Senior Deal Negotiator & Strategy Leader

EY; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 179,000 - 386,000; Full time

Job summary

EY is seeking a Lead Negotiator – Associate Director to serve as the “first chair” on the most strategic engagements. The role demands strong business acumen, leadership, and emotional intelligence to close high‑value deals while steering EY and client teams toward mutually valuable outcomes.

The position requires navigating diverse client environments, delivering training on negotiation best practices, and guiding regional deployment of EY’s methodology across priority deals.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of negotiation and contract drafting in tech/consulting
• 7+ years of first chair negotiation in consulting/managed services
• Experience in a large global organization with leading practices
• MBA or master’s degree preferred

Responsibilities

• Lead the actual negotiation process as the first chair with client negotiation leads
• Collaborate on relationship mapping and tiering to align EY’s people with client leaders
• Provide strategies to obtain client commitment to a close plan
• Draft contracting documents and secure agreement on terms
• Advise pursuit teams on commercial models for large complex deals
• Activate and implement negotiation strategies across the Region
• Operate as a counselor to pursuit team members
• Ensure exceptional client service across EY negotiations

Skills

Negotiation

Contract drafting

Team leadership

Analytical thinking

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent

MBA or master’s degree preferred

Tools

None

Job description

EY is seeking a Lead Negotiator – Associate Director to serve as the “first chair” on the most strategic engagements. The role demands strong business acumen, leadership, and emotional intelligence to close high‑value deals while steering EY and client teams toward mutually valuable outcomes.

The position requires navigating diverse client environments, delivering training on negotiation best practices, and guiding regional deployment of EY’s methodology across priority deals.