Operations Team Leader (Crisis Response)

About the role

As a Crisis Team Lead, you will make an impact by leading a team responsible for managing critical customer situations and ensuring service excellence in a fast-paced operational environment. You will oversee team performance, drive operational outcomes, and foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and exceptional customer care.

You will be a valued member of the operations leadership team, collaborating with stakeholders, clients, and cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality support while developing and empowering team members to achieve their full potential.

In this role, you will:

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of support professionals to achieve operational goals and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
• Own team performance management, including monitoring operational metrics, schedule adherence, productivity, and quality standards.
• Conduct regular coaching sessions, performance reviews, and development planning to support employee growth and success.
• Identify performance trends, analyze root causes, and implement corrective actions to improve team outcomes.
• Develop and execute action plans to maintain and improve operational performance and customer satisfaction.
• Prepare reports, root cause analyses (RCAs), and operational insights to support decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Present performance results, recommendations, and progress updates to internal and client stakeholders.
• Respond to client requests and operational escalations in a timely and professional manner.
• Foster a positive and engaging team environment that promotes collaboration, accountability, and high performance.
• Ensure compliance with Cognizant policies, processes, and operational procedures.

Work model

Hybrid

We believe hybrid work is the way forward as we strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a hybrid position requiring attendance at a Cognizant or client office as needed.

Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you're engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured, we will always be clear about role expectations.

Schedules:

4 AM to 1 PM: Tuesday to Saturday

8 PM to 5 AM: Tuesday to Saturday

12 PM to 9 PM : Sunday to Thrusday

What you need to have to be considered

• 2+ years of experience leading customer support, customer service, contact center, or operations teams.
• Demonstrated experience in performance management, coaching, mentoring, and employee development.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to motivate teams and drive operational excellence.
• Experience analyzing performance metrics and implementing improvement initiatives.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English.
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate challenging conversations professionally and effectively.
• Proven problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities.
• Experience creating and delivering presentations to leadership teams and stakeholders.
• Advanced English proficiency, both written and spoken.

These will help you stand out

• Experience supporting crisis management, escalation management, or high-priority customer support operations.
• Previous experience in a contact center environment supporting phone, email, and chat channels.
• Knowledge of Agile methodologies and continuous improvement practices.
• Experience using collaboration and productivity tools such as Google Sheets, Docs, Slides, Calendar, and related platforms.
• Strong stakeholder management and client-facing experience.
• Experience leading teams in a fast-paced, metrics-driven environment.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

Additional employment information
Compensation information is accurate as of the date of this posting. Cognizant reserves the right to modify this information at any time, subject to applicable law.

Applicants may be required to attend interviews in person or by video conference. In addition, candidates may be required to present their current state or government issued ID during each interview.

Cognizant is an equal opportunity employer. Your application and candidacy will not be considered based on race, color, sex, religion, creed, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

Applicants for US based positions must be currently authorized to work for any employer in the United States. The company is unable to provide employment-based immigration sponsorship for US based positions.

If you have a disability that requires reasonable accommodation to search for a job opening or submit an application, please email CareersNA2@cognizant.com for roles based in the Americas or CareersIndia2@cognizant.com for roles based in India.

About Cognizant:
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) is an AI Builder and technology services provider, bridging the gap between AI investment and enterprise value by building full-stack AI solutions for our clients. Our deep industry, process and engineering expertise enables us to build an organization’s unique context into technology systems that amplify human potential, drive tangible outcomes and keep global enterprises ahead in a fast-changing world. See how at cognizant.ai or @cognizant.