Unified Support Services - USS - EMEIA Service Delivery Leader Associate Director

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EY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Technology is at the heart of what we do and deliver at EY. Technology solutions are integrated in the client services we deliver and are key to our innovation as an organisation. Fueled by a US$1.5+B investment in technology and innovation, EY is primed to guide clients in their efforts to drive sustainable growth, create new value, and build new and better ways of working. As part of Enterprise Technology, you’ll be at the forefront of integrating technology into what we do at EY. That means more growth for you, exciting learning opportunities, career choices and the chance to make a real impact.

The Opportunity

EY’s global enterprise technology group provides various enabling services (ERP, infrastructure, platforms, service desk) to assist over 400K employees in creating and delivering solutions and services to Fortune 500, privately held and government like entities.

The Europe, Middle East, India and Africa (EMEIA) Service Delivery Leader for EY's Unified Support Services (USS) leads the integrated delivery of Onsite IT Support Services (OSTS) and IT Service Desk (SD) across the EMEIA area. Reporting to the USS Global Leader, the role translates the global USS strategy into area-level priorities, operating plans and measurable service outcomes. The leader will guide a workforce of approximately 600 EY personnel and contractors, collaborate with USS EMEIA regional leaders, oversee the EMEIA Service Desk delivered by the strategic service provider, and secure business enablement and operational support from the central Functional Excellence team. The role is also accountable for maintaining an effective executive relationship with the service provider's EY account leadership, including regular in-person governance meetings and workshops where required.

EY is seeking a forward-thinking IT executive to establish, lead and continuously evolve EMEIA service delivery in line with the global Unified Support Services strategy.

This executive will:
• Create a customer-centric culture focused on simple, consistent and high-quality support experiences across all channels and locations.
• Align people, process, technology, data and partner capabilities to deliver an integrated, modern support experience.
• Operate effectively across a complex, diverse and highly regulated global organisation while balancing global standards with regional requirements.
• Build and lead an inclusive, high-performing leadership team with clear accountability, strong succession planning and a sustained focus on customer outcomes.

USS strategy requirements for EMEIA
• Customer experience and channel integration: deliver a consistent, user-centric support journey across Service Desk, digital and virtual support, onsite services and walk-up experiences, with effective hand-offs between channels.
• Standardisation with regional adaptability: implement global USS processes, controls, service standards and operating practices while addressing country, language, cultural, legal, regulatory and works-council requirements across EMEIA.
• Digital-first and AI-enabled support: accelerate self-service, knowledge-centred support, automation, virtual assistance and responsible use of AI to improve speed, quality and employee productivity.
• One USS operating model: strengthen integration between Service Desk, OSTS, Functional Excellence, regional leadership and strategic partners through clear decision rights, governance, escalation paths and shared objectives.
• Experience, performance and value management: establish data-led management of service levels, experience measures, demand, productivity, cost, risk and business value, supported by transparent dashboards and regular performance reviews.
• Proactive and resilient service: use insight, trend analysis and employee feedback to prevent recurring issues, improve service resilience and rapidly coordinate support during major incidents and business-critical events.
• Knowledge as a strategic asset: improve knowledge quality, ownership, reuse and findability across support channels so that employees and support teams receive trusted, consistent answers.
• Partner and commercial excellence: manage strategic providers through outcome-based governance, contractual accountability, innovation commitments, financial stewardship and continuous improvement.
• People, capability and inclusion: build a future-ready, inclusive workforce with strong leadership, digital and service-management capabilities, cross-regional collaboration, mentoring and succession planning.
• Security, compliance and sustainability: embed information security, privacy, regulatory compliance, ethical conduct, accessibility and sustainable operating practices into all service-delivery decisions.

Your key responsibilities

• Translate the global USS strategy into a multi-year EMEIA roadmap, annual operating plan, investment priorities and measurable outcomes, with clear ownership and dependencies.
• Establish and govern common service standards, processes, controls and experience principles for integrated OSTS and Service Desk operations across EMEIA.
• Partner with USS EMEIA regional leaders to execute the strategy in local markets, resolve cross-regional dependencies and apply approved adaptations for regional needs.
• Own the executive relationship with the strategic service provider's EY account leadership, serving as the EMEIA point of contact for partnership, performance, risk and transformation matters.
• Manage performance through transparent scorecards covering service levels, employee experience, quality, demand, productivity, cost, risk and improvement outcomes.
• Maintain a prioritised continuous-improvement and innovation portfolio informed by business needs, service insights, technology opportunities and employee feedback.
• Engage business and technology stakeholders to communicate the USS roadmap, test priorities, manage expectations and incorporate feedback into execution.
• Ensure USS EMEIA services comply with applicable EY policies, information-security and privacy requirements, contractual obligations, legal and regulatory requirements, and ethical standards.
• Foster an inclusive culture of accountability, customer focus, collaboration, learning and operational excellence across internal teams and strategic partners.
• Act as the primary EMEIA liaison to the central Functional Excellence team, securing the standards, tools, data, knowledge, workforce capabilities and operational support required for effective delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with executives, regional and country leaders, Enterprise Technology functions and key partners across EY.
• Own EMEIA demand, capacity, workforce and financial planning, balancing service quality, resilience, affordability and strategic investment.
• Sponsor knowledge, automation, self-service and AI-enabled support initiatives, ensuring appropriate governance, adoption and measurable value.
• Maintain service continuity, operational resilience and coordinated response arrangements for major incidents and business-critical events across EMEIA.
• Develop EMEIA leadership capability, succession and talent pipelines, and promote collaboration and mobility across regions and support functions.

Skills and attributes for success

To qualify for the role, you must have

• Customer-obsessed, with a strong commitment to improving employee satisfaction, productivity and confidence in technology support.
• More than 15 years of progressive experience in IT support or service delivery, including senior leadership of large-scale, multi-country operations and strategic partners.
• Strong command of IT service-management principles, controls and measurement, supported by relevant professional certification or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated success in leading service transformation, standardisation, digital support, automation and continuous improvement in a complex multinational organisation.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively with all levels of the organisation and external partners.
• Strategic and analytical thinker with robust problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrates ability to creatively apply IT to solving business problems, with a focus on service needs and expectations
• Demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of how IT service solutions support customer fulfilment and productivity to achieve short- and long-term business goals
• Visible leadership skills and executive presence
• Pushes the organisation to continuously improve and challenge the status quo
• Extensive experience in budgeting, forecasting, financial stewardship, business-case development and management of large operating portfolios.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams through functional transformation, improve capability and efficiency, and develop future leaders through coaching, mentoring and succession planning.

Ideally, you’ll also have

Education:

• Advanced college degree in related technology field (Computer, Engineering, Science, etc.) or comparable job experience

Certification Requirements (preferred):

• ITIL, PMP

What we offer you

At EY, we’ll develop you with future-focused skills and equip you with world-class experiences. We’ll empower you in a flexible environment, and fuel you and your extraordinary talents in a diverse and inclusive culture of globally connected teams. Learn more.

Are you ready to shape your future with confidence? Apply today.

To help create an equitable and inclusive experience during the recruitment process, please inform us as soon as possible about any disability-related adjustments or accommodations you may need.

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