FPand A- Global SL- Associate Director

FP&A, Global SL– Associate Director

We have an opportunity to join Global FP&A working with the SL CFOs to support the Global SL leadership. We work closely with business leaders across a diverse client portfolio to inform and execute on our strategic priorities under All In. The SL Finance teams in Global are client led, focused on transformation and innovation, and committed to delivering value to our stakeholders.

The opportunity:

With the opportunity to work across Assurance, Consulting, SaT and Tax SLs, we are looking for business advisers to support the SL CFOs and broader SL Leadership Teams to enable the execution of the All In strategy and key Finance priorities. You will work closely with a broad range of internal clients to develop improved business insights that inform timely business decisions.  In Global SL Finance we work as a collaborative team of innovative thinkers, connecting with colleagues across the matrix to help EY gain competitive advantage and achieve commercial success. We provide critical thinking to support Service Line Strategy design and activation, including developing insight led solutions to Service Line Challenges and leveraging business and operational KPIs to understand performance. We help to develop forward-looking projections, understand market trends, and provide functional expertise for business initiatives.

What we look for:

• Confidence and skills to drive interactions that build trust and manage expectations with stakeholders; ability to influence senior stakeholders across the organization.
• Experience of effectively managing and coaching a virtual team of finance professionals, and the ability to lead and operate across multiple projects and priorities.
• A successful track record of supporting key business change initiatives, with experience in supporting strategy development and execution
• Able to challenge assumptions and take decisions in an appropriate manner, focusing on analysis, advice, and solutions to support All-In strategy design and activation
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to interpret and convey complex data in a clear, concise manner and provide recommendations
• Strong problem-solving skills and business acumen including ability to develop best in class solutions and recommendations.
• Proven experience in a strategy, analytics, or business modelling role.
• Ability to leverage AI insights to provide actionable recommendations and drive strategic initiatives.
• Commitment to continuous learning including staying updated with the latest AI advancements and their applications in finance.
• Global mindset – ability to work effectively as a virtual team member.  Ability and willingness to work in a multicultural and diverse environment and flex style as appropriate.

Responsibilities include:

• Provide support to SL CFOs and SL Leaders, developing insights and making recommendations based on financial analysis and modeling activities in support of business planning and decision-making.
• Serve as ‘go-to’ contact for your primary stakeholders, which might include SSL Leaders, Smart Delivery Leaders, or Solution Leaders, to enable delivery of SL strategic objectives.
• Lead initiatives that drive higher quality of insight into forward-looking projections based on evolving market trends, and that increase use of technology and innovation in finance (e.g., predictability analysis, normative model analysis to support/inform integrated workforce planning, etc.)
• Provide regular updates to SL Leadership including briefing ahead of executive meetings. Make recommendations on focus areas and share commentary that offers insights.
• Promote and foster a mindset of collaboration across Finance, with other functions (Industry, Quality, Talent) and with colleagues in the Regions. Drive connectivity, enable knowledge-sharing and help develop awareness and understanding of SL strategic initiatives and priorities.
• Manage the SL hierarchy in Mercury (SL/SSL/competencies) and the Global Service Codes to ensure structure is maintained efficiently and managed tightly to avoid potential risks with future business evolution. This requires close collaboration with SSL and FOP Leaders, Markets, Quality, Talent, GDS Operations, Mercury Support Team, FR and Markets Reporting leaders.
• Provide functional expertise on strategic projects
• Promote adoption of AI and Global tools and technology
• Act as mentor and coach to others on the finance team to help support development and demonstration of Trusted Business Advisor competencies.

Skills and attributes for success

• Graduate and/or professional certification in a business-related subject matter (i.e. Accounting, Finance) is required to perform this position.
• A minimum of 10 years of relevant experience.
• A strong understanding of corporate financial management and financial planning and analysis.
• Excellent communication skills – written and verbal; excellent presentation
• A highly team-oriented approach, with flexibility regarding tasks undertaken and the ability to prioritize conflicting demands to meet exacting deadlines.
• Strong technical skills with the ability to analyze problems, design and implement solutions independently.
• Strong interpersonal skills - can work alongside and gain the trust and respect of stakeholders at all levels of seniority and within different functions
• Strong understanding of AI and machine learning algorithms, with experience in applying these technologies to financial data.
• Advanced Excel skills (e.g, pivot tables, v-lookups, charts/graphs), with ability to manipulate and draw trends from vast amounts of data as well as for sensitivity analysis and scenario modeling
• Advanced PowerPoint skills, with ability to summarize clearly and succinctly for leadership what insights and observations are being recommended for leadership materials that is easy to read and understand by a combination of taglines, comments, and data visualization.
• Advanced EY reporting tool skills (e.g., FR/Markets/Revenue Analyzer cubes, Essentials tools, ThoughtSpot, etc.)
• Understanding of the key issues and opportunities relating to Technology, AI and Automation both for finance transformation and for EY overall – technology skillsets or willingness to develop required
• Credibility and confidence to challenge and propose better ways of doing things, build bridges and harmonize divergent interests and priorities.
• Ability to be flexible for meetings and work to be performed outside of standard working hours to accommodate a global audience
• Ability to work in a self-sufficient manner, operating across multiple projects and managing conflicting priorities