Manager - Strategy EY Parthenon - Financial Services, London

About EY-Parthenon Strategy

EY-Parthenon (EYP) is EY’s global strategy consultancy with more than 9,000 professionals working across three areas of focus: corporate & growth strategy, transaction strategy & execution, and turnaround & restructuring strategy. In 2023, EY-Parthenon was ranked among the top 5 in the Vault’s Top 50 Consulting Firms.

At EY-P Strategy, we put our purpose — Building a better working world — at the heart of everything we do. We are committed to using unconventional yet pragmatic thinking to deliver actionable strategies. You’ll be a part of a collaborative team that applies the latest thinking, research, analytics, and methodologies to help transform clients’ businesses and solve complex business matters, driving change for tomorrow’s working world. For smart, nice, and driven candidates, working at EY-P Strategy offers the opportunity to change how world-leading organisations do business.

We advise on a vast range of issues, such as core value propositions, competitive positioning, and growth strategies. EY-Parthenon Strategy employees enjoy unparalleled contact with influential and highly experienced professionals within the firm, as well as at clients’ organisations across a multitude of sectors.

The Opportunity

The EY-Parthenon Financial Services (FS) Strategy team is currently seeking to expand their team and recruit Managers who will be able to build on their current strategy development, transaction and commercial experience, and work on a number of diverse and demanding projects for blue chip and entrepreneurial clients.

In the EYP FS Strategy team, you can expect to work with a range of Financial Services clients (e.g., banks, insurers, payments providers, wealth and asset managers, FinTechs), advising on strategy development (e.g., growth strategy, product strategy, new market entry), and both corporate and private equity clients on the investment, acquisition and divestment of FS-specific businesses. The FS sector is highly dynamic, where regulation, new entrants, digitisation, and evolving customer behaviour are just some of the market forces influencing the landscape and future outlook. As such, for those with experience and/or a keen interest in Financial Services, this role provides the opportunity to continue to immerse yourself in one of the most complex and exciting sectors.

Our work is typically focused on applying our deep sector & strategy knowledge across Financial Services to various types of strategic projects, including:

• Commercial Due Diligence: where in “buy-side” scenarios we work with private equity or trade investors to conduct analysis related market size and growth, competitor analysis, customer requirements/preferences, as well as assessing business’ revenue forecasts to inform the commercial and strategic merit of a proposed investment/acquisition. In “sell-side” situations, we work directly with the business’ Management team to provide similar analysis to support the sale/investment of the business.

• Corporate Strategy: where we support Financial Institutions – from incumbent players, mid-size specialists to scaling FinTechs – to identify their strategic priorities and support in actioning them. We typically perform detailed assessment of the performance of these institutions, analyse how well they compete in their markets, and help them to define their strategic roadmap as part of key topics including growth and product strategy, new market entry, and cost/bottom-line optimisation among others. Typical output is the identification of most viable strategic options which will allow our clients to build competitive advantage in the markets they play, and position them for long-term, sustainable growth.

You'll work with a high-performing, integrated team which focuses on a variety of global and local corporate clients and private equity clients. You'll have a diverse range of stretching experiences which will give you continuous learning and development opportunities as well as a great sense of achievement.

Role Responsibilities

At the Manager level, you will begin taking responsibility for developing the recommendations that will ultimately be implemented by our clients, whilst also learning how to contribute to and grow EY-Parthenon’s business through internal practice building and contributing to new business development. You will have opportunities to learn from a wide variety of senior team members –through counselling relationships, mentoring, and coaching.

• Leading project workstreams in the development and implementation of strategic recommendations for clients.
• Supporting and managing client relationships and ensuring the delivery of high-quality work that meets or exceeds client expectations.
• Contributing to and leading the problem-solving process, including defining key issues, conducting analysis, and synthesizing findings into actionable recommendations.
• Coordinating and managing the work of junior team members, providing guidance, mentorship, and feedback to support their professional growth.
• Actively contributing to business development efforts by identifying and pursuing new client opportunities, preparing proposals, and participating in pitch meetings.
• Collaborating with other EY service lines to bring integrated solutions to clients and leverage the full capabilities of the firm.
• Ensuring the team adheres to project timelines and budgets, and managing any risks or issues that arise during the course of the project.
• Contributing to the development of EY-Parthenon’s internal knowledge base and thought leadership by sharing insights and best practices from client engagements.

Skills and Attributes for Success

Successful candidates are intellectually curious, passionate about solving complex problems, hardworking, have an enthusiastic and approachable demeanour with an entrepreneurial mind-set.

To qualify for the role, you must:

• Be educated to bachelor’s degree level or equivalent
• Have a minimum of 5+ years working experience in a strategy consulting, in-house strategy, transaction advisory or corporate finance role
• Possess a desire and ability to solve complex and open-ended client problems
• Have strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills
• Be able to plan and deliver sections of work against tight deadlines
• Be clear and concise in your communication skills, and be able to engage effectively with both clients and team members

Ideally, you will also:

• Have experience of working within the Financial Services industry
• Have experience in executing and managing research and investigation of companies and markets, preferably with commercial due diligence experience
• Enjoy working in a highly collaborative and fast-paced team environment
• Have the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments