GDS Account Support Leader

About the Role

The GDS Account Support Leader is accountable for all GDS Account Support priorities across every GDS location, with a primary focus on operational excellence and service delivery excellence. The role holds end-to-end accountability for operational performance, service quality, stakeholder experience, and talent. Drawing on deep operational insight, the role identifies opportunities for process improvement and transformation. Working in strong collaboration with Global and Regional Account Support teams, it takes learnings from operational excellence to inform key design decisions on process improvements, technology implementation, and the workforce of the future, supporting delivery of the Global Account Support Strategy and EY's growth agenda.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Excellence

• Own operational performance across all GDS locations, including productivity, utilization, cost, quality, and efficiency.
• Build a culture of operational excellence through standardized ways of working, performance management, and continuous improvement.
• Optimize organizational structure, delivery economics, and globally integrated delivery models while maintaining quality, risk, and compliance standards.

Service Delivery Excellence

• Own end-to-end service delivery performance, quality, KPIs, and stakeholder satisfaction, aligned with business and client-serving needs.
• Embed service management disciplines, including service catalogs, service levels, and customer experience measures, to deliver globally consistent, scalable services.
• Lead governance forums and serve as the primary escalation point for significant service, operational, or stakeholder issues.

Process Improvement & Transformation Insight

• Identify process improvement and transformation opportunities using operational data, root-cause analysis, and frontline insight.
• Working with Global and Regional Account Support teams, use learnings from operational excellence to inform design decisions on process improvements, technology implementation, and the workforce of the future.
• Partner with Global Process Owner (GPO) and transformation teams to pilot and embed improvements, including AI and automation, ensuring solutions are operationally ready, scalable, and deliver measurable benefits.

Strategy & Stakeholder Partnership

• Translate the Global Account Support Strategy into operational plans and priorities across all GDS locations.
• Work with Global and Regional Account Support Leaders and Finance leadership as one aligned leadership team and trusted advisor.

Talent & Organization Leadership

• Lead and develop a large, globally distributed, inclusive, and high-performing organization, driving talent and performance management, engagement, retention, and succession.
• Ensure compliance with GDS talent policies, regulatory requirements, and mandatory learning obligations.

Workforce of the Future

• Use operational insight to inform strategic workforce planning, identifying future skill and role needs arising from process change, AI, and automation.
• Champion investment in upskilling and reskilling in digital, data, analytical, and advisory capabilities, with clear career pathways toward higher-value roles.

Requirements & Tech Stack

Essential Skills & Experience

• Significant leadership experience within Finance or professional services environments, leading large, geographically dispersed teams in complex matrix organizations.
• Proven track record delivering operational excellence and service delivery excellence across multi-location shared services or GDS environments.
• Strong continuous improvement capability, with experience identifying improvement opportunities through data, root-cause analysis, and performance insight, and translating them into process and technology change.
• Strong financial and operational management capabilities, including productivity, cost, and workforce planning.
• Experience managing senior stakeholder relationships and building collaborative leadership partnerships across global and regional organizations.
• Experience building future-ready capabilities through upskilling and reskilling, with a strong understanding of how AI and GenAI reshape roles, services, and operating models.
• Demonstrated success leading change with measurable business outcomes, supported by excellent executive communication, influencing, and leadership skills.

Preferred

• Experience leading Account Support, Engagement Support, Quote-to-Cash, or related Finance operations within a global professional services environment.
• Exposure to large-scale automation, AI, analytics, and digital transformation programs.
• Knowledge of global operating models, service management, shared services governance, and enterprise transformation frameworks.
• Certifications or experience in Lean Six Sigma, Agile, Change Management, or Digital Transformation methodologies.

Why This Role Matters

This role is critical to enabling EY's Global Finance strategy and the Global Account Support Strategy. By driving operational excellence and service delivery excellence across all GDS locations, and working in strong collaboration with Global and Regional Account Support teams to turn operational learnings into better process, technology, and workforce design decisions, the GDS Account Support Leader ensures Account Support delivers consistent, scalable, and high-quality services that create exceptional value for Finance stakeholders.