Principal Consultant (Associate Director) - Life Sciences Industry

Principal Consultant (Associate Director) - Life Sciences Industry Overview

Principal Consultant (Associate Director) - Life Sciences Industry - Life Sciences Consulting role within Cognizant Consulting. We are growing our Life Sciences Consulting team and are looking for Principal Consultants who are passionate about solving complex client challenges and delivering meaningful transformation.

About The Company

Cognizant (NASDAQ:CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world's leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant has over 350,000 employees as of January 2026. Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 1000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world.

At Cognizant Consulting, we orchestrate the capabilities to truly change the game across strategy, design, technology and industry/functional knowledge to deliver insight at speed and solutions at scale. Our consulting services elevate the unique abilities and business aspirations of customers and employees and build relationships based on trust and value.

About the Role

At Cognizant Consulting, we are growing our Life Sciences Consulting team and are looking for Principal Consultants who are passionate about solving complex client challenges and delivering meaningful transformation.

As a Principal Consultant, you will work closely with a Consulting Partner and client account teams to shape and deliver consulting engagements within our major strategic and growth accounts. You will blend strong consulting craft, domain knowledge, and client engagement skills to help our clients improve the way they operate, make decisions, and deliver for patients.

This role suits someone who combines consulting depth with commercial awareness, can spot opportunities, shape follow on work and build trusted client relationships through the quality of their delivery.

What You'll Do

• Lead consulting engagements that assess, improve, or transform business processes within Commercial, R&D, Manufacturing, or Data & AI domains.
• Work directly with mid-to-senior client stakeholders to understand challenges, develop structured solutions, and deliver clear, actionable recommendations.
• Shape opportunities to help our clients succeed, oversee their delivery, and ensure high quality outcomes throughout engagements.
• Apply structured consulting methods such as process mapping and redesign, operating model definition, journey mapping, business case development, and design thinking techniques.
• Partner with Consulting Partners and account teams to identify client needs and support the growth Cognizant across the account.
• Collaborate with our capability and offering teams to bring the best of Cognizant's expertise to clients.
• Mentor and support Consultants and Senior Consultants as part of a growing practice.
• Contribute to thought leadership, methods, or accelerators in your area of domain expertise

What You Bring

• Strong background in management consulting, with experience in the Life Sciences sector.
• Expertise in one or more domains: Commercial, R&D, Manufacturing, or Data & AI.
• Ability to frame problems, structure analysis, lead workshops, and design solutions
• Understand how AI impacts businesses and able to identify practical and impactful applications
• Confidence engaging with senior stakeholders and working within large, complex organisations.
• Experience leading small-to-medium consulting or technical delivery teams.
• A collaborative, curious, and client focused mindset.
• Proven consulting knowledge of key consulting toolkits and methods such as: Process assessment and redesign, Operating model design, Business case creation and value articulation

Why Join Cognizant Life Sciences Consulting?

We are a Life Sciences consulting team that's shaping the future of pharma through process reinvention and the power of AI. You'll work deeply with major industry clients while contributing across a diverse portfolio, helping them transform how they innovate, operate, and deliver value for patients.

Our consultants come from a wide range of backgrounds, all united by a shared purpose to improve health and wellbeing in society. With a supportive culture, strong career pathways, and opportunities to influence our evolving offerings, you'll make a real impact while growing your craft in a dynamic, mission driven environment.