Education jobs in South Africa

Press Tab to Move to Skip to Content Link

At EY, you have the opportunity to build a career as unique as you are, with the global scale,
support, inclusive culture, and technology to become the best version of yourself. We count 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.
The Opportunity

We are seeking a highly motivated and confident individual to join our Markets & Business
Development’s Strategic Pursuits team.

As a Pursuit Strategist, you will provide strategic and tactical support to help win new business.
You will actively participate in the proposal management process and co-author content for
proposals, oral presentations, and other pursuit collateral. In this role, you will work with Senior
Partners, Client Executives, client service professionals, designers, account teams, and Pursuit
Coordinators. You will lead the team in developing and implementing pursuit strategies aimed
at producing specific results; oversee adherence to all steps of the proposal process and firm
guidelines; provide coaching to the Pursuits team to effectively communicate information and
ideas through various mediums aimed at increasing audience engagement and facilitating
information retention; and act as the local and national champion of pursuit initiatives.
Your Key Responsibilities
• Manage the execution of the pursuit process, including the critical path, timeline,
strategic communications process, and interdependencies on the firm’s largest and
strategically significant pursuits.
• Assess the competitive landscape and help develop a differentiated win strategy
focused on client priorities while protecting EY’s interests.
• Develop a relationship map and tactics to navigate the client buying process.
• Consult with Partners, Client Executives, and BD leadership to develop and implement
pursuit materials designed to achieve specific results.
• Collaborate with the extended pursuit team to define, package, and articulate a
compelling client offer across the scope.
• Provide ongoing proposal strategy and support, including planning the storyline/key
messages and preparing the extended team for orals.
• Be responsible for the development of all client-facing, written deliverables (e.g.,
meeting documents, proposals, presentations) that adhere to the firm's style guide in
collaboration with the Creative Designer for design and formatting.
• Author original content when critical and/or necessary (e.g., cover letter, executive
summary) and leverage relevant firm resources to source non-critical, boilerplate
content when appropriate.
• Build collaborative relationships with pursuit teams, including Service Line, Account,
and Business Development leaders as well as Senior Managers, Managers, and Staff.

• Share lessons learned, best practices, and innovation from pursuits and other
experiences with teammates, the broader BD community, and the global firm as
appropriate.
• Manage multiple proposals/priorities simultaneously.
• Ensure that all steps of the pursuit proposal process are adhered to and that the content
and end product are of the highest quality.
• Review final pursuit collateral for quality, format, and content for adherence to the firm’s
brand standards.
• Work with international Pursuits Strategy leaders to identify and leverage best practices.
Knowledge, Skills, and Attributes for Success
• Must be able to operate in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• Excellent communication skills (writing, verbal, and editing).
• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail and
the ability to manage multiple workstreams simultaneously.
• Solution-oriented with the ability to make sound recommendations and decisions.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and highly deadline-driven.
• Champion best-practice pursuit tools and processes, while remaining open to new and
better ways of doing things when appropriate.
• Strong leadership skills to manage, coach, develop, and motivate direct reports.
• Ability to interact effectively with all levels of the organization.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and able to work on one's own initiative with limited
supervision.
Experience
• 5 - 10 years of relevant experience in pursuits, business development, marketing, or
project management, preferably in a professional services environment.
• Must have communications and proposal writing experience, including the ability to
provide relevant writing samples.
• Highly developed computer skills, including the Microsoft Office suite (PowerPoint).
Education / Certification
Some or all of the below:
• APMP, PMP certification is considered advantageous.
• Experience in professional services (e.g., accounting, management consulting, legal,
architectural, engineering).
• Bachelor’s degree in Language, Communications, Marketing, or Business; a graduate
degree or equivalent experience is preferred.

Who We Are

At EY, we support you in achieving your unique potential both personally and professionally. We
give you stretching and rewarding experiences that keep you motivated, working in an
atmosphere of integrity and teaming with some of the world's most successful companies.
While we encourage you to take personal responsibility for your career, we support you in your
professional development in every way we can. You enjoy the flexibility to devote time to what
matters to you, in your business and personal lives. At EY, you can be who you are and express
your point of view, energy, and enthusiasm, wherever you are in the world. It's how you make a
difference.

Select how often (in days) to receive an alert:

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.