Associate Director of Strategy - Ernst & Young

Ernst & Young; London; On-site; GBP 80,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is looking for a UK FSO Deal Activation Pursuit Strategist - Associate Director to guide global bids, develop strategy, and manage resources for key pursuits. This senior role requires significant experience in business development and communications, with responsibilities across coaching, strategy management, and stakeholder engagement. The position offers opportunities for innovative leadership in pursuit management and requires the ability to influence and train other team members.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in developing external marketing communications.
• Experience in cross-border, multi-cultural environments.
• Fluent in English with excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Coach Account Teams on pursuit strategy and manage high-end opportunities.
• Lead overall pursuit and communications strategy.
• Oversee post-pursuit analysis and foster relationships across teams.

Skills

Business Development

Pursuit Management

Project Management

Communication Skills

Job description

UK FSO Deal Activation Pursuit Strategist - Associate Director - Permanent - London

UK FSO Deal Activation Pursuit Strategist - Associate Director - Permanent - London

UK FSO Deal Activation Pursuit Strategist - Associate Director

The opportunity

The Senior Pursuit Strategist (PS) coaches Account Teams on the strategy for global/regional, strategic, high-value pursuits driven out of the UK. Serving as Bid Management Lead, the Senior PS engages at multiple stages during the pursuit process. In the absence of a Pursuit Leader, the Senior PS demonstrates sufficient executive presence to lead the overall pursuit strategy on Focus Core / Strategic opportunities including lead-facilitation of strategic sessions.

The Senior PS is responsible for developing a tailored campaign messaging and communications strategy to articulate a compelling 'Why EY' proposition in all pursuit collateral and client-facing deliverables. This includes proposing credible options, influencing key stakeholders appropriately and reaching agreement / resolution with senior leaders. The Senior PS is responsible for overseeing all pursuit work-streams, including pursuit readiness sessions, the kick-off meeting, a touchpoint campaign, draft value proposition, proposal development and orals preparation.

The Senior PS is required to identify, develop, and implement innovative approaches to pursuit management. The Senior PS is also expected to initiate, lead and / or advise on strategic initiatives that engender continuous pursuit innovation and excellence and drive adoption of these across the firm.

Your key responsibilities

Strategic Pursuit and Opportunity Management

• Coach Account Teams on pursuit strategy and provide a full-service pursuit management support model for strategic, high-end opportunities
• Serve as Bid Management Lead of highly complex pursuits
• Lead overall pursuit strategy on Focus Core / Strategic opportunities (in the absence of a Pursuit Leader) with the support of a Pursuit Strategist
• Serve as a facilitator / key contributor in pursuit strategy sessions, manages output and drives actions

Strategic Client, Internal and External Communications

• Lead the overall pursuit communications strategy and actively contribute to strategic sessions
• Develop strategic messaging and lead conceptualisation of all client-facing pursuit collateral
• Lead the development of opportunity value propositions
• Ultimately responsible for quality control of all client-facing materials during the pursuit
• Act as the knowledge steward for the pursuit

Talent Development

• Leads by example and advocates for Gold Standard pursuit practices
• Oversee other pursuit support resources (e.g., Pursuit Strategist, Pursuit Coordinator) and ultimately responsible for the overall quality of the corresponding outputs
• Support the delivery of an effective Learning & Development (L&D) program
• Support recruiting, hiring, and onboarding of new team members; may serve as Counselor to up to three Pursuit Strategists

Administration and Reporting

• Lead post pursuit analysis and review; makes recommendations for process improvement
• Enhance and maintain relationships with other pursuit teams and key interdependency groups across the organisation
• Lead or participate in relevant internal and external networks

Analytical/Decision Making responsibilities

• Champion Gold Standard pursuit management tools and processes
• Solution-oriented and makes sound decisions quickly, given tight timeframes
• Propose credible options, influence appropriately, and reach resolution with senior leaders
• Navigates successfully across boundaries, flexing personal style to gain cooperation and commitment on pursuit or team initiatives
• Demonstrate versatility in a constantly evolving environment with a wide variety of social styles
• Influence / challenge the account team to optimise the chances of winning

Supervision responsibilities

• Work with considerable autonomy while often managing the work of others and ultimately responsible for the quality of the outputs
• Provide coaching and mentoring to others; may serve as a Counselor to other Pursuit Strategists
• Support the recruiting, hiring, onboarding, and training of new hires in the team
• Support delivery of an effective L&D program for Pursuit Strategists
• Develop, coach and mentor UK and EMEIA PS team members, Business Development (BD) and client servers through teaming on pursuits and facilitated training
• Oversee the work of the pursuit support team, including any third-party resources (e.g., Pursuit Strategist and/or Pursuit Coordinator, external translation services, etc.)

Other requirements

• As the job involves responding to client needs and varying time zones, long hours are regularly required
• Moderate to frequent travel may be required

Skills and attributes for success

• Very good understanding of Business Development and Pursuit Management
• Excellent mother-tongue standard English
• Excellent communications skills (written and verbal)
• Excellent project management skills

To qualify for the role you must have

• Pursuit Management experience
• Significant experience in developing external marketing communications
• Significant experience working in a cross-border, multi-cultural environment

Ideally, you'll also have

• Proven ability to influence and build collaborative relationships with a wide range of stakeholders and across ranks
• Demonstrate executive presence: establish credibility quickly, command attention and respect, demonstrate confidence and deal comfortably with both internal and external clients / stakeholders

What we look for

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to influence without authority, lead and coach others

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