The Senior Client Partner is accountable for revenue growth and retention across a portfolio of strategic enterprise accounts. The role achieves individual sales targets by developing and executing multi-year, enterprise account strategies in close collaboration with Workday and Cognizant stakeholders to expand footprint, increase share of wallet, and deliver measurable client outcomes.
This role is expected to operate as a trusted C-suite adviser — building relationships deep and wide across HR and Finance, providing high-level advisory on Workday, digital transformation and AI as part of a consultative, value-led engagement model.
Key Responsibilities:
· Achieve or exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets.
· Drive new business and retention within strategic enterprise accounts; identify and convert cross-sell and up-sell opportunities across HR, Finance and IT portfolios.
· Build and execute enterprise account blueprints and multi-year growth plans to deepen engagement and expand share of wallet.
· Maintain a qualified pipeline at a minimum of 3× quota with rigorous stage discipline.
· Lead the precise execution of large, complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles (typically >$10M TCV) and ad hoc client initiatives.
· Develop and maintain deep industry expertise relevant to the assigned market segment.
· Proactively establish and sustain C-suite relationships deep and wide across HR, Finance and IT (CHRO, CFO, CIO and their direct reports) within strategic enterprise accounts, positioning Cognizant as the partner of choice for enterprise transformation
· Build brand and credibility as a thought leader and high-level adviser on Workday, digital transformation, AI and industry trends
· Act as a trusted strategic adviser to client executives, shaping their Workday, digital and AI roadmap and connecting business outcomes to Cognizant's broader capabilities and service offerings
· Maintain and leverage key partnerships with Cognizant Industry, AI, Consulting and Solution Architect leaders, Resource Management, Workday and our alliance partners to bring enterprise-grade transformation propositions to clients
· Key account plans, opportunity/close plans, key contacts, prospecting activities and company background/strategic imperatives recorded in SalesForce
· Manage multiple, concurrent deals cycles maintaining accurate and timely client, pipeline, close plan and forecast data in SalesForce
· Accountable for RFP/RFI deliverables and solution presentations
· Work with the internal presales and delivery teams to develop project estimates that align with client needs and achieve required profit margins
· Negotiate contracts – Statement of Work and Master Services Agreement
· Serve as an executive sponsor and escalation point for delivery and commercial matters across the account portfolio
Education and Experience Requirements:
· 5+ years of experience in an account management /sales role, selling into an existing mid-market and enterprise client base
· Consistent track record of exceeding sales targets.
· Demonstrated growth within existing accounts, including key-account strategy, partner-led motions, and two-way lead generation.
· Experience building and sustaining C-suite relationships (CHRO, CFO, CIO) deep and wide across multiple enterprise accounts.
· Strategic, solution-selling mindset; ability to link client outcomes to Cognizant’s value proposition.
· Strong knowledge of Workday and related domain areas, with the ability to advise C-suite stakeholders at a strategic level on Workday, digital transformation and AI.
· In-depth experience with complex commercial negotiations, including Statements of Work (SOWs).
· Familiarity with consultative selling methodologies and the ERP cloud landscape.
· Ability to navigate a large, matrixed organisation; influence through data-driven, “win-as-one” collaboration.
· Experience leading multicultural, geographically distributed teams toward common goals.
· Skilled negotiator with senior stakeholders.
· Excellent verbal and written communication skills; confident presenting to executive audiences.
· Strong time management and prioritisation; high commitment to client service.
· Cross-functional strategy development experience.
· Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience.
· Workday experience strongly preferred; practitioner background in HR, Payroll, or Financials ideal.
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Why choose Cognizant:
- Entrepreneurial environment that welcomes your ideas
- Opportunity to do great work
- Outreach programs that support communities and tap into your volunteer spirit
- Learning opportunities to help current needs and advancement
- Global operations, with opportunities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific
- An abundance of Affinity groups to meet your needs
Cognizant Core Values:
- Work as One: We think beyond roles, relying on each other’s strengths to win as a team.
- Raise the Bar: We always aim for excellence in how we work and what we deliver.
- Dare to Innovate: We push boundaries and take chances to reimagine what’s possible.
- Do the Right Thing: We all lead with integrity and always make the ethical choice.
- Own It: We own the outcomes for our company, colleagues, and community.
