Deal Architect Assistant Director

EY; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 122,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Total rewards package

Job summary

EY is seeking a Deal Architect to lead financial, commercial, and competitive strategy for high-stakes opportunities. You will guide pricing methodologies, commercial models, and risk-aware negotiations to maximize margin and client value.

You will influence cross-functional teams, leverage competitive insights, and shape governance narratives for executive stakeholders while supporting client-facing materials and negotiations.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in professional services, pricing and commercials, strategy consulting, or contract management.
• Expert proficiency in financial modelling, accounting, budgeting, and metrics.
• Proven track record designing and structuring deals across consulting and managed services.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and refine offer design, pricing approach, and commercial strategy to improve competitiveness and win probability.
• Assess price points against market benchmarks, client value drivers, and competition.
• Use competitive intelligence to strengthen differentiation and value for client and EY.
• Design commercial structures aligned to client value drivers with appropriate EY return.
• Translate complex commercial and financial considerations into a clear narrative for executives.

Skills

Financial modelling

Pricing strategies

Executive presence

Influencing skills

Written and verbal communications

Generative AI tools

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Advanced degree or MBA

Professional accounting or financial certification

Tools

Copilot

ChatGPT

Claude

Job description

Location: Anywhere in Country
At EY, we’re all in to shape your future with confidence.
We’ll help you succeed in a globally connected powerhouse of diverse teams and take your career wherever you want it to go. Join EY and help to build a better working world.
At EY, you will have the chance to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale, support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of you. And we are counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself and a better working world for all.
Our Markets and Business Development function brings together business, sector, and account knowledge along with EY competencies and solutions to meet unique client needs. The Markets and Business Development organization shapes and drives an integrated growth strategy across EY’s largest accounts, industry sectors, solutions and services, while demonstrating and achieving market leadership through a client centric culture.

The Opportunity

As a Deal Architect within the Strategic Pricing & Insights Group and broader Pursuits & Commercial Excellence function, you will lead the financial, commercial, and competitive strategy for EY's most strategic, complex, and transformative opportunities.
You will help shape, negotiate, and close new business opportunities by drawing together competitive intelligence, client business and solution requirements, internal EY cost to serve estimates, commercial model structures, pricing methodologies and negotiation strategies. You will guide teams in developing a competitive and compelling business case for our clients and EY through the design and execution of the competitive pricing strategy while establishing the EY cost to serve, seeking opportunities to maximize margins, mitigate risks, and articulate the differentiated value of EY’s offer.

Your Key Responsibilities

• Position: Help develop, test, and refine the offer design, pricing approach, and commercial strategy to improve competitiveness and increase win probability.
• Price: Assess EY’s proposed price points against market benchmarks, client value drivers, and likely competitor positioning.
• Solution: Use competitive intelligence and market insights to challenge the solution design, strengthen differentiation, and improve value for both the client and EY.
• Commercial Structures: Help design commercial structures aligned to the client’s value drivers while supporting an appropriate return for EY’s risk profile.
• Governance: Drive opportunities through the firm's governance framework by translating complex commercial, financial, and risk considerations into a compelling decision-making narrative for executive stakeholders.

You will also contribute to client-facing financial and commercial materials and support negotiation preparation.

Skills And Attributes For Success

Thriving in a matrixed organization is essential, balancing the needs of the client against business initiatives and goals. Possessing natural coaching skills, you will inspire others with your insights and ability to create and drive differentiated value propositions in the market. You will be a trusted advisor to the Deal Lead and the broader pursuit team, acting in a consultative manner to deliver exceptional service and quality. You will be the catalyst that pulls stakeholders together to drive strategic initiatives and increase win odds while positioning profitable growth.

To qualify for the role, you must have

• 6+ years of experience in professional services, preferably in pricing and commercials, strategy consulting, solution architecture or commercial and contract management
• Expert proficiency in financial modelling, accounting, budgeting, and associated metrics
• Proven track record designing, modelling and structuring deals utilizing various pricing strategies / commercial structures across consulting and managed services
• Strong pursuit management, relationship management, executive presence and influencing skills
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-moving, and complex pursuit environments
• Effective written and verbal communications
• Ability to use generative AI tools, including Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, or similar platforms, as thought partners to accelerate research, analysis, financial and commercial reasoning, and decision support
• A University / Bachelor’s Degree

Ideally, you’ll also have

• An advanced degree or MBA
• Professional accounting or financial certification
• Experience conducting market research
• Ability to travel
• This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

What We Look For

We look for Deal Architects who can combine financial discipline, commercial creativity, and market insight to help pursuit teams develop stronger, more competitive offers. Successful candidates will be curious, practical, and comfortable working across stakeholders to improve deal strategy, pricing quality, and commercial outcomes.

What We Offer

As part of this role, you'll work in a highly integrated, global team with the opportunity and tools to grow, develop and drive your career forward. Here, you can combine global opportunity with flexible working. The EY benefits package goes above and beyond too, focusing on your physical, emotional, financial and social well-being. Here’s a snapshot of what we offer:

• Continuous learning: You’ll develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next.
• Success as defined by you: We’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way.
• Transformative leadership: We’ll give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs.
• Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.

What We Offer You

At EY, we’ll develop you with future-focused skills and equip you with world-class experiences. We’ll empower you in a flexible environment, and fuel you and your extraordinary talents in a diverse and inclusive culture of globally connected teams. Learn more.

• We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package where you’ll be rewarded based on your performance and recognized for the value you bring to the business. The base salary range for this job in all geographic locations in the US is $121,500 to $227,200. The base salary range for New York City Metro Area, Washington State and California (excluding Sacramento) is $145,800 to $258,100. Individual salaries within those ranges are determined through a wide variety of factors including but not limited to education, experience, knowledge, skills and geography. In addition, our Total Rewards package includes medical and dental coverage, pension and 401(k) plans, and a wide range of paid time off options.
• Join us in our team-led and leader-enabled hybrid model. Our expectation is for most people in external, client serving roles to work together in person 40-60% of the time over the course of an engagement, project or year.
• Under our flexible vacation policy, you’ll decide how much vacation time you need based on your own personal circumstances. You’ll also be granted time off for designated EY Paid Holidays, Winter/Summer breaks, Personal/Family Care, and other leaves of absence when needed to support your physical, financial, and emotional well-being.

EY accepts applications for this position on an on-going basis.

EY focuses on high-ethical standards and integrity among its employees and expects all candidates to demonstrate these qualities.

EY | Building a better working world

EY exists to build a better working world, helping to create long-term value for clients, people and society and build trust in the capital markets.

Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.

Working across assurance, consulting, law, strategy, tax and transactions, EY teams ask better questions to find new answers for the complex issues facing our world today.

EY provides equal employment opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, genetic information, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other legally protected basis, including arrest and conviction records, in accordance with applicable law.

EY is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities including veterans with disabilities. If you have a disability and either need assistance applying online or need to request an accommodation during any part of the application process, please call 1-800-EY-HELP3, select Option 2 for candidate related inquiries, then select Option 1 for candidate queries and finally select Option 2 for candidates with an inquiry which will route you to EY’s Talent Shared Services Team (TSS) or email the TSS at [e-mail].