Cruise Industry Subject Matter Expert (SME) Techno-Functional

We are seeking a senior Cruise Industry SME to lead Cognizant s cruise domain expertise end-to-end. This role combines deep industry knowledge, techno-functional skills, and strategic vision to drive growth, CXO engagement, and market differentiation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the single-point cruise domain SME across sales, consulting, and delivery.
• Advise cruise CXOs on modernization, digital commerce, shipboard operations, and sustainability initiatives.
• Define future-state cruise reference architectures covering guests, ships, shore operations, data, and AI.
• Shape GTM narratives, influence RFPs, and lead executive workshops.
• Develop POVs on Cruise 2030+ trends, including smart ships, platformization, and new revenue models.
• Scale COTS platforms, and maintain networks across cruise lines, ports, and technology vendors.

Must-Have Skills: Cruise Domain Expertise (12 18+ years):

• Deep understanding of reservations & revenue (CRS, pricing, yield, promotions)
• Shipboard hotel operations (PMS, dining, POS, casino, spa, loyalty)
• Turnaround day operations, crew workflows, fleet operations
• Ports, itineraries, private destinations, and regulatory compliance

Techno-Functional Expertise:

• Cruise core systems: Guest & Commerce (CRS, booking engines, dynamic pricing, packages, excursions, onboard upsell)
• Shipboard systems: PMS, POS (F&B, retail), casino, spa, loyalty, crew systems, inventory
• Data & Platforms: API-led integration, cloud platforms, data lakes, analytics, AI use cases (personalization, forecasting, ops optimization)

Technical Knowledge (Minimum 40 50% coverage):

• Enterprise architecture & system integration (SaaS + legacy)
• Cloud platforms (AWS / Azure / Google Cloud Platform)
• Data & AI concepts (ML, GenAI, decision engines)
• Security, identity, payments (high-level cruise context)
• Vendor evaluation & modernization roadmaps

Consulting & Growth Skills:

• CXO-level communication and workshop facilitation
• Pre-sales, deal shaping, and value articulation
• Translate operations technology business outcomes
• Strong storytelling with decks, POVs, and reference architectures

Preferred / Nice-to-Have:

• Experience with CRS modernization or shipboard transformation initiatives
• Exposure to sustainability technology (shore power, fuel reporting, ESG data)
• Published POVs or speaking engagements in cruise or travel forums