Americas Commercial Attorney, Aerospace & Defense

This is a remote position available to any qualified applicant in the United States.

COGNIZANT OVERVIEW

Cognizant Technology Solutions (NASDAQ: CTSH) is one of the world's leading professional services companies, transforming customers' business, operating, and technology models for the digital economy. With annual revenues of $18 billion and a market value of $41 billion, we help global corporations adapt to market disruptions and build stronger, more agile and innovative businesses.

At Cognizant, we give organizations the insights to anticipate what customers want and act instantly to deliver on those demands so our clients can achieve the goal of every modern business: staying one step ahead of a fast-changing world. In addition to honors such as being listed #185 on the 2021 Fortune 500, Cognizant was again named on Fortune's List of the Global Most Admired Companies for 2022.

ROLE

At Cognizant, we have a diverse legal team working closely with business, sales and other corporate functions to help Cognizant deliver digital and information technology solutions for our customers around the globe. The work is fast-paced and dynamic; and it will continuously challenge you to learn and grow as an attorney.

Cognizant has an immediate opening for a Director level commercial counsel who will serve as the lead attorney for Cognizant's Aerospace & Defense practice, and act as a trusted point of contact for all its commercial initiatives, driving transactions to execution and other matters to favorable results.

The candidate must have significant prior experience managing all aspects of commercial contracting in the aerospace & defense industry, including the negotiation of complex multitower IT service engagements and a working knowledge of all related regulatory requirements inherent to the aerospace and defense industry. The candidate should also have exemplary communication and organizational skills, and experience negotiating service agreements, strategic alliance and partnering agreements, joint ventures, data protection agreements, product development agreements, and other similar types of commercial agreements with complex intellectual property, licensing, privacy, indemnity, liability and associated risk allocation issues. The ideal candidate will have experience training and managing a team of support attorneys and SMEs situated around the globe, as well as significant front-line experience providing strategic counsel to effectively structure, negotiate and close transactions with Fortune 500 companies. Experience managing outside counsel is also preferred.

Job responsibilities include:

* Serve as a trusted legal and commercial advisor to other senior business and legal leaders

* Coordinate all legal matters arising in the Aerospace & Defense practice area

* Coordinate complex legal and commercial deal reviews and escalations, taking a solution-oriented approach focused on providing, rather than seeking, direction

* Ensure legal support needs are well-prioritized based on impact and urgency

* Draft, review, and negotiate a wide array of complex and high risk/high value technology transaction agreements

* Provide and/or coordinate oversight necessary to ensure compliance with applicable regulations and company policies

* Provide strategic counsel to help analyze and assess business processes, identify issues/risk and offer solutions

* Help drive process improvement and efficiencies across the service lines and commercial contract teams

* Advise on issues with varying degrees of risk, including potentially adversarial issues, arising under commercial agreements with customers

* Collaborate with legal colleagues to assist in the development and maintenance of legal templates, playbooks, updated contracting policies, negotiation best practices, and escalation process/policy

This position requires the following qualifications:

• United States citizen
• Licensed attorney with a minimum of 7+ years' expertise in commercial transactions or M&A, preferably with both large law firm and at least three (3) years' in-house commercial transactions experience
• Significant prior experience supporting aerospace and defense/public sector work, including complex multitower IT service engagements
• Working knowledge and expertise in ITAR, DFAR, CMMC, and other DoD specific compliance requirements
• Ability to effectively and efficiently communicate with senior executives and business leaders.
• Experience in a wide variety of contract drafting and negotiations, preferably representing a client without significant contracting leverage
• Experience with various deployment models relative to software and technology services (on premises, managed services, software-as-a-service, public/private cloud arrangements), system integration, or other commercial agreements with complex intellectual property, licensing, privacy, indemnity, and liability issues
• Ability to work efficiently, meet demanding deadlines in a fast-paced environment, prioritize work, and adjust to frequent workload fluctuations across multiple time zones
• Interest in working in a rapidly changing and diverse environment, with comfort navigating through ambiguous situations
• Ability to train and manage attorneys as well as other legal and compliance professionals
• Ability to demonstrate and champion effective leadership behaviors
• Commitment to promoting an ethical workplace culture and supporting compliance processes

All candidates required to be licensed or have in house licensure in the state in which they work.

Salary and Other Compensation:

Applications will be accepted until February 23, 2025.

The annual salary for this position is between $125,000 - $220,000, depending on 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