Pursuit Designer Assistant Director

At EY, you’ll 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’re counting on your unique voice and perspective to help EY become even better, too. Join us and build an exceptional experience for yourself, and a better working world for all. 

The opportunity 

The Creative Design Manager is responsible for supporting the firm’s most high-value, strategic deals across the following scope of responsibilities:

• Develop and communicate complex ideas, solutions, and value propositions through compelling visual, cohesive, and persuasive narratives that resonate with clients and effectively convey the team's strategies 
• Collaborate and stretch team’s thinking to integrate design elements seamlessly into proposals and materials, incorporating user-centered design principles, ensuring that the design not only is professional and visually appealing but also enhances the overall user experience and engagement approach.
• Ensure design work across all design assets remains consistent with the company's branding identity, while also tailoring visuals to resonate with the specific needs and preferences of client or industry.
• Infuse current design and industry trends, design techniques, and emerging technologies to bring fresh and innovative design ideas, enhancing the overall quality and impact of presentations and materials.

The Creative Design Manager is expected to be a beacon of pursuit excellence, bringing vast knowledge, tools, and resources from across the firm and their own professional experience to proactively deliver creative design assets progressing the pursuit towards a winning outcome.

Your key responsibilities 

Manage creative strategy that effectively conveys and enhances EY’s win themes, solutions and offerings.

• Responsible for developing the visual design strategies that support our win strategy and the client’s requirements using a variety of design tools and software.
• Contribute to overall win strategy by developing innovative visuals, presentations, graphics, and packaging methods which resonate with the client’s business issues, culture, industry and market position.
• Conduct client, service line/solution and sector research to develop a creative strategy that is tailored for the pursuits.
• Produce design comparable based on above research to give the team optionality in the creative strategy.
• Attend and contribute to pursuit strategy calls throughout the pursuit process to enhance knowledge of client and offering to further tailor the creative strategy and to proactively offer ideas for design solutions and innovation.   
• Pitch and influence the pursuit team on creative strategy, including determining any budgetary needs and obtaining approval as applicable/necessary.

Creative production: Produce tailored deliverables and graphics across the pursuit lifecycle on schedule and with the highest levels of quality.

• Translate the creative strategy into compelling pursuit deliverables (e.g., proposals, meetings documents, orals presentations, videos, custom graphics/tables/images/photos).
• In collaboration with the Deal Manager, establish the production process, timeline, and procedures to meet client/pursuit deadlines.
• Direct and manage any additional design resources and vendors needed to execute the creative strategy (e.g., offshore designers, reprographics, proofreaders, illustrators, video resources).
• Perform final QA/QC review, ensuring adherence to EY brand, visual identity, and quality standards.
• Develop innovative concepts for packaging design, print and collateral delivery when appropriate.

Innovation: Translate visual strategies into forward-thinking designs and deliverables that resonate with the client and differentiate EY.

• Drive continuous improvement and innovation in design practices, technology, and formats.
• Keep abreast of industry knowledge and trends to assess, identify, and implement new technology and/or design innovations such as interactive presentations and digital content delivery.
• Analyze market developments and leads initiatives to leverage innovation in strategic design
• Share best practices and innovation from pursuits and other experiences with teammates, the broader BD community, and the global firm as appropriate.
• Support team strategic and/or operational initiatives to develop new or enhance existing best practices, tools, or enablers.

Skills and attributes for success 

• Must be able to operate in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment. 
• Influences/challenges the pursuit team appropriately in terms of creative strategy.
• Demonstrates versatility and poise in a constantly evolving environment with a wide variety of social styles and interests. 
• Solution-oriented and makes sound design/creative recommendations and decisions.
• Champions best-practice creative tools and processes, while remaining open to new and better ways of doing things when appropriate.
• Challenges team as appropriate to meet production deadlines and ensure high quality deliverables.
• Demonstrates executive presence and influence with senior firm stakeholders.
• Self-motivated, resourceful, and able to work from own initiative with limited supervision
• Ability to work with considerable autonomy while often managing the work of other internal and third-party creative resources (e.g., offshore Design Specialists, video, illustrators, proofers).
• Ability to serve as a “Peer Buddy” to new joiners.
• Ability to coach and support development of offshore Design Specialists.
• Embrace shared philosophy that “great teams” execute a consistent set of behaviors aligned with being a:
  • Trusted Strategic Advisor – Build Trust and credibility by proactively providing forward-thinking insights and guidance to help pursuit teams develop and execute a winning pursuit strategy
  • Gold Standard Champion – Execute EY’s “gold standard” pursuit process with discipline and expertise to improve consistency and use of leading practices in EY’s approach to winning
  • Win-Win Advocate – Drive internal and external clients towards outcomes that deliver compelling and sustainable results for both the client and EY.
  • Creativity and innovation Driver – Inspire and challenge teams to differentiate EY through innovative strategies, experiences, and deliverables that compel our clients to choose EY
  • Inspirational Change Agent – Invest in developing world-class talent, methods, tools, and capabilities to deliver better results, create exceptional experiences, and develop transformative leaders and teams.

To qualify for the role, you must have 

• University/Bachelor/technical degree or equivalent work experience required.
• 7-10+ years of Graphic Design or Pursuit Design experience
• Cross-border experience working in a large organization is beneficial, experience in a professional services environment is highly advantageous.
• Understanding of Business Development, Pursuit Management or new business pitches is advantageous.
• Moderate travel may be required
• The ability and willingness to travel and work in excess of standard hours when necessary.  Flexibility in working hours to accommodate multiple time zones and/or high priority items as needed
• Must have deep experience in graphic design with exposure to brand marketing.
• Must maintain advanced/expert knowledge in Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, etc. PowerPoint, Word, CoPilot and Outlook, and design software such as Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and AI usage
• Must be proficient in: SharePoint, Teams and Excel, and some knowledge in HTML
• Illustration, video, metaverse and web experience a plus
• Excellent project management and organizational skills with high attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple deliverables simultaneously.
• Strong communication (written and verbal), team building and interpersonal skills