Business Development Executive - Associate Director

About EY

Ernst & Young is a $32.4 billion global professional services organization comprised of member firms around the world.  EY employs 350,000 people in 150 countries around the globe who pursue the highest levels of integrity, quality and professionalism to provide clients with a broad array of services relating to audit and risk-related services, tax and transactions.

The Global Ernst & Young organization (EY) helps companies across all industries — from emerging growth companies to global powerhouses — deal with a broad range of business issues. 

Ernst & Young is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and consulting services. Worldwide, their 300,000 people are united by their shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. They make a difference by helping people, clients and their wider communities achieve potential.

Ernst & Young’s integrity and professional competence are the cornerstones of the global organization. The firm works hard to earn and maintain clients’ trust and confidence by providing quality professional services in an independent, objective and ethical manner.

The “people first” culture at this Big Four professional services firm emphasizes diversity. The firm’s non-discrimination policy also includes gender identity, and it has continued to foster its culture of inclusiveness.

EY operates across four business segments or service lines, including:

• Assurance: Business assurance services encompass statutory audit and a range of other assurance services.
• Consulting: Business Consulting, Technology Risk, GRC Technology and Finance are the primary services delivered by consulting professionals. This is one of the fastest growing service lines across the firm.
• Tax: Taxation services cover business tax, international tax, state and local tax and human capital. The services in tax include tax compliance assistance and review, tax advisory services, controversy, and tax department performance improvement.
• Strategy and Transaction Services (SAT): Transaction advisory services encompass services in relation to mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, strategic finance, corporate restructuring, business modelling, working capital management, and valuation.

EY serves all major industry groups including asset management, banking and capital markets, private equity, automotive, government and public sector, technology, telecommunications, media and entertainment; power and utilities; oil and gas; consumer products; life sciences; real estate.

Global Website: www.ey.com
 

EY, Ghana – West Africa

Ernst & Young operates from Accra, Ghana with 8 partners and over 350 people, who work towards the firm’s vision of being the trusted business advisor that contributes most to the success of people and clients by creating value and confidence. Audit, Global Tax Advisory Services, Risk Advisory Services, Strategy & Transactions Services and Consulting Services are the core services offered by the firm in Ghana.

Position Summary:

The Business Development Executive’s (BDE) primary role is to drive results for clients, the account team and the firm. Focusing on Accounts, the BDE conducts rigorous account planning and management and works with an account team to drive relationships across the client’s organization to ensure client satisfaction. This includes leveraging the Firm’s key initiatives and cross-functional services for new business opportunities within the account.

The Business Development Executive will be accountable for revenue growth, higher win rates, market share enhancement, client satisfaction and quality assurance procedures for the account. S/he will lead the entire pursuit and proposal process on accounts. In the process, s/he will actively contribute to enhance the brand of the ‘Business Development Community’ and EY in Ghana.

Reporting to: Markets / BD Leader – West Africa

Key Relationships: CEO / CFO/ Business Head / CIO
 

Specific Responsibilities             

Business Development Executive’s key responsibilities are as follows:

• Responsible for business development/pursuit process and will be a lead in formulating and executing the account strategies.
• Create client specific solutions to meet specific business needs by integrating cross BU/Service Line (Audit, Tax, Transaction and Consulting) solution offering of EY.
• Work with business operations team to oversee the development of proposals and direct the account coordinators on their assigned accounts
• Works with the Global Client Service Partner and participate throughout the Client and Engagement life cycle.
• Conduct the following client facing activities:

• Initiate, build and sustain client relationships
• Negotiate and participate in pricing strategy
• Resolve concerns and ensure client satisfaction

• Oversee delivery and continued relationships with clients. Drive projects with clients while managing the budget, timelines and quality of end deliverables.
• Anticipate clients’ needs well beyond current engagements, adding value to the clients’ long term business. Conduct issue-based sales.
• Provide clients with advice on effective cost management and rationalize application portfolios. Act as a critical sounding board for clients on making investment decisions
• Manage and collaborate with the internal partners and the business heads to ensure high level of customer satisfaction.
• Build strong global and cross border relationships. Identify opportunities and encourage sector teams to understand and achieve business goals.
• Leadership experience in managing, monitoring and motivating sales teams. Build high performance teams.

