, responsible-AI governance, and thought leadership: Establish and grow strategic alliances with hyperscalers and Agentic AI / GenAI platform partners (Microsoft, AWS, Google, Anthropic, OpenAI) to create joint pipeline and co-sell motions; ensure pursuits incorporate responsible AI, compliance, and governance with sensitivity to the Life Sciences regulatory context (EU AI Act, GxP, data privacy); and position Cognizant's AIA expertise with analysts and through thought leadership.

Requirements

Deep experience in enterprise technology consulting / services sales (or equivalent), with ownership of large / complex pursuits and executive stakeholders.
Demonstrated experience selling AI / GenAI / Agentic AI or adjacent solutions (data platforms, automation, cloud transformation) with credible business-outcome positioning.
Strong consultative selling and commercial acumen: structuring deals, value cases, and multi-year programs, with working knowledge of agentic concepts (orchestration, tools, memory/state, evaluation, observability, and governance).
Awareness of data, traditional BI, and cloud architectures across multiple analytics platforms and domains, plus EU AI Act implications and the ability to position Cognizant's responsible-AI and governance offerings; able to hold a technically credible dialogue with enterprise data and AI architects and to lead cross-functional virtual teams.
Excellent communication and presentation skills; fluent in English, with proficiency in Dutch and/or French desirable.

Nice to Have

Strong awareness of Agentic AI platforms and orchestration frameworks, data platforms including Databricks, Snowflake, Informatica, and Qlik, and understanding of LLM architecture, RAG, and enterprise AI deployment patterns; technical expertise to bring Data & AI offerings together and create PoCs where needed.
Benelux market experience with an established CXO network in Life Sciences, and deep knowledge of IT services / IT outsourcing.
Strong command of deal structuring, commercial modeling, pricing governance, and margin management; able to evaluate pursuit ROI, set pricing guardrails, and lead commercial negotiations at C-suite level.
Exposure to enterprise platforms where agents deliver value (CRM, ServiceNow, SAP, Salesforce ecosystems) and "orchestration layer" narratives; familiarity with agentic sales playbooks and packaged use cases for scale and repeatability.
Executive presence and outstanding interpersonal and leadership skills: able to articulate vision, align stakeholders to strategic plans, mediate conflict, and lead teams across the enterprise, with strong project management, budgeting, and talent-management skills.

We Offer

Competitive compensation and benefits package.
Opportunities for professional growth and development.
Flexible working arrangements, including hybrid work models.
Comprehensive health and wellness programs.
A dynamic and inclusive work environment.

About the Company

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 follow us on Twitter.

Additional Employment Information

Compensation information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.
Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government-issued ID during each interview.
Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.
If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email [email protected] with your request and contact information.

Your Path to Cognizant

Here’s what you can expect from our hiring process. Please keep in mind that it may vary by role and location. Explore our FAQs to learn more.

Step 1: Apply to the Right Opportunity

Find an open role that matches your skills and career goals and show us why you’re the person for the job. Don’t see the right opportunity? Consider joining our Talent Community.

Step 2: Connect with Your Recruiter

If one of our recruiters sees a fit, they’ll set up a short intro call to learn more about you and how your experiences and skills match the role.

Step 3: Show Off Your Skills

If you and our team would like to continue the process, you’ll interview with our hiring team. Some roles may also require technical assessments and/or client interviews.

Step 4: Decision Time

Our team will then review each candidate’s potential to succeed in the role. This step may take some time because we want to find the right fit for both you and us-but you can count on us to keep you updated.

Associate Director, Business Development (Service Line Specialist) – Data, AI & Analytics - Belgium

Job description