Enterprise Architect, Telco Consulting

Enterprise Architect, Telco Consulting

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 2024. 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.

Cognizant Consulting

At Cognizant, our consultants 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.

Role Overview

We are seeking a highly experienced Telco Enterprise Architect with a deep understanding of BSS, strong working knowledge across OSS, and broad technical insight across Network domains (Mobile, Broadband, IP/Transport, and Fixed Line). The ideal candidate will bring thought leadership, excellent communication skills, and hands-on expertise in AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI frameworks, enabling them to guide end-to-end digital transformation initiatives.

This role requires a strategic thinker who can connect business objectives with technology architectures, design future-state blueprints, and influence C-level stakeholders within a large telecom environment.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Architecture & Strategy

• Develop enterprise-level architecture blueprints covering BSS, OSS, Network, and cross-domain integrations.
• Drive the creation of target operating models, capability maps, process architectures, and maturity assessments.
• Lead modernization initiatives across legacy BSS/OSS, cloud migration, network transformation, and digital customer experience.
• Champion architectural governance, solution review boards, and alignment to enterprise standards.

BSS / OSS Architecture

• Architect end-to-end BSS processes: Customer Management, CRM, Order Management, Billing/Charging (OCS/OFCS), Product Catalogue, Digital Channels.
• Strong understanding of OSS domains: Service Assurance, Service Fulfilment, Inventory, Orchestration, and Network Management.
• Expertise in TM Forum standards (eTOM, TAM, SID, ODA) and Open APIs.
• Guide rationalisation of systems and design of convergent service architectures.

Network Architecture

• Good understanding of Mobile (4G/5G), Fixed Line, Broadband, and Transport Network architectures.
• Awareness of network functions: RAN, Core, IMS, SDN/NFV, Transport, and network slicing concepts.
• Work closely with network teams to enable network-to-IT integrations and cloud-native network architectures.

AI/GenAI/Agentic AI Leadership

• Identify opportunities for AI and Agentic AI infusion across BSS, OSS, customer service, operations, field services, and network operations.
• Design AI-enabled architecture patterns (decisioning, autonomous agents, automation, predictive operations).
• Work with data teams to define data models, AI pipelines, governance, and security patterns.
• Evaluate AI tools, LLMs, and agent frameworks suitable for telco enterprise environments.
• Provide thought leadership and influence stakeholders on AI transformation roadmaps.

Delivery & Stakeholder Engagement

• Collaborate with product owners, solution architects, engineering teams, vendors, and system integrators.
• Support RFPs, technical evaluations, vendor assessments, and architecture governance processes.
• Present architectural recommendations to senior executives and steer decision-making with clear business value.
• Translate complex technical landscapes into business-friendly narratives.

Required Skills & Experience

Technical Competencies

• 10+ years of experience in telecom architecture roles.
• Strong expertise in BSS architecture + working knowledge in OSS, Telco Networks, Cloud, APIs.
• Practical experience with cloud-native systems, microservices, Kubernetes, integration patterns, and event-driven architecture.
• Exposure to AI/GenAI frameworks, RAG, vector databases, LLMOps, MLOps, and ideally multi-agent/agentic architectures.
• Familiarity with industry tools (ServiceNow, Netcracker, Amdocs, Ericsson, Nokia, Salesforce, AWS/Azure/GCP).

Business & Leadership Competencies

• Strong communication and stakeholder influencing skills.
• Ability to lead cross-domain architectural discussions.
• Thought leadership in digital transformation, AI-driven telco operations, and cloud-native evolutions.
• Strong problem-solving and strategic thinking.

Preferred Qualifications

• TOGAF, TM Forum, Cloud certifications (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Experience working with major telcos or global system integrators.
• Exposure to SAFe Agile environments.

Why This Role Is Strategic

This position plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of a digital, AI-native telecom enterprise, driving convergence across IT, Network, and AI landscapes, and enabling the next generation of autonomous operations and customer experiences.