Cognizant · 9 hours ago
Lead AI Engineer (X-Shaped Multiplier)
Irvine, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$135K/yr - $160K/yrCognizant is a company focused on digital transformation through cloud, infrastructure, and security services. They are seeking a Lead AI Engineer who will mentor and lead a team in AI Engineering, fostering a culture of learning and collaboration while integrating advanced AI practices into enterprise software.
ConsultingIndustrial AutomationInformation TechnologySoftwareSoftware Engineering
Responsibilities
Teach to Fish: Actively pair with developers to transition them from traditional software roles to high-performing AI Engineers
Scale the Knowledge: Establish 'mentor-the-mentor' programs to ensure AI Engineering practices are disseminated across the entire organization
Lead by Doing: Remain hands-on in the codebase, demonstrating how to apply Extreme Programming (XP)—such as Pair Programming and TDD—to non-deterministic AI outputs
Context & Prompt Engineering: Architect complex, structured prompt engineering and context engineering pipelines that move beyond simple chat inputs into sophisticated agentic workflows
AI-PDLC Mastery: Drive the AI Product Development Lifecycle, utilizing spec-driven development and agent-as-code patterns to ensure AI features are predictable, testable, and aligned with business goals
Data Set Engineering: Oversee the curation and engineering of high-quality data sets for model grounding and fine-tuning
Java Full-Stack: Leverage deep experience in the Spring Framework to build robust, scalable backends that treat AI models as integrated system components
AI Tooling & Frameworks: Deploy and manage advanced tools including Google Vertex AI, Langchain, CrewAI, MCP, A2A and GitHub Copilot
Qualification
Required
Deep Vertical: Java Full-Stack mastery (Spring Framework) and AI Engineering patterns
Broad Horizontal: Cross-team collaboration, Digital Engineering methods, and Product Strategy
Leadership credibility, mentorship, and the ability to foster a 'teaching culture.'
Actively pair with developers to transition them from traditional software roles to high-performing AI Engineers
Establish 'mentor-the-mentor' programs to ensure AI Engineering practices are disseminated across the entire organization
Remain hands-on in the codebase, demonstrating how to apply Extreme Programming (XP)—such as Pair Programming and TDD—to non-deterministic AI outputs
Architect complex, structured prompt engineering and context engineering pipelines that move beyond simple chat inputs into sophisticated agentic workflows
Drive the AI Product Development Lifecycle, utilizing spec-driven development and agent-as-code patterns to ensure AI features are predictable, testable, and aligned with business goals
Oversee the curation and engineering of high-quality data sets for model grounding and fine-tuning
Leverage deep experience in the Spring Framework to build robust, scalable backends that treat AI models as integrated system components
Deploy and manage advanced tools including Google Vertex AI, Langchain, CrewAI, MCP, A2A and GitHub Copilot
Preferred
Consider adding Python as most of the frameworks are also Python based
Benefits
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
Company
Cognizant
Cognizant is a professional services company that helps clients alter their business, operating, and technology models for the digital era.
Founded in 1994
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Cognizant has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
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Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (11113)
2024 (11423)
2023 (13054)
2022 (13876)
2021 (12651)
2020 (28659)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$0.24MKey Investors
Summit Financial Wealth Advisors
2025-03-08Post Ipo Equity
2016-11-18Post Ipo Equity· $0.24M
1998-06-19IPO
Leadership Team
Ravi Kumar S
Chief Executive Officer
Anil Cheriyan
CTO / EVP Strategy & Technology
Recent News
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2026-01-24
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Company data provided by crunchbase