Qualifications & Experience/ Competencies      

• A Bachelor’s degree and a postgraduate in management (MBA) preferred.
• The desired candidate should have 15-20 years of strong Sales and Business Development background. S/he should be an experienced management consultant and structured problem solver
• S/he should have strong industry knowledge and contacts (preferably in any of the following sectors: Consumer Industry, O&G, Power, Infrastructure, Manufacturing etc.
• S/he should have delivered robust growth in revenues & have the ability to build strong and long-lasting customer relationships
• Ability to represent the company at the highest level to the clients and manage client expectations.
• Positive and determined approach to researching new business opportunities.
• Experience and comfort in dealing with CXO level executives across all functions of a customer’s enterprise.
• Capable of hands-on problem solving with ability to generate ideas and solutions.
• Should have experience of working within a matrixed organisation.

Personal Characteristics             

• Self-driven individual with a hunger to succeed
• Resilient, able to overcome internal and external barriers and get results through people
• Superior interpersonal and communication skills; articulate, persuasive and succinct.
• Collaborative and approachable. Team player
• A high-energy individual who is able to work well with multiple priorities and has strong action orientation.
• The individual should exhibit the highest standards of professional integrity and ethics
• Emotionally mature and stable, relatively low on ego and highly resilient. 
• Straightforward, speaks his/her mind, but has a sense of modesty and does not come across as arrogant.
• Ability to work in a matrix organisation and be sensitive to cross cultural/geographical sensitivities

Leadership & Management Competencies         

Business Acumen - Provides sound advice to leaders based on an understanding of the business, business strategy, and customers, i.e.,

• Applies knowledge of the division and company business to articulate strategies that address critical business issues, such as cost, customer satisfaction, etc.
• Generates innovative, focused & practical long-term sustainable business strategies.

Leadership - Leads teams and organizations by defining a clear and compelling vision and priorities. Gains understanding and buy in to bold courses of action. Keeps the organization moving forward toward critical priorities; i.e.,

• Uses the company vision to help others see linkages between company strategy and their efforts
• Tears down boundaries that impede flow of work and information between different functions and groups
• Builds a strong team and leverages their collective skills and experience to achieve critical results

Strategic Thinking - Demonstrates forward thinking based on an understanding of the business. Takes a broad realistic view of an issue or opportunity and anticipates future implications. Creates a view of the future; i.e.,

• Creates new approaches to deal successfully with changes in the business and translates business objectives into specific goals for a given area
• Systematically evaluates and targets business opportunities that can produce positive business results
• Clearly understands the business, what the key business success factors are, and what levers to use to impact top and bottom-line growth

Results Orientation - Demonstrates personal commitment and drive to set and then meet or exceed high standards and objectives.  Routinely gets things done with dispatch.  Displays a "stretch-goal mentality." Successfully achieves goals and remains persistent in the face of high adversity.  Accepts responsibility for results, i.e.,

• Establishes effective controls to hold managers responsible for results
• Creates an environment that encourages self-starting behaviours
• Recognizes that ambitious, significant objectives take time to achieve

Decisiveness & Judgment - Selects clear (and sometimes bold) choices from among complex alternatives in a timely, but fact-based manner. Consistently demonstrates sound judgment, making successful decisions even in risky and ambiguous situations. Willing to make tough-minded decisions, when necessary, without unnecessary hesitation. i.e.,

• Brings critical decisions to the forefront and pushes for conclusions when necessary
• Identifies trends, problems, and their underlying causes; and uncover connections between seemingly independent events

We offer you

• Work with a bright, friendly, enthusiastic and energetic team
• Develop your personal and business skills by working on challenging projects with some of the most well-known companies as well as through our extensive learning and development programs
• Receive a competitive remuneration package

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. And 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.