Director Global HR M&A Strategic Deals Leader

About the role

As a Director, Global HR M&A Strategic Deals Leader, you will drive measurable impact by shaping both people strategy and execution for large-scale outsourcing, rebadging, transformation, and selected M&A opportunities throughout APAC. You will collaborate with Business Unit and SBU leaders, Solution Teams, Deal Architects, Legal, Compliance, Employee Relations, senior client stakeholders, and executive sponsors to enable revenue-generating deals—from pursuit through Day-1 integration and post-transfer execution.

You will also lead the APAC operations team focused on workforce analysis, HR compliance, compensation and offer development, employee transfer documentation, transition governance, and operational support for rebadging and selected M&A transactions.

In this role, you will:

· Lead HR workstreams for large, complex strategic outsourcing and rebadging deals, covering qualification, pursuit, and RFI/RFP responses through negotiation, closure, and execution.

· Design workforce transition and employee transfer strategies across APAC, ensuring alignment with client requirements, employee experience, legal compliance, employment risk considerations, and commercial goals.

· Lead due diligence, employee consultation, compensation alignment, offer management, retention planning, transition readiness, Day-1 integration, and all post-transfer activities.

· Build credible relationships with senior client stakeholders, CHROs, Legal leaders, executive sponsors, and BU/SBU leaders; act as the HR subject matter expert during client discussions, solution design, town halls, and executive presentations.

· Lead and develop Regional HR Strategic Deal Leads and the APAC rebadging operations team. Establish scalable operating models, controls, governance, reporting, execution frameworks, and ensure consistent delivery quality.

· Consistently demonstrate the Cognizant Way to Lead, including Personal Leadership (building trust, collaboration, and inclusion), Organizational Leadership (driving vision and purpose, demonstrating a strategic and enterprise mindset, and creating and communicating a bold direction that inspires purpose), and Business Leadership (exemplifying client focus, managing ambiguity with accountability and results, and operating with financial acumen).

What you need to have to be considered

· 15+ years of progressive HR experience, including 8+ years supporting outsourcing, rebadging, HR M&A, or strategic deal programs.

· Proven experience partnering with business leaders on large-scale transformation, outsourcing, and revenue-generating engagements.

· Deep understanding of APAC labor laws, employee transfer regulations, workforce transition frameworks, consultation obligations, works council requirements, and employment risk mitigation.

· Experience leading geographically dispersed teams and providing coaching, governance, and execution oversight across regional strategic deal teams.

· Strong client-facing capability and executive stakeholder management experience, including participation in due diligence, negotiations, solution design, and executive presentations.

· Ability to lead workforce analytics, compensation benchmarking, offer development, HR compliance reviews, employee transfer documentation, transition governance, and reporting.

· Embodiment of the Cognizant Way to Lead: Leading Self, Leading Others, and Leading the Business.

· Embodiment of Cognizant's Values: Work as One, Dare to Innovate, Raise the Bar, Do the Right Thing, and Own It.

Corporate Strategic Alignment

· Engage with senior BU leads to align HR solution in coordination with business objectives and growth strategy

· Lead on the building and deployment of best practice to support strategic deals

· Align with cross functional teams to improve process efficiencies to achieve quicker revenue experience.

· Coach internal stakeholders and key decision makers on HR strategic deals processes and risk sensitivities

· Build systematic best practice and continuous improvement into Cognizant's deal operating model.

Global Team Development

· Responsible for planning hiring upskilling and managing succession for team personnel

· Demonstrate and champion expected leadership behaviors

· Building a culture of development coaching and learning within the team

· Provide direct oversight career management and coaching support for senior leaders of the strategic deals team

These will help you succeed

· Experience in IT Services, Business Process Services, Consulting, or Global Capability Centers.

· Background supporting multi-country outsourcing, managed services, or digital transformation deals.

· Experience supporting transactions exceeding $50M in annual contract value.

· Exposure to the HR aspects of mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, or integration programs