Other locations: Primary Location Only
Role Title: GDS Microsoft Co-innovation Portfolio Specialist
Competency: Co-Innovation
Function: GDS ES Growth & Innovation
Sub Function: GDS Alliances Program Ops CoE
Reports to: Microsoft Alliance Operations Lead
Microsoft Alliance is one of EY’s most strategic ecosystem relationships, helping clients accelerate transformation through cloud, data, AI, automation and emerging technologies. Within this agenda, the Co-Innovation team brings together EY’s sector and service-line depth with Microsoft’s technology capabilities to shape scalable, market-relevant solutions that support client transformation and create new growth opportunities.
We are looking for a strategic, collaborative and execution-focused Portfolio Specialist to support the Microsoft Alliance Co-Innovation team. The role will help manage the solution portfolio, governance rhythm, investment prioritization, execution visibility and performance tracking for co-innovation initiatives aligned to various domains such as Finance, Customer, or Operations.
This role is designed for someone who can connect strategy with disciplined execution. You will work closely with domain leadership, Microsoft stakeholders, service-line and sector teams, solution owners, sales, marketing and GDS teams to ensure domain-focused solutions are prioritized, matured and activated with clear ownership and measurable outcomes.
This is an exciting opportunity for a professional who enjoys working at the intersection of innovation, AI, alliances, portfolio management, and go-to-market growth.
Your key responsibilities
Lead portfolio governance and operating rhythm
- Manage the governance rhythm for the Microsoft Co-Innovation portfolio, ensuring timely visibility into solution progress, risks, dependencies, decisions and outcomes.
- Support portfolio reviews, leadership updates, business reviews and cadence forums with clear, consistent and decision-oriented materials.
- Maintain a structured view of domain-aligned solutions across lifecycle stages, including ideation, incubation, build, activation, scale and retirement.
- Strengthen portfolio discipline by helping leadership prioritize initiatives based on strategic relevance, market potential, solution maturity, resource availability and expected business impact.
- Ensure portfolio decisions are supported by accurate data, clear ownership, aligned next steps and transparent follow-through.
Drive AI and emerging technology portfolio focus
- Support the identification, tracking and maturation of AI-enabled, Copilot, Agentic AI, cloud, data, automation and Microsoft-powered solutions relevant to various transformation priorities.
- Partner with solution owners and technology stakeholders to assess solution readiness, scalability, client applicability and commercialization potential.
- Build visibility into the AI innovation pipeline, including use cases, accelerators, demos, client-zero examples, solution artifacts and go-to-market readiness.
- Promote responsible and practical AI adoption by ensuring solution discussions consider value, risk, governance, data requirements and adoption needs.
- Translate complex AI and technology themes into business-friendly portfolio narratives for leadership, sales and stakeholder audiences.
Support investment management and funding governance
- Track solution investments, funding asks, utilization status, expected outcomes and associated evidence requirements, where applicable.
- Support business case development and portfolio-level prioritization for solution build, activation, enablement and go-to-market funding opportunities.
- Coordinate with alliance, commercial, solution and delivery teams to maintain visibility across funding decisions, approvals and dependencies for domain-focused innovation initiatives.
- Assess whether investments are progressing toward intended outcomes, including maturity, activation, adoption, pipeline influence and market relevance.
- Prepare concise leadership summaries on funding status, risks, decisions required and recommended actions.
Enable stakeholder alignment and collaboration
- Act as a connector between leadership, Microsoft field teams, service-line leaders, sector stakeholders, solution owners, sales, marketing and GDS support teams.
- Support alignment across business, technology, delivery, and go-to-market stakeholders so priorities translate into executable portfolio actions.
- Coordinate working sessions, portfolio forums and leadership check-ins to make progress visible and decision points clear.
- Proactively identify stakeholder gaps, ownership ambiguities and cross-team dependencies that could affect solution activation or portfolio performance.
- Build trusted relationships across a matrixed global stakeholder network.
Drive portfolio reporting, insights and performance management
- Develop and maintain portfolio dashboards, trackers and executive summaries that provide clear visibility into solution health and performance.
