Client Partner

The Client Partner is accountable for revenue growth and retention across a defined portfolio of mid-market and enterprise clients. The role achieves individual sales targets by developing and executing account strategies, in close collaboration with Workday and Cognizant stakeholders, to expand footprint, increase share of wallet, and deliver measurable client outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Achieve or exceed monthly, quarterly, and annual sales targets.
• Drive new business and retention within key accounts; identify and convert cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
• Build and execute account blueprints 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 complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles and ad hoc client initiatives.
• Develop and maintain deep industry expertise relevant to the assigned market segment.

Duties & Tasks

• Proactively foster C-suite relationships deep and wide across key client accounts to help acquire and grow business
• Build brand and credibility as a Workday, digital transformation and industry expert
• Act as strategic adviser to client and drive awareness of Cognizant service offerings and Workday solution enhancements
• Maintain and leverage key internal and external partnerships with Cognizant Industry leads, Solution Architects, Consulting Services, Resource Management, Workday and our alliance partners
• 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

Education & Experience

• 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.
• Proven execution of complex, multi-threaded sales cycles.
• Experience building and sustaining C-suite relationships across multiple accounts.
• Strategic, solution-selling mindset; ability to link client outcomes to Cognizant's value proposition.
• In-depth experience with complex commercial negotiations, including Statements of Work (SOWs).
• Workday experience strongly preferred; practitioner background in HR, Payroll, or Financials ideal.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience.

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.