Director, Strategy EY Parthenon, Financial Services, London

The opportunity

At EY-Parthenon, our unique combination of transformative strategy, transactions, tax and corporate finance delivers real‑world value – solutions that work in practice, not just on paper. Benefiting from EY’s full spectrum of services, we’ve reimagined strategic consulting to work in a world of increasing complexity. With deep functional and sector expertise, paired with innovative AI‑powered technology and an investor mindset, we partner with CEOs, boards, private equity and governments every step of the way.

The EY-Parthenon Financial Services (FS) Strategy team is currently seeking to expand their team and recruit Directors who will be able to leverage and build on their current strategy development, transaction and commercial experience, to lead 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 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.

Your key responsibilities

As a Director, you’ll typically be responsible for leading our largest client projects, shaping the deliverables, client relationships, and developing the wider team, with the support and coaching of our partners. You’ll drive exceptional client service across all engagements and guide your teams to ensure high quality of work and client‑ready outputs. Directors are expected to build recurring client relationships within their sector of expertise, acting as a trusted advisor and will often be consulted by clients beyond the project. You’ll also be involved in developing proposals and bids and actively contribute to EY-Parthenon thought leadership and internal operational initiatives. Directors form a fundamental part of the EY-Parthenon firm leadership team and are expected to help generate sales, especially via existing client and internal relationships, in order to drive the revenue targets of the business.

Coaching and mentoring are at the heart of EY-Parthenon Strategy’s culture. Directors are expected to proactively support the professional development of the more junior members of the team as well as manage effectively upwards, working to develop an inclusive culture that drives high‑performing teams whilst supporting the work‑life balance experience of all involved in an engagement.

This role will include:

• Managing multiple project teams of between 4 – 10 consultants
• Creating an inclusive culture throughout the team and within engagements
• Developing our business – identifying opportunities within existing clients and driving sales activity
• Working closely with wider EY teams – across Business Consulting, Tax & Law, Strategy & Transactions and Assurance to drive cross‑selling opportunities across the business and bring the best of the firm to our clients
• Taking responsibility for team management on risk, independence, objectivity, and compliance with EY policies across all that we do
• Overseeing engagement financials and managing book of business to optimise margin for the business
• Developing a community within the team – owning or developing internal practice initiatives such as Training, Professional Development, Innovation, Recruitment, etc.
• Counselling of Consultants to provide career direction and advice

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. We want people who are great communicators, who collaborate well with people and teams, are willing to share technical knowledge with the team, and have a real desire to both learn and coach others.

To qualify for the role, you must:

• Have a minimum of 8+ years working experience
• Have prior experience of strategy consulting, preferably with commercial due diligence experience, or have strong commercial experience and/or relevant transaction experience
• Have relevant sector experience across Financial Services (e.g., subsectors including banking, insurance, wealth and asset management among others)
• Have credible project management experience and demonstrate an ability to plan, deliver, structure, write and present work against tight deadlines
• Have experience in business development, and overseeing engagement financials
• Have analytical work experience across activities including market sizing, competitor analysis, and assessing a company’s performance/capabilities
• Be willing to share your technical and other knowledge with your team

What we offer you

We will fuel your ambition and potential with future‑focused skills development that equips you with state‑of‑the‑art methodologies and technology‑enabled solutions. With more than 25,000 people in 150 countries, you will join an inclusive and empowering culture that values your uniqueness, prioritises your wellbeing, and immerses you in the diverse thinking and cross‑cultural experiences necessary to help deliver impact to clients across the globe and to help build a better working world.