- Monitor key metrics related to solution maturity, activation progress, pipeline contribution, adoption, funding utilization, marketplace readiness and business outcomes.
- Analyze portfolio trends and provide practical recommendations to improve prioritization, governance and go-to-market impact.
- Prepare materials for leadership reviews, monthly business reviews, quarterly business reviews and other governance forums.
- Use data and stakeholder input to tell a clear story on portfolio progress, areas requiring support and decisions needed from leadership.
Enable go-to-market readiness and market activation
- Work with sales, marketing and solution teams to support activation planning for prioritized co-innovation solutions.
- Track readiness of key solution assets, including demos, credentials, case studies, sales collateral, enablement material, marketplace content and client-facing narratives.
- Identify opportunities to scale successful domain-focused solutions across priority accounts, sectors and service lines
- Support enablement and awareness activities so client-facing teams understand the portfolio and how to activate it.
- Feed portfolio-level insights back into solution teams to strengthen commercialization, adoption and future prioritization.
Skills and Attributes for Success
We are looking for someone who brings strategic thinking, strong discipline, analytical rigor and relationship-building capability. The successful candidate will be comfortable working with senior stakeholders, ambiguous priorities and evolving solution portfolios while maintaining a practical focus on measurable outcomes.
- Strong portfolio management, governance and operating rhythm experience.
- Ability to translate business priorities into structured portfolio actions and measurable outcomes.
- Comfort working with AI, cloud, data, automation and emerging technology themes at a business and portfolio level.
- Strong executive communication skills, including the ability to simplify complex information for leadership audiences.
- Ability to influence without authority and build alignment across matrixed teams.
- Strong analytical capability, with experience developing dashboards, trackers, performance narratives and decision papers.
- High attention to detail, strong follow-through and a continuous improvement mindset.
- Curiosity, adaptability and a genuine interest in innovation-led growth.
To qualify for the role, you must have
- 10–15 years of relevant professional experience in portfolio management, program management, consulting, alliances, innovation management, transformation, product portfolio management or strategic operations.
- Experience managing complex cross-functional initiatives across domain or global stakeholder groups.
- Experience with governance models, leadership reporting, investment tracking, portfolio dashboards and performance management.
- Strong stakeholder management and communication skills, including experience preparing executive-ready materials.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities, proactively identify risks and drive structured follow-through in a fast-paced environment.
- Experience working with technology-enabled transformation, cloud, AI, automation, data or digital solution portfolios.
Ideally, you’ll also have
- Exposure to Microsoft ecosystem programs, including Azure, Copilot, AI Business Solutions, Cloud and AI Platforms, Security or related solution areas.
- Experience in alliance management, co-sell motions, co-innovation programs, marketplace offerings or technology partner ecosystems.
- Experience in a Big Four, professional services, consulting or technology-led environment.
- Understanding solution commercialization, go-to-market activation, funding governance and innovation lifecycle management.
EY Global Delivery Services (GDS) is a dynamic and truly global delivery network. We work across six locations – Argentina, China, India, the Philippines, Poland and the UK – and with teams from all EY service lines, geographies and sectors, playing a vital role in the delivery of the EY growth strategy. From accountants to coders to advisory consultants, we offer a wide variety of fulfilling career opportunities that span all business disciplines. In GDS, you will collaborate with EY teams on exciting projects and work with well-known brands from across the globe. We’ll introduce you to an ever-expanding ecosystem of people, learning, skills and insights that will stay with you throughout your career.
- Continuous learning: You’ll develop the mindset and skills to navigate whatever comes next.
- Success, as defined by you: We’ll provide the tools and flexibility, so you can make a meaningful impact, your way.
- Transformative leadership: We’ll give you the insights, coaching and confidence to be the leader the world needs.
- Diverse and inclusive culture: You’ll be embraced for who you are and empowered to use your voice to help others find theirs.
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Enabled by data and technology, diverse EY teams in over 150 countries provide trust through assurance and help clients grow, transform and operate.
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If you can demonstrate that you meet the criteria above, please contact us as soon as possible.
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