Cognos Developer / Subject Matter Expert (SME)(Immediate Joiner)

Cognos Developer / Subject Matter Expert (SME)(Immediate Joiner)
Role Summary
We are seeking a highly 8+ years experienced IBM Cognos Developer / Subject Matter Expert (SME) to design, develop, enhance, and support enterprise business intelligence and reporting solutions.
This role will serve as a technical expert for the IBM Cognos Analytics platform, with responsibility for report development, dashboard development, semantic/data modeling, SQL development, performance optimization, security, and production support.
The Cognos Developer / SME will work closely with business stakeholders, Enterprise IT teams, database administrators, application teams, and other technical teams to translate complex business requirements into scalable and reliable reporting solutions.
The successful candidate will also contribute to BI modernization initiatives and help evaluate opportunities to integrate or transition existing Cognos capabilities with modern analytics platforms where appropriate.
Key Responsibilities
Data Modeling & Semantic Layer
Design, develop, and maintain Framework Manager models, packages, and Cognos Data Modules.
Develop scalable semantic models that provide business-friendly access to complex enterprise data.
Define relationships, dimensions, calculations, business rules, hierarchies, filters, and reusable query subjects.
Ensure the Cognos semantic layer accurately represents business definitions and reporting requirements.
Analyze the impact of source-system changes and update Framework Manager models and Data Modules accordingly.
Maintain reporting models supporting business areas such as Finance, Human Resources, Project Accounting, and enterprise operations.
Optimize models for usability, maintainability, security, and reporting performance.
SQL & Database Development
Develop and optimize complex SQL queries against enterprise relational databases.
Analyze SQL execution plans and identify opportunities for query optimization.
Diagnose and resolve database and report performance issues.
Work with database administrators and application teams to optimize indexes, queries, and data-access patterns.
Perform data validation and reconciliation between Cognos reports and underlying source systems.
Cognos Administration, Security & Deployment
Apply Cognos security concepts include roles, groups, permissions, object-level security, and data-level security.
Work with LDAP and Active Directory integration for authentication and authorization.
Support deployment and migration of Cognos content across development, test, and production environments.
Troubleshoot Cognos application, report, model, security, scheduling, and performance issues.
Assist with platform upgrades, configuration changes, testing, and environmental modernization.
Support governance and development standards for enterprise Cognos environments.
Business Analysis & Stakeholder Collaboration
Partner with business stakeholders to understand reporting, analytics, and data requirements.
Translate business requirements into technical specifications, reporting solutions, and semantic models.
Conduct requirements and design sessions with Finance, HR, Project Accounting, and other business teams.
Identify inconsistencies in business definitions and help establish standardized reporting logic.
Explain technical concepts and report solutions to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Provide estimates, technical recommendations, and impact assessments for reporting enhancements.
BI Modernization & Integration
Support modernization of existing enterprise reporting capabilities and evaluate opportunities to improve legacy Cognos solutions.
Assess existing Cognos reports and models for optimization, consolidation, remediation, or modernization.
Collaborate with teams using Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense, or comparable BI platforms where reporting capabilities span multiple technologies.
Assist with analysis and planning for migration or coexistence between Cognos and modern analytics platforms.
Support integration of reporting solutions with enterprise applications, APIs, web services, and data platforms where required.
Promote reusable semantic models and consistent business definitions across enterprise reporting solutions.
Technical Leadership & Support
Serve as an IBM Cognos technical SME for enterprise reporting initiatives.
Lead technical design discussions, code reviews, troubleshooting sessions, and solution assessments.
Perform root-cause analysis for complex reporting and performance issues.
Create and maintain technical documentation covering reports, models, data mappings, business rules, deployment procedures, and operational support.
Basic Qualifications
To be considered for this position, candidates must minimally meet the following knowledge, skills, and abilities:
Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
In addition to the education requirement, a minimum of 8+ years of hands-on experience developing enterprise reporting solutions using IBM Cognos Analytics.
Expert-level experience with:
IBM Cognos Analytics
Framework Manager
Cognos Report Authoring
Cognos Dashboard Authoring
Cognos Data Modules
Strong experience designing and maintaining enterprise semantic layers and dimensional/reporting models.
Demonstrated experience translating complex business requirements into scalable reporting and analytics solutions.
Advanced SQL development skills, including complex joins, aggregations, analytical queries, subqueries, and performance optimization.
Experience developing and maintaining database objects including stored procedures, views, and functions.
Experience developing dashboards and visual analytics using Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense, or another enterprise BI platform.
Experience deploying and migrating Cognos content across development, test, and production environments.
Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve report, model, SQL, and application performance issues.
Strong analytical, troubleshooting, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to interact effectively with technical teams and business stakeholders.
Ability to work independently, lead technical initiatives, and mentor other developers.
Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
Preferred Qualifications
Candidates with the following skills and experience will be given preferential consideration:
Experience modernizing or migrating legacy Cognos reporting environments.
Experience assessing Cognos reports, packages, and Framework Manager models for migration to modern BI platforms.
Experience with Microsoft Power BI, including semantic models and enterprise reporting.
Experience with ETL/data integration technologies such as SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS), Informatica, Azure Data Factory, or comparable platforms.
Experience supporting cloud migration, application modernization, or enterprise BI transformation initiatives.
Key Technologies
Business Intelligence: IBM Cognos Analytics, Framework Manager, Report Authoring, Dashboard Authoring, Data Modules
Databases: Microsoft SQL Server
Reporting & Visualization: IBM Cognos Analytics, Power BI, Tableau, Qlik Sense
Data Integration: SSIS, Informatica, ETL/ELT technologies
Development & DevOps: SQL, REST APIs, Web Services, Azure DevOps, Git
Security: Cognos Security, LDAP, Active Directory, Role-Based Access Control
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is not simply a Cognos report developer, but an experienced enterprise BI professional who understands the complete reporting lifecycle—from source data and SQL development through semantic modeling, security, report development, deployment, performance optimization, and business adoption.
The individual should be capable of supporting the existing Cognos environment while also helping the organization evaluate and implement opportunities for BI modernization, improved semantic modeling, and integration with newer analytics platforms.

Work arrangement
Hybrid