Cognizant is actively hiring for 24 AI and machine learning positions across AI/ML Engineer (18), AI Software Engineer (3), and AI Architect (1) roles. Posted salary ranges span $99K - $405K, with 79% of listings disclosing compensation. The median posted ceiling sits at $145K. Positions are based in Juno Beach, FL, US, Pleasanton, CA, US, Rockville, MD, US. The most frequently requested skills across these postings are Azure, Aws, Python, Gcp, Rag. Senior-level roles account for 54% of openings.
Skills & Technologies
Locations
Juno Beach, FL, US, Pleasanton, CA, US, Rockville, MD, US, Houston, TX, US, FL, US
Hiring by Role Category
Open Positions (24)
Senior Full Stack Engineer – AI-Assisted Development
AI Engineer
Principal AI Architect
Platform Engineer - AI & Automation Platform
Partner Consulting - AI Leader MLEU
GenAI Solutions Architect
Lead Full Stack Engineer – AI-Assisted Development
Senior AI Agent Lead
Physical AI Leader, VP
Senior Full Stack Engineer (AI-Driven Engineering)
Senior AI Security Architect
Quality Engineer (AI Automation)
Quality Engineer (AI & Test Automation)
SDET - Conversational AI
Senior AI/ML Lead/ Developer (Remote)
Sr. Gen AI/ML Lead/Developer
SR Gen AI developer-
GenAI Sr. Developer and Lead
Lead ML Engineer
.NET Architect (AWS & GenAI)
Senior Data Scientist ( Onsite)
Agentic AI Commerce Solutioner
AI Lead Business Analyst/Project Lead
What Cognizant's hiring tells you
24 open AI roles across 5 role types puts this company in the scaling phase: past the initial proof of concept, building out a real team. Expect more structure than a startup but less bureaucracy than a major. Good fit for engineers who want ownership without building from zero. Posted compensation range ($99K - $405K) suggests transparent and competitive pay practices.
The skill mix here leans toward Azure in AI Software Engineer roles. That is a clue about what Cognizant is building: teams hire for the work in front of them, not the work they wish they were doing.
Questions worth asking in the Cognizant interview loop
The signals above come from public job postings. The signals you actually need come from the conversation. A few questions calibrated to this company's tier:
- What problem did the first AI hire solve, and how has scope grown since?
- Where does AI sit in the engineering org, and who owns the budget?
- What is the on-call expectation for AI systems? (If unclear, that means it has not happened yet.)
Cognizant AI and ML Hiring
Cognizant has 24 active AI and ML roles in our dataset. Open positions span AI Software Engineer, AI/ML Engineer, AI Architect, AI Agent Developer. Compensation ranges from $99K - $405K across disclosed roles. Roles are based in Juno Beach, FL, US, Pleasanton, CA, US, Rockville, MD, US, Houston, TX, US.
Salary Benchmarks
The market median for AI roles is $215,000. AI Software Engineer roles pay a median of $218,500 across the market. AI/ML Engineer roles pay a median of $214,900 across the market. AI Architect roles pay a median of $237,300 across the market. Top-quartile AI compensation starts at $266,300.
Skills Cognizant Looks For
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Knowledge of vector databases, embedding APIs, and LLM integration patterns (function calling, structured outputs, retry logic) differentiates AI software engineers from general software engineers. Understanding cost optimization (caching strategies, model routing, batched inference) is valuable since inference costs can dominate application economics.
AI Role Categories
AI Software Engineer
AI Software Engineers build the applications and systems that AI models run inside. They own the API layers, data pipelines, frontend integrations, and infrastructure that turn a model into a product users interact with. Every AI company needs engineers who can build the software around the AI.
Full-stack engineering skills with AI integration experience. Python and TypeScript are the most common requirements. You'll need to understand API design, database architecture, and how to build reliable systems around probabilistic outputs. Experience with streaming, async processing, and caching patterns is increasingly important as real-time AI applications proliferate.
Market compensation for AI Software Engineer roles: $218,500 median across 729 positions with disclosed pay.
AI/ML Engineer
AI/ML Engineers build and deploy machine learning models in production. They work across the full ML lifecycle: data pipelines, model training, evaluation, and serving infrastructure. The role has evolved significantly over the past two years. Where ML Engineers once spent most of their time on model architecture, the job now tilts heavily toward inference optimization, cost management, and integrating LLM capabilities into existing systems. Companies want engineers who can ship production systems, and the experimenter-only role is fading fast.
Python and PyTorch dominate the requirements. Most roles expect experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and familiarity with ML frameworks like TensorFlow or JAX. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) has become a top-3 skill requirement as companies integrate LLMs into their products. Docker and Kubernetes show up in about a third of postings, reflecting the production focus of the role.
Market compensation for AI/ML Engineer roles: $214,900 median across 6,420 positions with disclosed pay.
AI Agent Developer
AI Agent Developers build autonomous systems that can reason, plan, and take actions. They design multi-step workflows, tool-use frameworks, and orchestration layers that let LLMs interact with external systems. This is the frontier of applied AI engineering.
Deep experience with LLM APIs and agent frameworks (LangChain, CrewAI, AutoGen). Strong understanding of prompt engineering, function calling, and error handling for non-deterministic systems. Python is standard. Experience with orchestration patterns, state management, and workflow engines adds significant value.
Market compensation for AI Agent Developer roles: $240,000 median across 96 positions with disclosed pay.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 4,317 open positions across 15 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (3,004), Data Scientist (345), AI Software Engineer (309). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (138) are outnumbered by mid-level (2,071) and senior (1,655) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 453 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 15% of all AI roles (635 positions), with 3,657 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $215,000. Top-quartile roles start at $266,300, and the 90th percentile reaches $320,790. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $287,500 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $145,000. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (2,249 postings), Aws (1,224 postings), Azure (938 postings), Rag (915 postings), Gcp (660 postings), Pytorch (640 postings), Prompt Engineering (624 postings), Kubernetes (559 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 4,317 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 138 entry-level, 2,071 mid-level, 1,655 senior, and 453 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 15% of the market (635 positions). The remaining 3,657 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $215,000. Top-quartile compensation starts at $266,300. The 90th percentile reaches $320,790. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($287,500 median, 34 roles); Research Engineer ($272,100 median, 227 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($244,000 median, 23 roles).
AI Software Engineer roles are among the most numerous in the AI job market. Every company deploying AI needs software engineers who understand AI integration patterns. The demand is broad, spanning startups to enterprises, across every industry adopting AI capabilities.
What to Expect in Interviews
Technical screens look like standard software engineering interviews with an AI twist. Expect system design questions about building reliable applications around probabilistic models: handling streaming responses, implementing retry logic for API failures, and designing caching strategies for LLM outputs. Coding rounds test standard algorithms plus practical integration patterns like async processing and rate limiting.
When evaluating opportunities: Strong postings describe the product you'll be building, the AI integration patterns you'll work with, and the scale requirements. Look for companies that have existing AI features and need engineers to improve and expand them, not companies that are 'planning to add AI' someday.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
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