Director, Real Estate Contracts Governance & Project Contracting, GWS

About the role

Global Workplace Services (GWS) at Cognizant oversees corporate real estate and workplace services across India and APAC. The Director leads end‑to‑end contract lifecycle governance, commercial negotiations, and compliance frameworks while partnering with Legal, Finance and Procurement. This role is based in Chennai, on‑site, and drives cost‑optimization, vendor performance and workplace experience initiatives across multi‑country portfolios.

What you’ll do

• Own and govern full contract lifecycle for real estate and GWS services
• Establish and enforce governance, compliance and audit frameworks
• Lead workplace experience solutions and continuous improvement initiatives
• Oversee large‑scale GWS programs, cost‑plus contracts and vendor KPI frameworks
• Provide governance across facilities, transport, F&B, EHS and sustainability services
• Collaborate with cross‑functional stakeholders to ensure financial controls and regulatory compliance
• Drive cost optimization while maintaining service quality and business continuity
• Model Cognizant leadership behaviors and values across the organization

What you’ll bring

• 20+ years in corporate real estate or facilities leadership
• Bachelor’s degree in business management or related field
• Proven contract lifecycle governance and commercial negotiation experience
• Experience establishing compliance and audit frameworks
• Track record of governing multi‑site, multi‑country workplace services portfolios
• Ability to partner with Legal, Finance and Procurement on contract integrity
• Leadership of large‑scale GWS transformation programs
• Advanced degree preferred