Senior Director, Responsible AI Governance and Compliance Lead

Responsible AI Governance and Compliance Lead

Reports To: Chief Responsible AI Officer
Job Type: Full-time

The annual salary for this position is between $174,000 - $300,000 depending on the experience and other qualifications of the successful candidate.

This position is also eligible for Cognizant's discretionary annual incentive 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, subject to applicable law.
Role Overview

Role Overview

The Responsible AI Governance and Compliance Lead will guide the development, implementation, and oversight of Responsible AI (RAI) governance policies and compliance strategies across Cognizant. This strategic role ensures that AI systems are deployed in ways that are safe, trustworthy, and aligned with evolving ethical and regulatory standards, while enabling business agility and innovation.

Working in close coordination with Legal, Compliance, Security, and Technical teams, this role helps ensure governance practices are scalable, risk-tiered, and tailored to the diverse AI maturity levels across the organization. The Governance Lead will champion a federated governance approach, balancing centralized standards with flexibility for client-facing and domain-specific teams.

Success in this role requires strong cross-functional leadership, a systems-thinking mindset, and the ability to build excitement for Responsible and Trusted AI through engagement, training, and advocacy-ensuring governance is seen as a driver of value, not a constraint. The Governance Lead plays a pivotal role in creating a culture of accountability and trust in AI both within Cognizant and in collaboration with clients and external partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Governance Policy & Compliance Strategy
*Establish, maintain, and evolve Cognizant's Responsible AI governance policies and internal assurance practices.
*Translate evolving regulatory requirements (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO 42001, GDPR) into internal compliance standards and processes.
*Partner with the RAI framework and platform teams to ensure governance principles are embedded in technical and operational systems.
*Define governance accountability structures and decision rights across business units and delivery teams.
*Contribute to compliance audit readiness, documentation practices, and internal reporting structures.

2. AI Risk Management & Impact Assessment
*Lead the development and organizational adoption of AI Impact Assessment processes to evaluate societal, legal, and ethical risks.
*Work with Legal, Data Privacy, Security, and Compliance teams to align on enterprise-wide AI risk mitigation strategies.
*Maintain oversight of AI regulatory tracking and horizon scanning to ensure timely response to new legislation.
*Define escalation paths for reviewing and mitigating high-risk AI use cases.

3. Cross-Functional Engagement & Internal Advocacy
*Act as the governance liaison between Legal, IT, Data Governance, Security, and consulting/delivery teams.
*Coordinate with business units to ensure governance practices scale across diverse use cases and markets.
*Inspire internal teams to adopt governance practices by positioning them as strategic assets for trustworthy AI.
*Support the Chief Responsible AI Officer in managing the RAI Office, including resource planning, reporting, and talent development.

4. Regulatory & Industry Engagement
*Build and maintain relationships with global regulatory and standards bodies (e.g., OECD, IEEE, EU AI Boards, UN).
*Represent Cognizant in forums and advisory groups focused on Responsible AI governance and policy development.
*Contribute to external white papers, consultations, and regulatory feedback efforts.
*Stay current on emerging trends in AI ethics, governance, and risk frameworks.

5. Training, Awareness & Culture Building
*Design and lead AI governance literacy and training programs for technical and non-technical audiences.
*Develop accessible governance guidelines and playbooks for use across consulting, delivery, and client teams.
*Foster a culture of responsible innovation by sharing compelling use cases and stories of impact.
*Collaborate with communications and change management teams to drive engagement around Responsible AI adoption.

6. Requirement and Qualifications

Required Experience
*10-12 years of experience including 8+ years in governance, risk management, data privacy, regulatory compliance, or AI policy roles.
*Demonstrated success designing and scaling governance programs across enterprise organizations.
*Familiarity with legal frameworks governing AI, data protection, and emerging tech (e.g., EU AI Act, GDPR, ISO, NIST).

Knowledge & Competencies
*Strong working knowledge of AI/ML technologies and lifecycle risks (technical fluency, not deep implementation expertise).
*Ability to bridge technical and non-technical domains, translating policies into actionable practices.
*Experience with AI risk assessments, compliance reviews, and regulatory readiness processes.
*Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and change management skills.

Qualifications
*Advanced degree in Law, Public Policy, AI Ethics, Data Science, or a related field.
*Certifications in Governance, Risk, Compliance (e.g., CIPP, CIPM, ISO 42001, ITIL).
*Experience engaging with regulators or contributing to industry-wide governance standards.
*Experience in consulting, platform governance, or client-facing AI assurance roles is a plus.