Lead Negotiator, Associate Director - East and Central locations

EY•Atlanta, GA

21d•$178,600 - $401,800

About The Position

The Lead Negotiator – Associate Director is a deal-closer responsible for leading negotiation strategy and managing EY and client deal teams toward collaborative, mutually value-based outcomes. The role focuses primarily on EY’s largest and most complex deals and requires strong business acumen, leadership, and emotional intelligence to serve as first chair. The negotiator must adapt to unfamiliar environments, navigate client behavior and tactics, and maintain the integrity of EY’s deals. The role also leads training classes and presentations on negotiation best practices. The position works independently, manages multiple priorities, and directs virtual teams. As first chair, the Lead Negotiator drives the deal team, sets direction and timelines, and oversees drafting of contracting documents. The role also counsels pursuit team members and supports the adoption of EY’s negotiation methodology across the region. Flexible hours are regularly required to address client needs and varying time zones; limited to moderate-to-frequent travel is required. The role requires 10+ years of negotiation and contract-drafting experience involving commercial and legal terms, including substantial experience in the technology services industry, such as managed services, BPO, systems integration, or consulting. It also requires approximately 7+ years of first-chair negotiation experience in consulting and managed services, experience in a large and complex global organization, and experience leading high-performance teams. A university/bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification is required; an MBA or master’s degree in business or a related field is preferred. EY offers a comprehensive compensation and benefits package. Base salary ranges vary by office location: $214,300–$385,700 for New York City, Boston, Washington DC Metro Areas, Washington State, and Southern California; $223,200–$401,800 for Bay Area California offices; and $178,600–$353,600 for other US office locations, including Sacramento. Individual salary depends on factors including education, experience, knowledge, skills, and geography. Benefits include medical and dental coverage, pension and 401(k) plans, flexible vacation, designated paid holidays, winter and summer breaks, personal/family care time, and other leaves of absence.

Requirements

10+ years of negotiation and contract-drafting experience involving commercial and legal terms, with substantial experience in the technology services industry, including managed services, BPO, systems integration, or consulting.
Approximately 7+ years of first-chair negotiation experience in consulting and managed services, in sales, legal, or procurement.
Experience working in a large, complex global organization, with understanding and proven application of leading negotiation practices.
Experience leading and managing high-performance teams.
University/bachelor’s degree or equivalent qualification.
Strong business and commercial acumen and ability to become familiar quickly with a solution.
Ability to lead and participate in complex, matrixed, and unstructured environments with geographically distributed teams.
Ability to lead without formal authority through influence and communication.
Attention to detail and ability to produce consistently high-quality work under time and outcome pressure.
Drive, independence, and ability to handle ambiguity and change.
Fluency in best practices for technology services contract drafting and ability to translate them for EY pursuits.
Strong written and verbal communication skills with EY stakeholders.
Flexibility to work with stakeholders worldwide and across time zones.
Ability to exercise independent judgment, analyze alternatives, make timely decisions, and solve challenging or ambiguous problems.
Ability to manage multiple priorities, direct virtual resources, and perform with a high degree of independence and autonomy.
Flexible hours are regularly required to respond to client needs and varying time zones.
Limited to moderate-to-frequent travel is required.

Nice To Haves

MBA or master’s degree (or equivalent qualification) in business or a related field.

Responsibilities

Lead negotiations as first chair with the client’s negotiation lead, taking engagements from sold to closed.
Collaborate with the EY sales lead on relationship mapping and tiering to align EY personnel with appropriate client leaders.
Advise pursuit teams on strategies to obtain client commitment to a close plan.
Lead deal-making and document agreed deal terms in contractual language with the client.
Advise and counsel pursuit teams on commercial models available for large, complex deals.
Assist with activating and implementing negotiation strategies for the region.
Serve as a conduit of information between account teams and Pursuits & Commercial Excellence leadership.
Work with regional business development leaders to advise and strategize on deal opportunities.
Cascade EY’s negotiation methodology as a global best practice.
Promote consistency and synergies in regional and account negotiations through example and EY training programs.
Build relationships with global and regional leadership to enable activation and implementation of EY’s negotiation methodology.
Use relationships with regional business leads to encourage integration of the methodology across priority deals.
Instill exceptional client service throughout the negotiation process.
Analyze information and results independently, recommend strategies and solutions, and identify strengths and weaknesses of alternatives.
Identify sales opportunities and drive toward engagement revenue objectives.
Make sound, timely decisions, assess risks and dependencies in proposed solutions, and address challenging or ambiguous problems efficiently.
Prioritize critical activities across parallel projects and deliver timely, high-quality service to EY account teams.
Direct virtual deal teams, set task direction and timelines, oversee contract drafting, and counsel pursuit team members.
Lead training classes and presentations on negotiation best practices.
Apply EY’s pursuit behaviors as a trusted strategic advisor, gold standard champion, win-win advocate, creativity and innovation driver, and inspirational change agent.