GDS Ecosystem Emerging Tech Relationships Lead - Assistant Director

Ecosystem & Emerging Tech Alliance Enablement

• Support the end to end formation and activation of new ecosystem and alliance relationships, working closely with global stakeholders across Service Lines, Risk, Independence, Quality, Legal, and Finance.

• Guide business teams through intake, approval, and onboarding processes, ensuring clarity of requirements and adherence to governance standards.

• Perform first level reviews of business cases, intake forms, and supporting documentation for completeness, accuracy, and readiness.

• Design and operationalize foundational operating models for emerging relationships, including roles, processes, reporting, and stakeholder engagement cadences.

• Partner with Alliance Operations and Markets teams to ensure a smooth transition from formation to steady state operations for relationships that demonstrate scale potential.

• Establish early tracking and reporting mechanisms (pipeline, activity, benefits, risks) to support informed decision making.

• Drive adherence to risk management, independence, and quality control requirements throughout the lifecycle of emerging relationships.

• Maintain accurate records in ecosystem and alliance systems of record, ensuring audit ‑ ready documentation and traceability

• Support internal reviews and checkpoints to assess readiness for scale, continuation, or exit.

• Identify process bottlenecks and opportunities to simplify, standardize, and automate ecosystem formation and early operations activities.

• Develop playbooks, checklists, FAQs, and guidance materials to improve consistency and stakeholder experience.

• Translate operational data into clear insights and recommendations for senior stakeholders.

• Act as a central coordination point across Service Lines, GDS teams, and onshore leadership, ensuring alignment and timely progression of activities.

• Support leadership and governance forums through preparation of materials, status reporting, and action tracking.

Build trusted relationships with stakeholders involved in early ‑ stage alliances and ecosystem engagements.

Support efforts to ensure that the ecosystem formation process is documented, reviewed, and refreshed, on a regular basis

• Identify opportunities to educate global stakeholders on the ecosystem formation process to build awareness and promote adherence to the process

• Bring innovative thoughts, take proactive steps for improving the existing process. Find better ways to perform existing tasks through continuous process innovation, take the initiative in identifying possible bottle-necks and take suitable measures to mitigate them

• Strong experience in ecosystem enablement, alliance formation, alliance operations, or partner program support within a global professional services or technology environment.

• Solid understanding of operating models, governance frameworks, and cross ‑ functional orchestration across complex stakeholder landscapes.

• Proven ability to operate effectively at the intersection of strategy and execution, particularly within ambiguous or early ‑ stage environments.

• Strong analytical, research, and problem ‑ solving skills, with the ability to structure issues, perform root ‑ cause analysis, and recommend practical, sustainable solutions.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to succinctly articulate issues, risks, and process requirements, and confidently engage senior stakeholders across geographies.

• Highly organized and process ‑ driven, with strong program and project management capabilities and a consistent focus on quality, compliance, and first ‑ time ‑ right outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with senior stakeholders across multiple geographies, time zones, and in a virtual, matrixed operating model.

• Strong attention to detail, with experience performing external research and due diligence to a high standard of accuracy and completeness.

• Ability to independently identify issues, develop mitigation strategies, and drive resolution to prevent recurrence.

• Experience applying continuous process improvement methodologies to simplify, standardize, and enhance operational effectiveness.

• Proficiency in core business tools, including MS Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, and related collaboration and reporting platforms.

• Knowledge of EY and GDS operations, including organizational structure, operating model, and management information systems (for internal candidates).

• Bachelor of Business Administration, Science, Commerce

• 12+ years, years of experience in alliances, ecosystem management, operations, program management, or professional services environments.

• Prior experience within a Big Four, GSI, or ecosystem ‑ driven organization strongly preferred.

• Experience working across geographies and time zones in a global delivery model

• GDS Philippines, Manila

• Flexible, based on assignment; substantial overlap with US time zones will be key

Note:

This job description is intended as a guide to reflect the principal functions of the job. However, it is not an all-inclusive listing of the required job functions and functions may vary depending business requirements, on the geographic location of the job and/or the manager. Further, the job description is subject to change at the discretion of management.