Director - Real Estate Budget & Financial Planning (India & APAC)

About the role

Cognizant seeks a Director to provide strategic financial leadership for its India and APAC corporate real estate portfolio. The role oversees budgeting, forecasting, capital planning, and performance analytics to support cost optimization and investment discipline. This position is based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, with work arrangements determined by local office requirements.

What you’ll do

• Develop and execute financial strategies aligned with long-term real estate, workplace, and portfolio objectives across India and APAC
• Drive multi-year portfolio financial planning, footprint transformation, cost optimization, and scenario analysis including consolidation, expansion, lease-versus-buy, and divestment decisions
• Own annual OPEX and CAPEX budgeting, quarterly forecasts, variance analysis, rolling cost projections, and adherence to corporate finance policies
• Lead capital expenditure planning, investment evaluation, ROI analysis, business case validation, funding approvals, cost estimation governance, and financial controls for real estate programs
• Deliver executive dashboards, KPIs, investment summaries, and data-driven insights to support portfolio optimization, vendor performance decisions, Board reviews, strategic planning, and leadership in
• Partner with business units to forecast demand, space requirements, and occupancy costs while identifying cost reduction and efficiency opportunities without impacting service delivery
• Guide regional CRE teams on financial governance, controls, best practices, audit readiness, accounting standards, financial risk mitigation, cost validation, contract governance, and approval workflo
• Consistently demonstrate the Cognizant Way to Lead, which means operating with Personal Leadership, Organizational Leadership, and Business Leadership

What you’ll bring

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or related field
• 12+ years of experience in FP&A, corporate real estate finance, facilities finance, capital planning, or closely related financial leadership role

Nice to have

• MBA, CA, CPA, CFA, or equivalent advanced finance qualification
• Experience supporting regional or multi-country real estate portfolios across India and APAC
• Proven experience managing OPEX and CAPEX budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, rolling projections, investment evaluation, and ROI analysis
• Strong financial modeling, scenario analysis, business case review, portfolio analytics, dashboarding, KPI reporting, and executive-level investment summary experience
• Experience working cross-functionally with CRE FP&A, Procurement, Legal, business units, regional teams, and senior leadership
• Strong understanding of corporate finance policies, audit requirements, accounting standards, financial governance, risk management, and approval controls
• Ability to translate complex financial data into clear recommendations for Board reviews, strategic planning, and investment decisions
• Experience improving data quality through automation, benchmarking, standardized reporting, and reporting governance

Skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance, Accounting, Business Administration, or a related field.